Flogging Molly, The Lawrence Arms, Lucero @ The Tivoli, Brisbane (26/02/13)
I was really looking forward to this show as I’d caught Flogging Molly’s set three days earlier at Soundwave and thoroughly enjoyed what I’d heard. Also, there was such a diverse lineup of bands, with Lucero bringing their southern charm and the punk rock of The Lawrence Arms filling out what was sure to be a great night at one of Brisbane’s best venues, The Tivoli.
First up was the six-piece from Memphis, Lucero. They went about their 30 minute set in a no frills way, playing as many songs as they could fit into their allotted time, front man Ben Nicols even filling in the last minute with a short solo tune. They were a pleasant way to start the evening and I was transfixed by Nichols’ rough and raw country voice from the start. The band has been around for fifteen years and therefore had a large back catalogue which they drew from; Drink Till We’re Gone from their self-titled record was a heartbreaking highlight and Nights Like These from 2002 album Tennessee showcased the emotional lyrics and instrumentation. It was a fantastic set which drew quite a large crowd and had me rushing home to check out more of their material after the gig.
Maybe I was too used to the chilled out vibe of Lucero, but as soon as The Lawrence Arms took to the stage, I became a bit disinterested in their blend of punk and rock. From my spot up on the balcony, it seemed as though the distortion of both the guitar and bass was over-powering the growling vocals of bassist Chris Mc Caughan and cleaner voice of guitarist Brendan Kelly too much so that they were lost in the mix. However, it seemed as though the diehard fans in the crowd were enjoying themselves, I noticed several singing along passionately to every lyric, and single 100 Resolutions got me fist pumping near the end of the set.
As I made my way downstairs to the floor, I noticed the crowd’s excitement instantly rose a few notches in the minutes before Flogging Molly took to the stage. The band took to the stage in a flurry of banjo, violin, pounding drums and yelling in Another Bag of Bricks. As singer Dave King explained early on, they were going to play for two hours because “what’s the point in coming all this way to only play 20 minutes”. It was a fair point, and for a band with as big a back catalogue as Flogging Molly, was probably a necessary move.
The crowd was in raptures, with a fair few of them Irish, moshing to their heart’s content in the front and dancing up a storm at the back. Drunken Lullabies was the song everyone was waiting to hear and it was aired surprisingly early, a really fun track that resulted in a massive chorus sing-along and made the whole venue go even more crazy, if that was even possible. After a good hour of bouncing around, it was a wise choice to pull out a few acoustic songs to give everybody a break, an acoustic reworking of The Wanderlust was a particular highlight of the night.
Another real standout track of the night for me was The Lightning Storm, from 2008’s Float. It still had that ‘jump up and down’ feel, but in a slightly downbeat style with a lovely chord structure and featured some really impressive guitar work Dennis Casey. The band finished on a high with fan favourite Seven Deadly Sins, a real full-stamper that left everyone with a massive grin on their face. But they weren’t finished yet, coming out for a fantastically emotional rendition of the ballad If I Ever Leave This World Alive.
It’s amazing that King and the rest of his band mates have so much energy at over 50 years old, but their enthusiasm for their music certainly rubs off on their fans and this show proved they’ll be enjoyed for many years to come across the globe as one of the best bands to come out of Ireland.
Sebastian Betten
First up was the six-piece from Memphis, Lucero. They went about their 30 minute set in a no frills way, playing as many songs as they could fit into their allotted time, front man Ben Nicols even filling in the last minute with a short solo tune. They were a pleasant way to start the evening and I was transfixed by Nichols’ rough and raw country voice from the start. The band has been around for fifteen years and therefore had a large back catalogue which they drew from; Drink Till We’re Gone from their self-titled record was a heartbreaking highlight and Nights Like These from 2002 album Tennessee showcased the emotional lyrics and instrumentation. It was a fantastic set which drew quite a large crowd and had me rushing home to check out more of their material after the gig.
Maybe I was too used to the chilled out vibe of Lucero, but as soon as The Lawrence Arms took to the stage, I became a bit disinterested in their blend of punk and rock. From my spot up on the balcony, it seemed as though the distortion of both the guitar and bass was over-powering the growling vocals of bassist Chris Mc Caughan and cleaner voice of guitarist Brendan Kelly too much so that they were lost in the mix. However, it seemed as though the diehard fans in the crowd were enjoying themselves, I noticed several singing along passionately to every lyric, and single 100 Resolutions got me fist pumping near the end of the set.
As I made my way downstairs to the floor, I noticed the crowd’s excitement instantly rose a few notches in the minutes before Flogging Molly took to the stage. The band took to the stage in a flurry of banjo, violin, pounding drums and yelling in Another Bag of Bricks. As singer Dave King explained early on, they were going to play for two hours because “what’s the point in coming all this way to only play 20 minutes”. It was a fair point, and for a band with as big a back catalogue as Flogging Molly, was probably a necessary move.
The crowd was in raptures, with a fair few of them Irish, moshing to their heart’s content in the front and dancing up a storm at the back. Drunken Lullabies was the song everyone was waiting to hear and it was aired surprisingly early, a really fun track that resulted in a massive chorus sing-along and made the whole venue go even more crazy, if that was even possible. After a good hour of bouncing around, it was a wise choice to pull out a few acoustic songs to give everybody a break, an acoustic reworking of The Wanderlust was a particular highlight of the night.
Another real standout track of the night for me was The Lightning Storm, from 2008’s Float. It still had that ‘jump up and down’ feel, but in a slightly downbeat style with a lovely chord structure and featured some really impressive guitar work Dennis Casey. The band finished on a high with fan favourite Seven Deadly Sins, a real full-stamper that left everyone with a massive grin on their face. But they weren’t finished yet, coming out for a fantastically emotional rendition of the ballad If I Ever Leave This World Alive.
It’s amazing that King and the rest of his band mates have so much energy at over 50 years old, but their enthusiasm for their music certainly rubs off on their fans and this show proved they’ll be enjoyed for many years to come across the globe as one of the best bands to come out of Ireland.
Sebastian Betten