It’s been a massive last couple of weeks for Brisbane with bands out visiting for Soundwave and last week it was Celtic punk band Flogging Molly’s turn to show the good folk of Brisbane what they’ve got.
Joined on the sideshow by US country-punk rock band Lucero and fellow punk rockers The Lawrence Arms, Flogging Molly played a blistering set that blew the audience away.
First band of the night Lucero took the stage at 7.30pm to a fairly decently packed venue. The band are no strangers to the venue or this kind of music having supported Dropkick Murphys here previously, and they got off to a great start with the likes of “The Devil And Maggie”, “Nights Like These” and “Women And Work”.
With a great Southern States blues sound about them, the band gets the audience going straight away. The tight musicianship and lead singer Ben Nichols’ grainy vocals offer a fantastic start to the night.
After a short break it was up to the Chicago three piece of The Lawrence Arms to keep things going, and that’s exactly what they did.
With a much heavier sound and drums that seem to echo throughout the entire venue, the band keep the crowd warmed up leading into the main band of the night.
Between the guitarist’s clean vocals and the bassist’s grungier singing, the audience get a whole lot of variety in tonight’s music.
Now that both support bands have finished up for the night, the crowd await the headlining band Flogging Molly.
Suddenly the Who’s “Baba O’ Riley” gets cranked over the speakers prompting patrons to sing along as a light show becomes incorporated into the intro song.
By the time the big seven piece band – complete with accordions, violins and banjos – take to the stage, the punters are already riled up and ready to go. The group get stuck straight into that brilliant Irish punk rock that their fans fell in love with.
Songs such as “Selfish Man” “Whistles The Wind” get a run early on in the set. “I hope you’re not in a hurry cause we’re here for the next two hours,” vocalist Dave King exclaims before making the crowd go crazy with “Drunken Lullabies”.
The instrumentation from the Murphys is absolutely brilliant, from the majestic flute playing to the ripping guitar solos left right and centre. “The Powers Out” tells the story of resilience in Detroit with some massive thumping on the drums and an impressive light show in the background sticking to the traditional Irish colours of green and orange.
A small acoustic section takes place midway through the set with songs such as “Present State Of Grace” and “Say A Prayer For Me In Silence” before the main set gets wrapped up with the likes of “Devils Dance Floor”, “What’s Left Of The Flag” and “Seven Deadly Sins”.
A Johnny Cash cover in “Folsom Prison Blues’” helps bring about the end of the show and the end of one massive dance leaving the whole crowd sweaty and worn out from what has been a very energetic and fun gig.
As the band leave the stage the patrons are left with one final treat. Monty Python’s “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” gets cranked up and not a soul leaves the venue, instead choosing to stay and sing along word for word, a truly memorable moment.
