Flogging Molly Concert Review

Colorado Springs City Auditorium, May 4,201I

John C. Drew

In the world of contemporary punk rock n' roll, Flogging Molly, is already widely

known, and stands at the forefront of this form of the musical art. Although I am very

amiliar with their longstanding reputation as a premier Celtic rock band, I was finally

fortunate enough to attend Flogging Molly in concert at The Colorado Springs City

Auditorium last night. The band members, their history and biography in music, since

founded in Los Angeles in 1997, is already legendary, through their multitude of live

performances and now nine albums over the years. Therefore, I will get right to the heart

of their performance last night:

Flogging Molly is a seven member powerhouse of traditional celtic instruments (violin,

accordion, fiddle, mandolin, etc.), successfully merging with electric rock guitars and

drums, plus full vocals. The band delivered a very intense, full force energy, last night,

and instantly bonded with the ecstatic crowd of, obviously, very dedicated fans. This is a band "for the people", as evident by their non-stop musical charge and loaded lyrical messages. Their contagious steady rhythm pulses through your veins, driving like a freight train deep in to the soul, resonating into the very core of what we believe to be truth. Flogging Molly sings of social and political injustices, going directly to the hearts of us "ordinary everyday" folks, also forming their very tight unity with their fans. Their ability to connect with their fans is what draws people to them. They have managed to not only maintained their original following but, without wavering from their traditional Celtic punk roots, they have reached a new younger fan base.

Flogging Molly delivered a set of their songs, last night, covering the full range of their

vast musical career. We were given a very healthy taste of vintage FM songs, such as

"Salty Dog", "Drunken Lullabies", "Likes of You Again" and "Swagger", to only name a

few. The crowd was at a high frenzy when the band culminated their show and belted out ,at full tilt, the title cut to their newest LP "Speed of Darkness”. The album of the same title, will be released in late May.

This is Flogging Molly at both their most refined and their most raw peak! Their very best! Each member of Flogging Molly is a unique individual artistic genius in themselves, as well as a cohesive vital part of a very tight rock n' roll band.

Flogging Molly band members include: Frontman, Dave King, vocals, electric and

acoustic guitar; Dennis Casey, vocals, electric and acoustic guitar; Matthew Hensley,

accordion, concertina, piano and vocals; Nathan Maxwell, bass guitar and vocals; Bridget Regan, violin, tin whistle, classical guitar, uilleann pipes and vocals; Robert Schmidt, mandolin, mandola, banjo and vocals; George Schwindt, drums and percussions. Quite the array of many instruments, and singing, in these very versatile and talented musicians!

Flogging Molly is a band that does what they want, for their listeners and fans. I recommend this band in live performance to any music lovers who desire a truly spectacular cutting edge of contemporary punk rock n' roll with an Old World Celtic and blues flavor!

Theconcertscene.com