Review
FLOGGING MOLLY
PLUS: The Minutes and The Mighty Stef
UEA, Norwich
6th November 2011
Words and Photos: Charlie Wallis
It’s a peculiar sort of crowd gathered outside the UEA LCR tonight. From young emo kids to hardcore punks to over forty somethings Flogging Molly seems to offer something for everyone and everyone seems to be expecting something special.
Up first are Dublin locals ‘The Mighty Stef’ who’s set gets off to a bit of a slow start. In fairness given the demographic of Flogging Molly’s music, the majority of the audience are still at the campus bar drinking so the floor is a tad empty. However, as the venue begins to fill the set picks up and ‘The Mighty Stef’ put in an impressively unstated performance. Particular highlight was the awesomely moody ‘Whores of Baltimore’ and the anthemic ‘We Want Blood’.
Mighty Stef
Second on are ‘The Minutes’ who burst onto the stage with an aggressive sound and an arrogant demeanour that catches the crowds attention straight away. There’s something faintly Jack White like about the way in which lead singers and guitarist Mark Austin carries himself. Little interaction is had with the audience but you can tell that this is the sort of band who do their talking through their music and do an excellent job in getting the crowd warmed up with their foot pumping rhythms.
Minutes
Finally as the lights drop and the UV lights illuminate the enormous ‘Flogging Molly’ backdrop the place explodes with applause. As soon as ‘Flogging Molly’ walk out on stage you can tell that this is a band who know their craft and really love what they do with lead singer cum ringleader Dave Green proudly announcing “there’s no curfew with this band!”. It’s hard to know where to look with this band with every member bringing their own energy to the proceedings making the whole event feel like a huge Irish wedding or funeral which, as Green points out, are much the same thing! In fact at one point the band take a short interlude to sing happy birthday to an old friend Green spots in the crowd…shortly before telling him to fuck off!
Musically this band are spot on, from the grinning enthusiasm of “Selfish Man” to the utterly classic “Drunken Lullabies”; who’s timeless banjo introduction provokes a deafening reaction from the audience. What also comes across is the political side of this band whether it’s taking about “Peace at last” in Northern Island or comments on the world as it stands with “Oliver Boy” this band is far more than a gimmick.
Flogging Molly
As the night draws to a close we’re treating to a touching moments as Green dedicates “If I Every Leave this World Alive” to his wife and band mate Bridget Regan before leaving the stage. This, however, fools no one and as the band return to the stage Green makes it clear that we have “a long way to go” before blasting through “What’s left of the Flag” and closing with “Seven Deadly Sins”. All in all after almost 15 years together Flogging Molly are definitely still capable of putting on a show and really leaving an impression.
