A review of "A Great Night on the Lash: Live in Italy" by the Mahones

Hello readers,

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted yet I am back with some great reviews to share with you all.  As we all know, its March and St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner and I am sure many of you are creating your Irish themed playlists to play in the next week at loud levels.  Well one band that is certainly worth adding to that playlist is the Mahones.  They have been playing their brand of Irish punk rock since 1990 and have been taking no prisoners ever since.  Recently, they have released their brand new album called "A Great Night on the Lash: Live In Italy" which is worth taking a listen to.  The record is nineteen songs that you can party to, drink to, and fight to plus everything else in between.




The opener of the album entitled "Great Night on the Lash" is a perfect way to kick off the show which is a high fast and upbeat song.  It goes directly into "Paint The Town Red",  as well as one of my personal favorites, "Shakespeare Road".  One thing that really impresses me about this band is their incredible energy, and feeling they have on stage.  They are clearly passionate it in what they do as a live band and it shines through the album.  The songs on this live gem are a great mix of old and new and its great to see a band use their catalogue of music to diversify the set lists.  Songs such as "The Pain From Yesterday", "Angels and Devils" and the traditional "Wild Rover" would certainly spark the interest of anybody who is a fan of the Pogues, Dropkick Murphys and bands of that sort as they clearly pay homage to all of those who have influenced their sound one way or another.

One of my favorite tracks is "Give It All You Got" which was dedicated to Joe Strummer on this disc.  The message is in the title and its loud and clear.  The Mahones threw some great songs in the set that I wasn't all familiar with but I still really enjoyed and there are plenty of songs for the drinker inside!  Songs such as "The Ghost of A Whiskey Devil", "Past the Pint of No Return", "Whiskey Under the Bridge" and many more show their enthusiasm for drinking which seemingly excites the crowd as well.   One song I haven't heard from the Mahones before was "Queen & Tequila" which is a fun filled song with tons of momentum.  One of my personal favorites "Blood Is On Your Hands" which packs an excellent punk rock punch and Finny exclaims on stage, "This ones for the soldiers!  Bring em home!"
The last four songs included a medley of "Celtic Pride/Teenage Kicks" and then they go into the Oi! classic, "Going Down To The Bar" by the New Jersey Oi! legends, the Wretched Ones.  The band also covered the classic, "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones which roused the crowed up very well!  At the very end, the band finished out with the rest of "Teenage Kicks" by the Undertones!

Overall, "A Great Night on the Lash: Live In Italy" shows the energy that the Mahones are well known for.  It gives a glimpse of how they communicate with the crowd and how they strive to put on one hell of a performance.  When you are sitting on iTunes this coming weekend and you are fretting on which bands to create a playlist of, do yourself a favor and check the Mahones out.  This is a great album for anybody familiar with their style of music, and is an excellent addition to the collection as well.  Keep an eye out for when they are coming to a town near you!



Artist Info:
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