OR   Search for Artist/Title    Advanced Search
 
you are not logged in...  [login] 
All Reviews    Edit This Review     
Review: 'FINNEGAN'S HELL'
'Drunk, Sick & Blue'   

-  Label: 'Heptown'
-  Genre: 'Rock' -  Release Date: '29th September 2014'-  Catalogue No: 'HTR 071'

Our Rating:
'Drunk, Sick And Blue' is the first full length album from Finnegan's Hell. The band was formed in Scandinavia in 2010, as the members felt that there was a need for Celtic punk in the world.

After releasing their self titled E.P. in 2011, which quickly sold out, the band embarked on a rigorous bout of touring, which won them a devoted audience, and it's easy to see why. Since The Pogues released their first long player 'Red Roses For Me' thirty years ago, there has been a great interest generated in Irish music and history. However, even The Pogues would be hard pressed to say that their music is “traditional”. This has led to a number of bands who have evolved elements of punk and folk in their music, some of whom have achieved more success in places than even The Pogues, others who have sunk without trace.

So where do Finnegan's Hell stand in relation to this? I personally feel that the album is an excellent collection of drinking songs, the sort of which are guaranteed to get the party going, and with a track like the album closer 'Drunken Christmas', which pisses all over Mud's 'Lonely This Christmas', they are on to a sure fire winner.

However, that said, I am a little cautious about an album which celebrates a culture that is almost certainly being viewed through the mists of time and bears only a partial relationship with the real truth. Let me explain.

Brendan Behan was probably one of the most famous of those that have popularised the myth of the drunken Irishman, however, this in itself was an exaggeration as he himself saw at the time that it paid to be drunk; the public wanted the witty, iconoclastic, genial "broth of a boy," and he gave that to them in abundance, exclaiming: "There's no bad publicity except an obituary." As a result, what Behan portrayed was only part truth, and this is where I have one or two minor issues with what is represented on the album.

I appreciate that any album entitled 'Drunk, Sick And Blue' is bound to have a number of songs relating to the demon drink, its highs and lows, and the places it can take you, but virtually every song here relates to the imbibing of alcohol one way or another. What made The Pogues such a vital band is that they were able to write songs that touched upon poverty, war, love and the human condition.

That said, perhaps I am being too critical. With this album, you certainly get your money's worth with an excellent collection of songs, featuring self penned works alongside cover versions such as the Dubliners 'Jar Of Porter', and the traditional 'Galway Races', all played at a frantic pace that will liven any gathering. So as Christmas approaches, put this on the stereo, pour a drink and dance. This is one album that will get even Granny moving!
  author: Nick Browne

[Show all reviews for this Artist]

READERS COMMENTS    10 comments still available (max 10)    [Click here to add your own comments]

There are currently no comments...
----------



FINNEGAN'S HELL - Drunk, Sick & Blue