MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
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Album reviews with Ian Sinclair: September 20, 2023
New releases from The Mary Wallopers, Wilco, and Setting
New releases from Mountain, Soul Asylum and Michael McDermott
ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
SUE TURNER welcomes a thoughtful, engaging book that lays bare the economic realities of global waste management
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
The Mary Wallopers
Irish Rock ‘n’ Roll
(BC Records)
★★★★
FORMED in 2016, the now seven-piece The Mary Wallopers kick up a raucous, unruly whirlwind of Irish folk.
Combining traditional instruments, including banjo, accordion, whistles and bodhran with a strong punk ethic, The Pogues are an obvious touchstone, though the band also cite poet Jinx Lennon from their hometown of Dundalk as a key influence.
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New releases from Black Country, New Road, Anouar Brahem, and Jaywalkers
