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 Millencolin, Flogging Molly, Randy, The
Unseen
Remember, remember the fifth of November... Not for gunpowder, not for
treason and certainly not for the plot (which seemed to go AWOL quite
early in tonight’s proceedings), but for mayhem and anarchy of a
completely different nature.
For whilst we were treated to an erratic celebration of the night some
bloke tried to blow up parliament on our fiasco of a journey into the
city, it was the explosion of punk and rock ‘n’ roll inside the ‘Academy
that made this such an unforgettable night.
‘Unseen by name, unseen by nature, thanks to the aforementioned fiasco
on the train journey, your bumbling reporter and his erstwhile companion
miss the Boston hardcore punks. Taking their cues from the likes of punk
messiahs Rancid and Anti-flag, The Unseen are apparently quite good,
shame then that, rather fittingly, we don’t get to see them.
And so it’s up to Swedish screwballs Randy to start our show, bursting
onto the stage in ill-fitting skeleton costumes with a roar of raw punk
rock ‘n’ roll. Randy are good, there’s little doubting that. Packing
plenty of powerful punk riffs, madness and melody into one huge box of
rock and wrapping it haphazardly in a sheet of uber-cool charisma, the
band blast through a super-charged set that not only sends their loyal
fans into hysterics, but sees them picking up a few new ones for their
troubles, yours truly included. True, it’s all pretty standard fare, but
by following a precedent set by the likes of Green Day et al, the Randy
lads have ensured that theirs is a sound that can’t fail to hit all the
right notes.
And from following precedents to setting them. Alongside contemporaries
Drop Kick Murphys, Irish-punks Flogging Molly have taken the anthems of
drunk blokes all over Ireland and given them a well-placed kick up the
jacksie with some furious hardcore punk.
Tonight, ‘Molly rip the Academy to shreds with aplomb. In doing so, they
inspire some chaotic moshing amongst their legions of devoted fans,
amongst whom is one’s enthusiastic friend, who promptly vanishes into
the masses, leaving this writer to fight for his life amongst the sea of
bouncing bodies. Not that there’s any chance of drowning though, as
every torrent of Irish-folk laden rock sweeps you along in a pounding,
melodic storm.
A mandolinist rocks out with his instrument like a Guinness-drinking
Slash, a cheery little accordion player and an ultra-talented fiddle
player all add to the usual punk rock medley. A medley over which
vocalist Dave King croons and yells in his
20-fags-and-10-pints-of-guiness-a-day voice, creating a live performance
that surely must be impossible to top.
However, Swedish skate-punks Millencolin are more than willing to give
it a shot. Currently riding high as one of the most successful punk
bands in Europe, Nikola Sarcervic & Co. storm the stage tonight amidst
an impressive fit-inducing light show and grandiose punk rock fury. As
shredding solos scream over snarling riffs, boisterous bass and despotic
drums, the boys mix lashings of their latest album “Kingwood” with older
favourites such as “Penguins and Polar Bears”, barely stopping for
breath.
It comes as a bit of a relief then when the rest of the band pop off
stage for a well-earned breather, leaving Erik alone to seduce the crowd
with the acoustic, lighters-in-the-air beauty of “The Ballad”.
Re-joined on stage by the rest of the lads, Mr. Sarcervic leads
Millencolin through one last desperate attempt at out-doing their
predecessors. Unfortunately for them though, as good as the band are
tonight, their well-polished brand of skate-punk is no match barnstorm
that is Flogging Molly, who certainly made this November 5th one that
will definitely be remembered.
Recommended Links:
http://www.millencolin.com – Millencolin Official website
http://www.floggingmolly.com – Flogging Molly Official website
http://www.randytheband.com – Randy’s Official website
http://www.unseenpunks.com – Unseen Official website
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