We were treated to three bands at The Chalk tonight, each with their own slightly different flavour. The first support slot was filled by a band who are the answer to the question: “What would happen if the Pogues bumped into Alestorm on a drunken night out and gatecrashed a shanty karaoke?” The Captain’s Beard, that’s what. From the kilts to the jokey interludes they were a good choice of warm-up act tonight and Brighton boys to boot. They played an interesting selection of mandolin–type instruments, as well as drums, bass, accordion and fiddle, to accompany upbeat shanties and pirate-themed tunes (with a touch of Chas and Dave here and there) that got the crowd jigging along. Some songs worked better than others in my opinion but they seemed to go down well with those who made the early doors. Rum anyone?
The Cloverhearts describe themselves as ‘Australian Celtic Punk’ and when you hear them this kind of makes sense. Charismatic frontman Sam Cooper provides the Aussie and knows just how to get an unsuspecting audience on-board with a high energy performance. Traditional Irish instrumentation is provided by the rest of the band (who I think are all Italian?) over punk rock guitars and drums in a Dropkick Murphys style but with a Green Day/Offspring twist. The appearance of bagpipes at the start of the set could have been a cause for alarm but, luckily, Ciara pulled it off with aplomb. He was also responsible for the twisted tin-whistle ear worms which accompanied many of the band’s stomping jigs and these really resonated with the Ferocious Dog crowd. In fact, I think the bagpipes should have been even higher in the mix tonight, for a better effect. They played a selection of tracks from their first album The Sick and the Sacred as well as newer tracks. Song titles mainly focus on having a good time all the time (“Luck of the Irish”, “Drinking Songs”, “Whiskey, Whiskey, Beer”) and it’s impossible to argue with that! I will definitely be looking out for any headline Cloverhearts gigs in future and sophomore album Loving in Squalor is due later this year. T-shirt duly purchased.
It is August 2022 and we are chilling out in our tent at Bloodstock Open Air when one of our campmates suggests that we go to the Sophie Lancaster tent to check out Ferocious Dog. Well, we thought, that’s a great name but who the hell are they? Turns out they were one of the highlights of the entire festival for me, which is why I jumped straight on tickets when I found out about this tour, promoting their new album Kleptocracy.
Fresh from their (cosy) album signing session at The Resident record store in North Laines, Brighton, Ferocious Dog dazzled those assembled with a great display of politically charged folk-infused punk rock. There have been some line-up changes so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect this time around, with (the ever-present) Ken Bonsall on rabble rousing vocals and acoustic guitar, Jamie Burney’s mad fiddling, Kyle Peters on electric guitar, Luke Grainger on drums, Nick Wragg on bass, and Sam Wood on, well… just about everything else! Sam jumps between the banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, guitar, whistles and accordion throughout the set, whatever the tunes dictate.
Tonight’s set was loaded with songs from the new album, certainly the front half, with the first five tracks all being from that triumphant piece of work: “Merthyr Rising”, “Matty Groves”, “Iron Mike Malloy”, “Kleptocracy” and “Sus Laws”. “Kleptocracy” is the brilliantly named title track and is an insightful take on the current government (and some would argue all governments). Other songs were plucked from previous albums, particularly The Hope and the self-titled first album.
The ‘Dog love to tell a story within their songs (in true folk tradition) and “Broken Soldier” addresses the soldier’s lot. The topic must hit very close to home for Ken as his son suffered from PTSD upon his return from Afghanistan and the family have actively campaigned for better treatment and support for returning servicemen and women since his passing (see the Lee Bonsall Memorial Fund for more details). One of my grandads was a gunner on the PQ17 Arctic Convoy during the Second World War. Upon their return from Archangel (having been sunk and rescued from the Arctic waters three times in total) he said they were just dropped off at the docks afterwards, with a ‘Cheerio” and a wave goodbye. There was no ongoing support at all. The more things change – the more they seem to stay the same, which is why these kinds of campaigns are important if things are going to ever change for the better.
“Pocket of Madness” was followed by another new track, “Darker Side of Town” and this kept the moshpit nice and active. “The Punk Police” is a real rip-roarer, the punk guitar being closely echoed by the fiddle, and is a tongue-in-cheek expose of gatekeepers. You know the ones – ‘name three bands’, ‘you can’t wear that’, ‘that’s not punk’, ‘that’s not metal’… every genre has them. “The Protest Singer” is the last track on the new album and it reminds me of some of Frank Turner’s work. A rousing rendition provided a bit of respite to those jigging and moshing tonight… ‘it’s dangerous to be right / when your government is wrong’. Quite. “Moby Dick” involved a bit of a maritime sing-along with the crowd and then “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya” replaced “A Place We Call Home” in the set because Lizzey Ross was not here (she duets with Ken on the studio version).
Kyle Peters was in the band from 2010-2014 but left to pursue other things. He is now back for the attack and took over vocals for a bit tonight, bringing a slightly different energy to their sound. The Ferocious Dog style is usually referred to as ‘Punk-folk’ and this is accurate enough on their studio albums; however, in a live arena, ‘folk-punk’ describes their vibe better, reflecting a much more aggressive and hard hitting attitude and energy.
“Parting Glass”, “Paddy on the Railway”, “Hell Hounds” (how Ferocious Dog fans identify themselves), and “Mairi’s Wedding, Pt. 2” all kept things flowing nicely along, like the perfect soundtrack to some tavern brawl, leaving “Slow Motion Suicide” to provide an epic end to a wonderful night.
