2009 marks the tenth anniversary of the Dropkick Murphys’ first Australian tour. You can always rely on the folk/punk band to tour here, with many of their shows selling out even when they’re not accompanied by the likes of Sick of it All or Flogging Molly. A Murphys gig is big and fun, perfect for a Big Day Out stage. But in their decade of coming to Australia, this will be the first time DKM has been on the Big Day Out lineup – and lead singer Al Barr couldn’t be more excited.

If you’re like this FL writer you don’t give much thought to the organisation of festivals. So it came as a surprise when Al explained that it isn’t always a case of being asked to join a line up. “When we came to Australia in – œ99 we met who ended up being our manager now. She moved to LA and has been working with the band for going on 7 years and she’s been trying to get us on the Big Day Out for a while. So we’re just psyched to be included this year.”

He goes on to say “I’m pretty psyched actually to be on the same bill as Neil Young even though we’re going to be on different stages. He’s a legacy in terms of his career and American music. He’s pretty great.”
It’s hard to get a word in with Al because he’s so easy to talk to. It feels like you could just give him any topic and away he goes – a welcome change to musicians who speak in single syllables.

His friendly tone only gets brighter when I ask him about why the band loves Australia so much. “It’s funny I’ve always said ever since the first time we came over, it’s the furthest away from home I could be and it’s the least homesick I ever feel when I’m there. I don’t know what it is about Australia, I feel so comfortable when I’m there…who can tell. I’ve been enamoured with your country since the first time. It’s the tits man! You know, we just love it!”

No, that isn’t a typo – Australia is the tits.

The Dropkick Murphys aren’t the only American punk band that calls our country their second home. During their last tour Strung Out added a new song to their repertoire, a cover of INXS’s , Don’t Change. And of course Pennywise have their famous cover of Men at Work – Land Down Under. So surely DKM has thought of doing their own?

Al chuckles, “You know I’d have to go with Midnight Oils’ Beds are Burning or a stable answer would be an Acca Dacca song or *Rose Tattoo*…our drummer and myself love them. Or maybe we do You’re not my Friend by Frenzal Rhomb.”

A crowd favourite of their own songs is Dirty Glass – a duet between Ken ( DKM’s other lead singer ) and Stephanie Dougherty from The Deadly Sins. But unfortunately unless we go over to their homeland, we won’t see this duet live in Australia any time soon.”You gotta get a girl who’s got the pipes to blare it out. I wish we could say that we were the kind of band that is rolling in dough and that we could fly a girl out to just do that one song. But we’re definitely not rolling with the Jay Z set just yet. We’ll be flying in economy on the way there.”

I point out to Al that there are other ways to do the track live. When Against Me did their track Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart the female singer was replaced by band member James. Al playfully over-emphasises – œFlorida’ when he says “They’re really good friends of ours….but I gotta say… that’s Florida and that might be how they do it in Florida. But in New England you’re not gonna get me and Kenny doing a love song!”

Like many other punk bands, Dropkick Murphys has a strong reputation for non-stop touring. Unlike the old days, many of the seven members are now married. And with young families, a tour like the Big Day Out can take its toll. “This will be a little rough cos we have a son but my wife is actually due to have a baby this Sunday. She could go any minute now. It does get a little tough sometimes to be away from your kids especially with the baby being so new and it will definitely be rough. But I can’t – œpoor me’ too much, we have the best job in the world. We get to travel and play our music for people that seem to dig it. So we’re pretty fucking lucky”.

We can’t get enough of them and they love us. For Australia and the Dropkick Murphys it’s the perfect relationship and their performances on the Big Day Out will only cement this even more. This summer whether it’s a sideshow or showground, when you hear the opening drums and tin whistle of their signature opening music The Foggy Dew – you’ll be in Boston with the Dropkick Murphys and it will be the tits man.