by Dave Franklin

Created on: February 17, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

An Irishman goes into a bar....

Lots of bad jokes start with that line but not so many good bands can say the same. In this case the Irishman in question is an ex heavy rock guitarist and the pub happens to be in Los Angeles but the line still sort of fits. Flogging Molly's main man Dave King has come a long way to finally get to the place that he wanted to be. Having been brought up on the folk music of his home land, he rebelled as all youngsters do and hit the road to play heavy rock. Having played along side Motorheads ex-guitarist Eddie Clark in Fastway and then invited to America to join super group Katmandu he eventually found himself unemployed and cleaning toilets for a living far from home. At this juncture he thought that there were to things that he could do, either return home to the Emerald Isle or try to make a go of fronting his own band in his adopted homeland. In 1998 Flogging Molly was unleashed upon an unsuspecting public and Drunken Lullabies represents the bands third album, and what a cracking collection of songs it is.

To try to sum up the band in a sentence you could try "a punk band with folk instruments" or "a folk band playing way too fast" or even "the Pogues on speed", or you could just listen to the album. If you did this is what you would get. An upbeat Banjo leads the title track in and all seems very much the folk norm, arran sweaters spring to mind, beards and pipes and four part harmonies all fall in to line only to be shattered when the drums kick in and you realise something much more edgy is being offered up. This is a fusion of punk and folk with more than a glint of madness in its eyes. From these few opening bars and their relentless beat you can picture a mosh pit, mad flailing arms, the occasional casualty and alcohol and sweat raining down. Try not tapping your feet to this, its worse than not chewing your fruit pastel. This song really paves the way for the nature of the band, although they do show a softer side from time to time, but what in my opinion they do best is encapsulated in this blind adrenaline rush that starts the album, imagine Fiesta or Sally McLennan by the Pogues and you are in the right area.

What's Left of the Flag follows, bowing down to the rebel sensibilities of the band. Again starting with folk intro, accordions and mandolins entwine with the guitar, lilting slowly behind the vocals before picking up the pace and charging off again in mad panic. Accordion and violin take turns to lead the song

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