Dropkick Murphys @ O2 Academy, Glasgow (22nd April 2019)

with The Devil Makes Three and Grade 2

WORDS: Joanne Gray

Making a trip down to the O2 Academy on the warmest day of the year so far (and the warmest Easter Monday on record) to see Dropkick Murphys was a sweaty prospect from the get go. Upon arriving inside the venue, it was clear that the already humid room was not going to get any cooler as the night went on. 

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First up to start the process of making the room a giant sauna were Isle of Wight's Grade 2. I had only briefly listened to the band before seeing them, but I also had been recommended to go listen to them by a friend who's more into punk music than me (you know who you are!). 

The three-piece delivered a stripped back but still enjoyable form of punk that merged the sonic three-chord pop-power punch of early Green Day with gang chanted vocals and melodic structures reminiscent of American hardcore bands like Black Flag and a sense of Englishness throughout the vocal stylings that accompanied the Oi! movement of the 70s. 

In terms of stage performance, the involved nature of each of the members meant that there wasn't an awful lot of movement or stage banter, but the straight-to-the-throat approach of the music very much suited this aesthetic. Props particularly to the drummer here, who characteristically kept the whole band bouncing along in that way that punk bands do best. Needless to say in this room, he was drenched in sweat by the end of their half an hour set. 

This type of punk is not normally the sort of thing I listen to that often but the combination of sounds taken from other bands I enjoy, as well as the lack of the Cockney accent that often accompanies such bands, meant that Grade 2 were a fun watch for myself.

Obviously bearing similar sonic resemblance to the punkier parts of early Dropkick Murphys material, it was clear that the trio were a good choice as an opening act, and they managed to get a few heads within the rapidly busier room bopping away as a result. Definitely a band to check out if you miss the sound of the good old Tony Hawk days and want to hear those sounds again with a bit of an English twist.  

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Onto a completely different sounding band, the next act to play to the almost full room, was California's The Devil Makes Three. Looking into the band's history, the fact that they were all originally from Vermont makes a lot of sense considering the style of music that they played. 

Blending the sounds of old-time Americana, country, folk and bluegrass, The Devil Makes Three were drastically different from the band before them. It could only have been at a gig for a band like Dropkick Murphys that having a folk group follow up a punk band would make any sense. 

And it really did. 

Armed with a couple of vintage guitars, some banjos, an upright double bass and a basic drumkit (touring drummer Stefan Armidon is now an official member of the previous three-piece), The Devil Makes Three sounded like a band you would hear while playing Red Dead Redemption. In the best possible way. 

Ranging from slower plodding horseback rhythms to more upbeat danceable jangly country-style tunes, the band had no problem getting the audience swaying and dancing about. This sense of fun was conveyed through the band who were clearly really enthused to be on stage, moving about in a similar manner and engaging with the crowd throughout. 

I was a big fan of the vocal approach here as well, as all the members (excluding the drummer) harmonised in a really complimentary way alongside that pleasant but not overwhelming country drawl. Particular shout out for the short but effective acapella rendition of Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs'. From what I can tell, this isn't a cover that the band have attempted on record, but after their set, I'd love to hear what that sounds like in the future! 

Overall, I really enjoyed this band and it seemed like most of the rest of the crowd did too. By the end of their set, most of the room was moving about to some degree. This sense of fun, and building up of energy all set things up really well for the main band of the night as well.

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By the time Dropkick Murphys came on, the sold out venue was packed and the heat was really starting to build. Managing to get a great spot a few rows from the front, it was clear that this was going to be one really hot set. As I've seen Murphys a few times before, I also knew that the crowd would go nuts for them. 

And that was definitely the case. 

Building up anticipation with Sinéad O'Connor's rendition of 'The Foggy Dew'  playing in the background alongside the conventional cheers of "Let's go Murphys" from the audience, the band lowered the curtain and bounced into their first song (I don't have a record of the songs they played to hand, so I can't remember what they opened with, but needless to say, it was an energetic tune anyway).

By raising the back portion of the stage to host some of the various eight touring members of the band, the stage set up (which had some awesome Celtic designs as well, which is always nice) really meant that the band had loads of room to move about, which helped ramp up the energy even more throughout.

The crowd was immediately bouncing about like mad, and even outside of the mosh pit, we were getting swept up in the sheer vitality of the crowd around us. And with songs like those that Dropkick Murphys have in their locker, it's not hard to see why. 

Taking songs from just about all corners of their 23 year long discography, ranging from Celtic-punk bangers such as 'The Gang's All Here', 'Worker's Song', 'The State of Massachusetts' , 'Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya', and 'The Boys Are Back'  to whisky soaked ballads like 'Rose Tattoo', 'First Class Loser' , 'Sandlot' alongside awesome covers of 'Fields of Athenry' and 'You'll Never Walk Alone', Dropkick Murphys continued to show just how special of a band they are.

Every time I've seen them live, I've been struck by how energetic the band have been, and particularly the two vocalists, Ken Casey and Al Barr. This remained the case during this set, with the two men's vocals bouncing off each other wonderfully, while they successfully hyped the crowd up by jumping across the stage and getting right in about the audience at the front. Remarkable given that both of them are at least in their 40s and have each done this for more than 20 years each. 

The crowd responded to this enthusiasm in all the ways you would expect as well. Regardless of how swelteringly hot the room was getting throughout the set, I can't really say the energy ever dipped throughout the set. If there wasn't any bodies flying about in a pit, there was still heartfelt singalongs and bouncing happening at pretty much every point of their performance. Even when we went further back in the room to get some water and find a bit of cool air for respite, the crowd around us was still chanting along and we could still see the crowd towards the front bouncing away.

It's this sort of jubilant atmosphere that makes gigs like this so special. The on stage proposal from two fans from Greece who had travelled to see the show, and the onstage takeover of about 20 members of the audience towards the end of the set only added to the sense of jubilant occasion that Dropkick Murphys bring to the table. Even though I've seen this sort of thing happen at other gigs, it almost never feels as genuinely cool as when it happens at a show like this.

By the time, the last three songs played (obviously including their most infamous hit 'Shipping Up To Boston'), we and the rest of the crowd were utterly knackered. But as always, it was so worth it. There's nothing quite like the utter joyful experience of seeing Dropkick Murphys live, and thankfully it seems like they still have a good few years of amazing live shows left in them.   

All in all, like every time I've seen Dropkick Murphys live, I was struck by the sense that the band (regardless of their size) still feel like a small band playing to an intimate audience, who just happen to have an insane catalogue of life-affirming Celtic-punk tunes. Always a great time seeing DKM, and they remain one of the best live bands in rock music. 

If you ever have the chance to see this band at a festival or at their own show, you really need to. Everyone needs to experience this at least once in their life. (If you do need any more reason, check out my Youtube footage of some of the gig below!)

"Let's go Murphys", indeed. 

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