It was like St Patty’s day all over again. A room full of drunk and disorderly, laughing larrikins and good old times that where shared upon the beats of the Dropkick Murphys. I was steering clear of the booze on the night not only because my wallet was running a little light but also because it was an absolute heartache to make my way to the bar past the mist of body odour that was perspiring from the sweaty topless p*ssheads who were drifting within the Forum. Times haven’t really changed since I had seen the Murphys last in early 2007 as punters were still sporting Boston Celtics basketball jerseys, leprechaun hats with fuzzy orange hair and ‘kiss me I’m sh*tfaced’ shirts but then again I guess this attire was necessary if you were to fit the part. I have to mention that it was fantastic crowd and the atmosphere was sensational.
As the doors opened early at around 6:45pm, The Currency made their way on stage first with a short and solid set and by the time they headed off, the Forum was filling by the minute.
I was certainly here to see the second supporters and I think many others were too as onlookers swamped to the floor at around 8:30pm. After many a time that hardcore pioneers Sick Of It All have toured Oz, I still haven’t had a chance to hit up one of their hows so I was stoked to see that they were an addition to the bill. As the New York five-piece were to follow The Currency, I was about piss my knickers with excitement and you know that a set is going to be heavy when it opens with the sounding sirens of a fire truck. The lights were killed, the SOIA banner was hanging from the ceiling and the boys blasted on stage with Good Lookin’ Out and followed straight through with Take The Night Off. The hairs had risen on my arms especially after witnessing the size of the pit when Built To Last caused a ruckus.
They mixed it up a little with a few older tracks. Disco Sucks, F*ck Everything and Step Down were both beauties but majority of their set consisted of numbers from their ‘06 LP Death To Tyrants. Uprising Nation encouraged a ridiculous head bang and mid-way through their set Faithless opened the pit even more. I don’t know if it was roid rage but guitarist Pete Koller was f*ckin epic on stage as he was twisting, turning, flexing and bouncing around like he was glued to a pogo stick. One of the best stage performers I’ve ever seen. Alternate sing alongs were great value in Die Alone but the highlight was undoubtedly the craziness on the floor when Pete’s brother and man behind the mic, Lou Koller split the pit in half and prompted everyone to charge at one another for Scratch The Surface. The pit maintained its insanity when they closed with Us VS Them. Their extravagant stage antics and unbelievable bass should give you good enough reason to check these guys out if you were foolish enough to miss them this time around.
Now if you’re into punk and you don’t dig the Dropkick Murphys you must have a screw loose. With a combination of guitars, bagpipes, tin whistles, banjo and mandolins, what isn’t there to like? It caters for all and a little bit of Irish folk punk never hurt anyone. The Murphys chants had started early and come 10.00pm their huge DM banner fell from the ceiling and it was on with Famous For Nothing then The Streets Of Massachusetts. As Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya’ came around a frenzy of bodies were suddenly flung into the air. Black Velvet Band, Buried Alive and a few more hits from their ‘03 LP Blackout were in the mix. All sorts of shenanigans broke loose as beer spray filled the air. A foolish punter thought he would have a go at jumping off the table from the booth in all hope that someone would catch him, but nobody wanted a bar of it and he recieved only mocking laughs for his troubles. Bastards On Parade influenced a quick instrument change as Tomorrows Industry and Fairmont Hills were played with consistency. The people on the floor didn’t take a breath to stop bouncing – it was fantastic. Everyone’s favourite Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced was a crowd pleaser and certainly voiced the wishes of many punters. Females flocked on stage and the odd one here and there just had to get their tops off. (Not that I was complaining…) One individual did well enough to dive off the speaker stacks on three separate occasions, luckily each time he had support beneath him. The encore had arrived and the chants began again joined with thunderous stomping on the Forums floor. I’m Shipping Up To Boston was out of control and closure was seen with Citizen C.I.A.
It was no suprise to be told that the night had sold out and almost a guarantee that many of those punters would have called in sick for work on the Friday.
