Irish Folk-Punks Flogging Molly Land at Oakland's Fox Theater
By Dave Pehling
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Popular LA-based Celtic folk-punk outfit Flogging Molly pays a visit to the Bay Area Friday, headlining an evening of global sounds at the Fox Theater with Eastern European ska-punks Russkaja and rootsy Tejano band Vandoliers.
Irish-born singer Dave King took a decidedly circuitous route from his '80s hard rock and metal roots to leading acoustic Celtic punk band Flogging Molly. King came to fame as the lead singer for Fastway, a band formed by ex-Motörhead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke in 1982 when King was only 21 years old.
The vocalist's distinctive wail — equal parts Robert Plant and Janis Joplin — helped make the band's eponymous debut an underappreciated classic of the hair-metal era. That first album still beats out the ersatz Zeppelinisms of Whitesnake and Kingdom Come when it comes to tuneful heft. King left Fastway a few albums later, dropping out of music altogether aside from an abortive effort with LA-based metal band Katmandu in 1990.
Supporting himself as a house painter and truck driver while his expired visa kept him exiled from Ireland, the singer found his voice jamming with a group of Los Angeles musicians that included talented Irish fiddle player -- and the singer's future wife -- Bridget Regan.
Founded by King and Regan in 1997, Flogging Molly would hone its sound during an increasingly raucous weekly residency at L.A. pub Molly Malone's (the septet's namesake). The group mixed the acoustic-folk roots of King's native Ireland with the rebellious fire of the Clash and the Pogues. The band self-released its first recording, the concert document Alive Behind The Green Door that captured the ferocious intensity of the group's onstage show.
That album would eventually lead to a deal with SideOneDummy Records, who reissued the live recording and Flogging Molly's 2000 studio debut Swagger which was widely hailed as a classic. Since then, the band has issued two more live recordings and five additional studio efforts mixing their raucous style of pugilistic folk-punk and heartfelt ballads.
While Flogging Molly has doubtless provided the soundtrack to many a whiskey-and-Guinness soaked party, King's poignant, often politically charged lyrics rail against corporate greed and celebrate the working-class everyman's fight for survival. Tireless road work over the past quarter century -- including the band's annual St. Patrick's-themed Green 17 Tour -- established King and company as powerhouse live performers.
The band has yet to issue a new album since Life is Good in 2017, but the fresh track "These Times Have Got Me Drinking/Tripping Up The Stairs" that came out earlier this month may mean the wait for another effort could soon end. Fans are sure to turn out in numbers to see the group return to the stage at Flogging Molly's regular Bay Area tour stop, the Fox in Oakland. The bill on Friday is rounded out by Austrian ska-punk outfit Russkaja -- who describe their unhinged sound as "Russian Turbo Polka Metal" -- and Tejano-influenced alt-country group Vandoliers.
Flogging Molly with Russkaja and Vandoliers
Friday, March 25, 7:30 p.m. $45
Fox Theater