Flint Moore are a quintet from Downham Market, Norfolk who are rocking a unique groove. Primarily a rock/folk band they draw from a wide range of influences and pull grunge, post-rock and progressive elements into their orbit and I must admit the resulting brew is fairly intoxicating. There really should be more piano in rock music and Flint Moore, realising this, make it an intricate part of their sound and along with the acoustic guitar drives their songs forward. They turn in a good-natured performance and deliver a solid set crammed full of jaunty tracks, of which ‘Gangrene (No Going Home)’ is a definite highlight. If you like bands who think outside the box and do things a little differently then Flint Moore should definitely be on your radar.
Just like Killing Joke and New Model Army, Nottinghamshire’s Ferocious Dog don’t have regular “fans” as such. It’s more a tribe they attract and those assembled tonight have come to pay homage to the finest purveyors of Celtic/folk punk. The high-octane brand of music that the band peddle is not exactly new, yet it’s rarely been played with such vim and vigour as displayed tonight. Opener ‘Port Isaac’ finds vocalist Ken Bonsall singing a cappella to a backdrop of creaking masts and howling wind, all of which conspire to suggest a coming storm, but nothing can really prepare us for the musical tempest that is ‘Haul Away Joe’. It has something of a sea shanty about it and when the rest of the band kick in it sets the venue aflame as a pit erupts and pint glasses are held aloft in salute. ‘Pentrich Rising’ follows hot on its heels and it’s a call-to-arms that makes good use of musical dynamics and only serves to increase the level of insanity inside the Roadmender.
Ferocious Dog play folk as it was originally attended; this is social commentary at its finest and really gets under the skin of our social ills. While this could leave the band sounding a tad preachy, they’re wise enough to wrap their rage in delicious songs and, perhaps indicative of their fury, they waste little time on in between song banter instead preferring to deliver riotous track after riotous track and they don’t come more rabble rousing than ‘Sea Shepherd’. By infusing a touch of ska, it makes plenty of people lose their shit (but in the best way, of course) and has all but the infirm and frail pogoing and skanking. What really holds the attention during a Ferocious Dog gig is the sheer variety of sounds that emanate from the stage and that’s primarily due to multi-instrumentalist Sam Wood. Throughout the gig he deftly switches from accordion to banjo to guitar and adds other dimensions to the band’s performance.
Powering through a set that encompasses the whole of their career ensures that no one leaves disappointed, and things culminate with a frantic run through of ‘Hell Hounds’. Of course, the band return for three well deserved encores the last of which, ‘Slow Motion Suicide’, threatens to raise the roof.
Ferocious Dog Set List:
- Port Isaac
- Haul Away Joe
- Pentrich Rising
- Victims
- Broken Soldier
- The Glass
- Unconditional
- Sea Shepherd
- Lacey-Lee
- Lyla
- Pocket Of Madness
- Too Late
- Freeborn John
- Quiet Paddy
- Punk Police
- Slayed The Traveller
- Parting Glass
- Hell Hounds
- Mairi’s Wedding Part II
Encores:
- The Hope
- Gallow’s Justice
- Slow Motion Suicide
