Dropkick Murphys review – Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
It was like hiring the Sex Pistols to provide entertainment at your sister’s wedding. From the outside, Brangwyn Hall looks like a hundred other large town halls, complete with clock tower, and it was the last place in the world where I’d have expected to see the Dropkick Murphys. Hell, the main hall even had huge chandeliers!
Once inside, though, it was all down to the music.
My mate Gareth and I turned up early and sank a couple of pints at a nice pub down the road. Good job too – the bar at the hall was ten deep, and by the time I’d got there I’d already had several power naps and been carried forward by the crowd. Bought as much Guinness as I could hold, then reversed back into the hall.
I love the Dropkick Murphys. They’re one of the most exciting bands to watch live, and I’ve seen hundreds. I was like a kid on Christmas morning as their intro tape played in … and then they burst on stage and launched into the first song. Took me … maybe twenty seconds until I could identify the track, the sound was that bad.
It barely improved for the rest of the gig. Maybe the place had terrible acoustics, I don’t know, but it was one of the worst sounds I’ve heard at a gig in years.
But it only detracted slightly from my enjoyment. The band gave it all, pounding through some new songs as well as many old favourites: State of Massachusettes, The Dirty Glass, Fields of Athenry, Your Spirit’s Alive, Kiss me I’m Shitfaced, and many more greats. The highlight for me was when they played Worker Song, then launched straight into the gut-poundingly brilliant Flannigan’s Ball (surely one of their very best). As always happens as a band grows older, there were songs I’d have like to have heard which they didn’t play (Blackout, Spicy, Fortunate Son), but I really can’t complain. Alcohol as last song, anyone? Fucking classic.
Next ……. my mission for June is to get to see Flogging Molly.
And my dream gig, one of these days, is to see the two of them on the same bill, maybe with Stiff Little Fingers. Oh yeah.
Let’s go Murphys!!!
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Comments
February 18th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Dude, its rare to find someone who likes Drop Kick Murphy’s!!! Next your be telling me that you have every Atom and His Package album, lol.
Rich