My oldest brother is a huge fan of folk based punk-rock. Compiling a CD for his travel into holidays I remembered a band from the early 80's we both went for a concert. The Men They Couldn't Hang were new to us like The Pogues but in a different way. When The Pogues played their Irish style the Men They Couldn't Hang played traditional folk music in a very fast way. They also picked up political grievances from the last centuries and played it to us. It is amazing how good these songs work after many decades.
Back in 1985 some British musicians brought Irish music into punk and New Wave. One of the first one's were The Pogues that gave us Germans the sound of new Irish based music. Before we knew this traditional music by The Dubliners played in traditional style. But Shane MacGowan gave us all a new view how folk-punk could work. Me and my oldest brother had at all times a hidden grade to Irish music and so we went to their gig in a club in Stuttgart that is now closed for a few decades. We were both amazed about the physical presence and the fun the band had playing the gig. It was on the tour they promoted their first record and we saw them a few times after. Later they wrote better songs but the first time we saw them was incredible. Never saw them playing with such a verve and enthusiasm. This live document is from this tour and was recorded in Munich in a smaller club by Bavarian TV which had a very good choice in music in these days.
Like Adam I cleaned up my hard drive and found a file that I've forgotten over years. I still remember this record but I couldn't find in my collection any more. Maybe I borrowed it to my brother years ago and didn't got it back again. Anyway, this post is about a band most of my friends could agree with years ago. Nyah Fearties were one more band from Scotland that were great long time ago but had like many others no commercial success. They were not another folk-punk band like The Pogues or The Men They Couldn't Hang. Their music was more raw and grounded than the ones I named. It was a perfect mixture of classic folk ingredients added with heavy influences of northern industrial sound. I once saw them once live in a small club close to my place. It was one of these concerts you went to and expected nothing and you get recompensed with an unforgettable gig. Davy and Stephen Wiseman have played as if it was to her the last time. Seldom saw two guys on the stage playing with this enthusiasm. If you are a little bit of low-fi folk-punk give them a listen.
