Dropkick Murphys, Huntsman, The Brews
HQ
25 March 2007



As I walked into HQ for the first time since it was called Heaven, inhaling that friendly aroma of second-hand smoke, taking a look at the crowded bar, the night looked to be a successful night of drunken Boston-Irish punk. The opening band Huntsman failed to impress anyone but the two blokes at the front actually watching them, their set consisting of stereotypical punk we've all heard before, with little-to-no stage presence at all, the crowd merely continued talking and drinking.

When The Brews took the stage after taking ages to set up, the crowd began to take an interest. After a few false starts, they tore up the stage, blasting favourites from their 'Brewtality' album as the crowd filled the empty void in front of the stage. In spite of a few guitar-lead problems, The Brews played a surprisingly clean set. Their sound had an awesome feral-punk presence; in my opinion they set the standards for any punk band to emerge from Adelaide these days.

As the punks and the drunks filled the dance floor, the inevitable 'Let's go Murphy's' chant broke out amongst all. After the chant, as if almost in response, the Irish music started playing over the PA, and before we knew it, Dropkick Murphy's ran onto the stage and busted out For Boston. The sound was absolutely awesome, not to mention the interesting light-show that was put on during songs. As they broke out into Rocky Road to Dublin, it wasn't long before the guitarist jumped head first into the pit. Naturally, the crowd couldn't support the poor guy, so he fell into a mess of people, and stayed there (still playing) until we assumed he was dead, eventually returning to the stage flustered, but still banging his head.

As the set went on, the band brought out instrument after instrument; sitars, lutes, bagpipes, piccolos, reflecting the band's musical diversity, but more-so their typical Irish sound. The set was well balanced, as they played fast favourites like Walk Away, Black Velvet Band and The Glorious Code, but slowing it down with Bastards on Parade and Forever. The punks loved the oldies as beers went flying in the pit, and the girls got on the stage for The Spicy McHaggis Jig, which was a crowd favourite. However, they couldn't leave the guys out, bringing them on stage for Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced, a song I'm sure most of the audience could empathise with.

The show was arguably a contender for one of the best shows of this year, a flawless set that left no fan unimpressed. Truly legends at what they do, we can only hope Dropkick Murphy's embrace our shores again, as they leave confirming that the Boston Irish are more Irish than the bloody Irish themselves. An awesome, unforgettable night.

Brad Holland

Pic: Ann Clarke