Posted on April 25, 2010 - by Emma Stone

Dropkick Murphys + Face To Face + [Spunge]

Dropkick Murphys © Emma Stone

Manchester Academy
Manchester, UK
Thursday 15th 2010

Not quite as cheesy as I seemed to remember them at Rebellion ‘08, [Spunge]’s American sounding ska punk is perfect to get the crowd in the mood for the bands to come.  Who knows if it’s maybe just next on the set list, but a request for ‘Skanking Song’ is granted instantly, seemingly willing to please the crowd and play whatever they want.  [Spunge] were a band I’d never really taken too seriously, but tonight they played a blinding set.  Their cover of ‘Centrefold”’ (The J. Giels Band) makes a great ska tune to dance to, and the choice to end their set with ‘Kicking Pigeons’ is one that I’d be hoping that they’d make ever since they took to the stage this evening.

Stepping it up a notch is Southern Californians Face to Face. Whether it’s due to my age or my own ignorance, I’ve never come across them before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Reforming only two years ago in 2008, they seem to be glad to be back on British shores, claiming that Manchester is one of their favourite places to play in the UK, (though I’m sure they say that to every city they play.)  A cheeky chant of ‘There’s only one Ricky Hatton!’ didn’t go down too well, so instead they decide to play.  Announcing that their next song is a ‘love song’ for us all, although the two and a half minutes of fast hardcore punk could have been about any subject under the sun and I wouldn’t have been able to tell.  Playing some ‘earlier’ tracks for us, I admit

© Emma Stone”]

[Spunge

that I couldn’t recognise one from the next, but the older members of the crowd, and indeed a fair few of the younger ones, were enjoying everything that Face To Face were giving them.

To the age old chant of “Let’s go Murphys!”, Dropkick Murphys launch straight into ‘Time To Go’ to an explosion of cheers.  Front man Al Barr strides from side to side, jumping off stage to the front row to yell into the faces of the fans who eagerly yell right back at him.  However, the entire focus isn’t aimed entirely at him.  Unlike most bands, each member of the stage gets their moment tonight; whether it’s Tim Brennan raising his accordion over his head whilst still playing it, Scruffy Wallace leaving his bagpipes behind and urging the audience to clap along with him.  The majority of the tracks are from their 2003 album “Blackout”, along with others such as ‘Do Or Die’ and ‘Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya’.  Everyone in the room yells along to ‘Fields of Athenry’, yet shuts up entirely for ‘World Full Of Hate’, listening to Al Barr and Ken Casey singing together with little musical accompaniment.

Face To Face © Emma Stone

Joining them all the way from Las Vegas, Stephanie Doherty bounces onstage for ‘The Dirty Glass’, singing her parts with bitchy attitude, just as on the recorded track.  For the closing track, the moment every girl in the audience has been waiting for, the ‘Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced’ stage invasion.  About fifty girls clamber over the barriers and onto the stage as Ken Casey begins his monologue of his life as a ladies’ man and a stud.  Surrounded by many t-shirtless ladies, with an Irish flag hoisted in the air, they bring their set to a close on an amazing high.

Amongst all the people saying how much they love the Dropkicks, there’s always the ones who give them stick for not being Irish.  As far as I’m concerned, if a band can take this much pride in a country’s style and when it’s done this well, who cares?