Dropkick Murphys / Mad Caddies / The Briggs

A night of greatness for any punk fan, as three of its finest hit Leeds. Members of the punk community in all shapes and sizes are present, as well as many who look like the sheer word punk offends their ears. How times have changed.

The Briggs I like. Full of energy and very competent musicians. The vocals are spot on, and their street punk, though not unique or that imaginative, is poppy enough to be very catchy.

The 'Oi' sound may have been done many a time before, but these lads can be proud that along their journey they will introduce many a young punk fan to that style. The flat cap on the singer is a good look as well!



The melodies are reminiscent of bands like Hot Water Music, evident more in the verses, before the chorus descends (in a good way) into utter bouts of Oi! (check out 'Wasting Time'). So what if singer Joey LaRocca appears to have learnt all of his moves from Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, haven't many people in punk circles? Why change a winning formula?

'My Own Enemy' has an Irish Punk structure too it; aye there are no fiddles of tin whistles but the melody is there (probably explaining a little why they have toured with Flogging Molly many a time and now the Dropkicks).

Mad Caddies, who personally I am naming the joint headliner tonight (I don’t know what the official verdict is on that), are up next. As the number of band members grow, so does the sound. Not that The Briggs were quiet. No way. Just the addition of some brass instruments pushes the levels.

Whereas The Briggs' pace was relentless, the Mad Caddies have a whole range of tempos at which they choose to perform, more often than not during any one song. The overall style is ska, with the inclusion of trumpet and trombone, mixing with punk, jazz and rock and whatever takes their fancy at the time. Let’s just say it’s quite varied. It’s impossible to ignore the beat, and many of the sell out crowd are swaying around.



Singer Chuck Robertson has a voice that you can instantly recognise as his; perfect for this type of music. It can cover all influences that the band purvey with ease, and goes great with the brass as they make the odd ‘funny noise’ like in the excellent 'Monkeys'.



Their set starts off crammed with new tracks from 'Keep It Going', namely 'The Dirge' and 'Backyard', and then it's onto ones we all know like 'Villains' from 'Songs in the Key of Eh!'

As the rowdy crowd chant "Let's go Mur-phys!" continuously over a beautiful but bloody long-winded Irish tune being played through the PA, it seems like a century before the Boston boys take to the stage. Once they do though it's none stop, Irish-influenced tracks blend in with raw punk and the odd ballad. All fantastic to swing your beer along to.

It's amazing how many songs the Dropkick Murphys and these other punk bands can fit into one set. Yes they are fast in nature, with the three chord progressions and the continuous pace of a high speed train, but a little more banter would have been nice (not as much as NOFX though; that is a line not many can cross and pull off).



As the crowd is so varied tonight, with old punks, green haired teens and middle-aged mothers standing with pre-teen kids, everyone is enjoying it. The sound is excruciatingly loud; I still have a ringing in my ears as I write this, despite wearing earplugs for a time (not for long enough it seems).

The crowd, looking at them from the balcony, appear like a heavily-breathing mass of multi-coloured heads. A small circle pit has started, but many are more content to dance and watch the band then pick a playful fight with their neighbours.



I understand the inclusion of the tin whistle, a very important instrument to accomplish the Irish sound, though I am a little confused with the bagpipes; not that they don't sound great. Kilt-wearing Scruffy Wallace, who is playing them, must have insisted on including them in the band or something. My history skills are not so good, even my own English!

Favourite of the night for me is 'Kiss Me, I'm Shit-faced', a brilliant song about drunkenness that even Shane McGowan would be proud of (could he be the subject?). Despite the loud sound, you can pick out the musicianship from this band again full of numerous members, and it's nice to see the vocal duties shared between Al Barr and Ken Casey (with his extremely high Irish accent).



There are some band members standing in tonight, but in reference to a past album of theirs Barr states; "The Gang's All Here!". Looking around the hall after the song-solid show it's clear that the Dropkicks have completed their mission; to make people have fun like it's St Patrick's Day everyday.



Setlist:
Famous For Nothing
Boys On The Rocks
Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya
Heroes From Our Past
The State Of Massachusetts
Your Spirit's Alive
The Warrior's Code
The Gauntlet
One Note
Citizen C.I.A.
Fields Of Athenry / The Dirty Glass
Tomorrow’s Industry
God Willing
Caught In A Jar
Blood And Whiskey
The Gang’s All Here
Loyal To No-One
Fairmount Hill
Worker’s Song
(F)lannigan’s Wake
Jailbreak
Captain Kelly’s Kitchen
Kiss Me, I'm Shit-faced

I'm Shipping Up To Boston
Shattered
Barroom Hero
The Thick Skin of Defiance
Alcohol

FUTURE GIGS

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