Sounds of Celtic rock, metal, punk, and folk resonated around the Old Fire Station last weekend, as two stellar acts took to the stage.
The Cloverhearts, an energetic group with members from across the world, opened for headliners Ferocious Dog.
Fronted by Aussie Sam Cooper, The Cloverhearts played songs reminiscent of Green Day and Dropkick Murphys, with sprinklings of Blink 182 and The Descendants, keeping the grunge feel while also incorporating a very talented bagpipe player named Marco, who was from Italy.
Cooper took his wireless microphone up and down the length of the stage, getting close to everyone, while keeping pitch and energy to match the intricate instrumentals backing him up.
The Cloverhearts captivated the audience during their time on stage and proved to be a tough act to follow.
Webzine London Celtic Punks wrote of the band: "One of the scene’s more prolific bands, it's quality over quantity though and always incredible how they transfer their catchy melodies, tin-whistle ear-worms and energetic live performances into the recording studio."
They were joining Ferocious Dog throughout their tour, which at this stage was their penultimate show.
Next up was the headline act – Nottingham-based Ferocious Dog, which in its current line up features Cumbria’s own Nick Wragg, from Keswick, on bass guitar.
This wasn’t their first time in Cumbria, and they even headlined the main stage at Keswick Mountain Festival.
The crowd grew and fans took to the front the join the frontman Ken Bonsall in singing the hits, as well as songs from their most recent album – Kleptocracy.
Ken didn’t shy away from letting everyone know his political beliefs, his ethos, and that the band doesn’t stand for Nazi punks, the latter a message made particularly clear in their song Punk Police.
Merchandise shared the same message of “f*** the Tories” which he shouted from the stage, followed by most of the crowd, before playing their new album’s title track.
Likewise, their song ‘Broken Soldiers’ was preceded by a message of ‘Free Palestine’, and a statement on the atrocities being committed in Gaza.
A highly political band, they keep the sounds upbeat most of the time, and electric guitar-laden punk riffs were accompanied by violin and pipe, keeping in line with the Celtic vibe.
While truly a sound of their own, listeners may notice similarities to Flogging Molly, Stiff Little Fingers, the Pogues, and The Toy Dolls – so much so that the Dolls’ version of Nelly the Elephant was played as an encore as a middle finger to the orange felon across the pond.
I’m not usually a fan of this type of music, but I couldn’t take my eyes off them, or The Cloverhearts, and thoroughly enjoyed every second of both of their performances.
Most songs were high-tempo and lively, while Ken’s voice proved melodic and loud at once, while some others were softer, more delicate, and allowed for a way to exhale and decompress, awaiting the next explosion.
Guitarist Kyle Peters took over at certain points to sing some of his songs, which started slow and soon became raucous, and full of passion.
The next time they’re in town, I’ll be sure to buy a ticket, and I urge everyone to do the same.
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