"Flogging Molly? Who even cares about them?"
My partner raised this curt, though earnest question when I was pondering a direction for this story. We joked quickly about the kinds of people who were really into the Los Angeles-based Celtic punk band back when we were kids: vaguely punk, proudly but questionably Irish. They were always nice, good-hearted folk who were loosely in the "alternative" circle in middle school and high school, but never at Liberty-spiked neon-haired extremes of it.
I suppose I've been a low-key fan of Flogging Molly's music since I first heard them one summer sitting in the blue alleyway duplex where I grew up. While never a diehard supporter, 2002's Drunken Lullabies fit my teenage self's idea of being "cool," and it was something my old man and I could listen to without arguing about. They were fairly quickly phased out of my listening rotation in college, sadly replaced — although I promise and solemnly swear only briefly — by things like Mumford & Sons.
I hadn't thought about the band for close to a decade until my dad texted me late last year and told me to check out a '80s band called Fastway. He wanted me to guess if I could recognize the singer's voice. Familiar in the way a Latin cognate might be, the vocals were classic arena rock: strongly Robert Plant-influenced, head-voiced and devoid of any signs of an accent. A highly stylized falsetto.
This meant a begrudging, workout-stopping Wikipedia search, which resulted in a pleasant surprise: It was Flogging Molly frontman Dave King. It was like running into an old bar friend — one you'd shared many whiskey drunk nights that resulted in only fond quasi-memories. You do your best to pick up wherever it was you left off, trying as hard to reminisce while also trying to demonstrate how much you've grown.
The last Flogging Molly album I'd listened to at that point was 2008's Float. Its title track is a bouncy though mournful reverie that reminds us: "Don't sink the boat / that you built to keep afloat." Maybe I should have listened to it more in my 20s. Since then, Flogging Molly has released three full-length albums (Speed of Darkness, Life is Good, Anthem), a live album and the new single "'Til the Anarchy's Restored" (off the EP of the same name).
When you catch up with an old bar friend, you always start off with "So what's new?" Listening to 2022's Anthem was much like that conversation. Not too much has changed: We've still got feel-good (or maybe feel-better) songs about drinking and serious songs about politics. Unfortunately, we don't have any more bass-driven sea shanties (which is kind of a bummer). The songwriting and musicianship remain as strong as ever, with rich Celtic melodies hovering over a four-on-the floor stone cobblestone foundation. "Life is Good," your friend says.
But there are always signs of time's passing. The voice, afterall, wears with age. The larynx stiffens. Vocal folds lose their elasticity. This doesn't mean we can no longer sing, just that our song can't remain as bright. Such is the case with Flogging Molly's 2023 single, "'Til the Anarchy's Restored." Far from his days as a ferocious high-tenor wielding arena rocker, King's vocals are now even deeper, his lyrics darker — thankful for everything he has, but aware of all he's lost. "The coward," he sings, perhaps to himself, "loves his mindless stories."
But still, he sings, just as he has for his whole life, for it is the boat he has built.
If you'd like to hear Dave King sing for yourself, Flogging Molly will be performing at the Knitting Factory on Aug. 22. The band will be joined by the Bronx, another LA-based punk rock band. While not massively commercially successful, the Bronx is a bit heavier and harder-hitting sonically than Flogging Molly, but just as catchy.
From all accounts I've heard, Flogging Molly remains just as fierce and energetic live as ever (which seems to be reinforced by the live tracks accompanying "'Til the Anarchy's Restored" on the recent EP), so be sure to catch the show and maybe even sing along, proudly, with a Guiness in hand. ♦
Flogging Molly, The Bronx • Tue, Aug. 22 at 7:30 pm • Sold out • All ages • The Knitting Factory • 919 W. Sprague Ave. • sp.knittingfactory.com
