2008年 Jun 4日 Wednesday, 17:41

Sun 1 Jun – Flogging Molly, Pepper

Where to start on this fantastic gig? It had been a pretty hectic week and quite an energetic weekend for me, so I was absolutely knackered for the duration of the gig but I wasn't going to let it spoil the occasion.

I missed the first support band, from Canada apparently but that's about all I can tell you about them, so on to the second support band, Pepper, a 3 piece surfy, reggae, rock band from Hawaii. As I usually do prior to a gig, I had listened to them beforehand to see if they are worthwhile going to see. In the end, I wasn't particularly fussed if I missed them or not but I'm now glad that I didn't.

Pepper had obviously done their homework and appeased the crowd, reminding us that we were in Scotland and not the UK. Glasgow is held in high regard to most artists it seems, by high regard, I mean crowds full of crazy people always up for a laugh, which is a fair comment really.

The band, in particular the bass player, were not short of stage presence and confidence. Plenty of moments for audience participation and even some moshing towards the front.

The songs themselves were a bit samey, with a repetitive hula style bassline, punchy drum beat and ooos and aaas. That's not to say they were without appeal, they just lacked a bit of substance. Having said that, they certainly did their job in whipping up the crowd in to a frenzy.

Sadly the frenzy had all but died down due to the annoyingly long gap in between Pepper leaving the stage and Flogging Molly coming on. I wasn't alone in the frustration, a few people around me seemed a bit bored, though the crowd picked up again when Blitzkrieg Bop was played over the speakers, followed by Baba O' Riley, which Flogging Molly made their entrance to.

Having finally come out, it didn't take too long for Flogging Molly to raise the crowd back up to its initial high with (if my memory serves me correctly) Paddy's Lament. Instantly the previous wait was all worthwhile. From start to finish the band were polished and with the exception of the bass player seemingly losing a string near the start, a flawless performance, entertaining from start to finish.

Dave King kept things going in between songs with his natural Irish charm and banter, with touching references to the inspiration behind many of the songs, freedom and his Father, with a tribute to Joe Strummer thrown in for good measure. He came across as a very likeable and friendly sort, which added to the already catchy and likeable songs.

The set list didn't disappoint, a nice mixture of the latest album and previous albums finishing with an encore of Black Friday Rule and Seven Deadly Sins. Black Friday Rule being the highlight, particularly with the solo performance at the start. Other high points for me were the instant crowd pleaser Drunken Lullabies and perhaps my favourite track of theirs, Rebels of the Sacred Heart.

I am at loss to think of any bad points to the gig, with the exception of waiting ages in between bands. If you ever get a chance to see Flogging Molly in action, do so, you won't be disappointed!