Dropkick Murphys Ensure Everyone Is Taken Care Of
Published
It’s been a long time since Dropkick Murphys graced Nottingham’s Rock City, but they’ve finally made it back as part of the celtic punk invasion tour. As it always is, the funny thing about a Dropkick Murphys show is its ability to bring together people from every demographic, and this is readily apparent from the moment you walk in the door.
While opening band Blood or Whiskey definitely weren’t bad, there was just something lacking that I can’t quite put my finger on, making for an ultimately underwhelming 30 minutes. The Mahones followed, and sound like a band who formed a week earlier and haven’t had time to practice playing together yet. Whether this sound was intentional is unclear, but the set as a whole only added to the disappointment and reduced hype for the main act of the night.
Thankfully, Boston’s finest managed to salvage things. From the very first note, Dropkick Murphys aggressive brand of punk-infused Irish music created something pretty interesting. Everyone present was brought together in a union of love for this band – the interesting thing was that no two people were similar; present on this night were people of every age, race, height, hair colour, music taste… the list goes on.
It sounds silly, but try to consider another setting where you’d see a really stereotypical “British family” dancing gleefully with drunk, rowdy students and a couple of scruffy 80 year old punk dudes with blue hair and eyelid piercings. It’s this kind of beautiful clumping and bonding across demographic lines that make a Dropkick Murphys concert such a wonderful sight.
The band kicked things off with "Your Spirit’s Alive", which was massive, turning the Rock City dance floor into what can only be described as a small jungle. People quickly became animals; running aimlessly, howling and screaming – I swear I even saw one girl flying.
In terms of music, Dropkick Murphys are pretty unpredictable in the sense that you won’t get the same set twice and you’ll never know what rarities they’ll pull out of the bag. Tonight’s set consisted of a lot of material from 'The Warrior’s Code', some covers, and a little bit of everything else from their back catalogue. Covers of AC/DC’s "T.N.T" and The Clash’s "The Guns of Brixton" make for some satisfying nostalgia, whilst "Cruel" fuels a heartfelt singalong, and "In the Streets of Boston" acts as the obligatory rarely-played track, keeping everyone completely satisfied.
Vocalist Al Barr is gruff as fuck throughout - an animal in his own right, whilst Ken Casey provides the more melodic vocals – strong individual performances by both which peak when combined. Tim and Jeff, playing different instruments with each passing song, are as entertaining as they are talented. A notable tradition of a Dropkick Murphys set is that the ladies of the crowd swarm the stage during "Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced", and this night was no different.
Highlights include "Citizen CIA", which was just pure chaos, "The State of Massachusetts", which was eagerly received by a Rock City who weren’t treated to it the last time the band passed through, and of course "I’m Shipping Up To Boston", which honestly felt a little magical. Perhaps that’s due to the added aesthetic value that comes with having nearly a hundred girls on the stage, or maybe the magic results from having 2300 people sing the same song at once.
Because Dropkick Murphys obviously aren’t sexist in any way, the men of the crowd were soon allowed on stage - during "The Boys Are Back" – but take your best guess at which one was more elegant. The girls smiled and danced (albeit somewhat awkwardly), while the guys nearly killed each other grabbing for guitar picks, set-lists and drumsticks. As ridiculous as it may look, bringing the lads on stage probably made their night, another one of the many things Dropkick Murphys do to ensure their fans are always happy. Cementing their position as a band that never disappoints, this sold out Rock City performance was excellent, and we can only hope that they come back soon.
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Words by Blaine Marshall
