Flogging Molly at Irving Plaza

Dave King

Dave King was born in Dublin, Ireland, and first came to the international public light in the 1980s as the vocalist of the heavy metal band Fastway, a supergroup that included guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke of Motörhead and bassist Pete Way of UFO. He later fronted a hard rock band called Katmandu, featuring Mandy Meyer of Krokus on guitars. After relocating to Los Angles, California, King and violinist Bridget Regan in 1993 assembled a rock band with a Celtic feel, performing a mix of traditional Irish music and rock weekly at an Irish pub called Molly Malone's. They named the band Flogging Molly after that bar, feeling that by playing there every Monday night they were "flogging it to death," according to King. The band presently consists of King, Regan, guitarist Dennis Casey, accordion player Matt Hensley, mandolin player Bob Schmidt, bassist Nathen Maxwell and drummer Mike Alonso. Flogging Molly's sixth studio album, Life Is Good, will be released on June 2, 2017.

Headlining the first of two nights at Irving Plaza tonight, Flogging Molly lived up to its reputation as a boisterous Celtic punk septet. Irish-sounding melodies were embellished with a violin, an accordion, a tin whistle and a banjo, but the music was too crushing to be confused with Irish jigs. The lyrics touched on the good and bad of Irish history, politics, love, death and the culture of poverty and pubs. Even when singing about a negative subject, the songs were packaged in rousing hope and passion. The concert was a rollicking celebration of life as we know it, but with a Celtic lilt.

Visit Flogging Molly at www.floggingmolly.com.

Setlist

1. Selfish Man
2. The Hand of John L. Sullivan
3. Swagger
4. Drunken Lullabies
5. The Worst Day Since Yesterday
6. Requiem for a Dying Song
7. Saints & Sinners
8. Life in a Tenement Square
9. Float
10. Tobacco Island
11. Laura
12. Reptiles (We Woke Up)
13. Rebels of the Sacred Heart
14. Devil's Dance Floor
15. Guns of Jericho
16. What's Left of the Flag
17. The Seven Deadly Sins

Encore:

1. Crushed (Hostile Nations)
2. If I Ever Leave This World Alive
3. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python cover)