If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Tom Beard While some of their recent singles have played around with and expanded their sound, "The Big Mixer" sees the Irish folk rock band The Mary Wallopers get back to what they do best. This new single is a rollicking ode to the working class, and in line with the finest Irish folk rock/punk around. It's the kind of song that can be equally claimed by folk and rock fans, and it's an energetic and fun song. "The Big Mixer" is an ode to the entire working class in a way that only an Irish artist could pull off. If you're into any form of Irish folk or punk, chances are you already love The Mary Wallopers. The Mary Wallopers say of their latest single: “This is a song for all the labourers, the nurses, the shelf fillers, the train drivers, the truck drivers, the Deliveroo drivers, the SNAs, the miners, the factory workers... all the people doing a hard day's work and forced back to the Big Mixer to make profits for someone else,” note The ...

Photo by Tom Beard While "Kit Kat Club" is purely Irish folk punk, something about it seems like a slight departure for The Mary Wallopers. The song has a sense of early, classic country music, along with some very early rock 'n' roll. That would probably be rockabilly, but I can't quite let myself commit to that genre for "Kit Kat Club." It's also surprisingly theatrical, giving The Mary Wallopers a much bigger sound than they normally have. Considering the previous singles from their upcoming album have all been vastly different, we're even more excited about the release than we normally would be. Paddywhackery is showing some huge, mainstream possibilities for The Mary Wallopers in the very near future. Andrew and Charles Hendy say of their band's latest single: “It’s mainly about the fact that people would call us 'paddywhackery' because we are too Irish or whatever, but it’s all very fucking hip to be Irish the last couple of yea...

Photo by Tom Beard For their latest single, The Mary Wallopers have decided to strip things way down. "Landlord's Demise" is an under two minute song that's only songwriter Andrew Hendy on vocals and bohdran and whistle from Finnian O Connor. Somehow, despite how bare the song is, The Mary Wallopers have created a badass folk-punk song. Of course, this one is much more Irish folk than punk, but a song rallying against landlords always ends up a little bit punk. "Landlord's Demise" is the rare song this stripped down that could inspire shout-a-longs, but I can see this becoming a favorite for that at Mary Wallopers shows.  Andrew Hendy says of his band's latest single: “ This is a song about the fall of empire in Ireland, and an expression of our disdain for the Landlord Class. It’s based on a true story about a Manor House falling down around its aristocratic owner, and is also inspired by Tom Barry’s book ‘Guerilla Days in Ireland’. It’s a song for ...

Photo by Sorcha Frances Ryder Dundalk, Ireland's finest folk punk band, The Mary Wallopers, are back with a new single. "Crowns of England" is everything we've always loved from the band. It mixes traditional Celtic folk with a punk edge, but the song also sees them moving their sound forward. It's more palatable for a mainstream audience, but without losing the edge and everything that makes them great. This new sound is kind of like a Trojan horse to trick your co-workers into enjoying it. Audibly, "Crowns of England" might be less rough around the edges than we're used to from The Mary Wallopers, but the message and bite certainly isn't. Charles Hendy says of his band's latest single: “The song is about being in England and feeling like an outsider in all that colonialism.  And it’s about Irish people who move to London and then assimilate by trying to get away from being Irish. That outsider status could apply to immigrants generally, or ...

I've been meaning to see The Mary Wallopers live ever since discovering them. The Irish folk-punk band has played Boston a few times over the past few years, but it just has not worked out for me so far. It finally did this past weekend, and might have been the least 4/20 thing to do in Boston on Saturday night. Playing as a seven piece that included a drummer, whistle player, and a pipes player, The Mary Wallopers took the stage of The Middle East in front of a rabid fanbase. They played a mix of originals, covers, and traditional Irish folk songs in their own folk-punk style. The crowd knew virtually every word and scream-sung just about every song. Songs like "The Rich Man and the Poor Man" and "The Blarney Stone" are both traditional songs that The Mary Wallopers have made their own. It was also a great mix of rowdy songs and quiet ones, hitting every possible mood.  At one point in the set, all three singers (Andrew Hendy, Charles Hendy, and Sean McKenna) a...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: April 19 Rock & Roll Rumble Semifinals featuring Other Brother Darryl, Roser, Looking Glass War, and The Ghouls at Sonia, Cambridge, MA Linnea's Garden, Church and Puppets, and Sorry Mister at Koto, Salem, MA Bodega, Boston Cream, and Big Bliss at The Rockwell, Somerville, MA The Collect Pond, Perennial, Battlemode at Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA Monchella featuring Tysk Tysk Task, Neck Dive, Roaches, and The P.A.'s at Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA  April 20 Hard in the 'Head II featuring The FU's, Cuidado, The Modern Faces, and Cou...

Photo by Sorcha Frances Ryder "The Idler" is one of three original songs on The Mary Wallopers upcoming album. This one lands more on the folk side of folk-punk, as it's just Sean McKenna on vocals and acoustic guitar. That doesn't mean the Irish band are getting soft for this single. "The Idler" is one of the most biting and vicious songs of the year and attacks landlords, the clergy, the taxman, and xenophobes. You can just hear the venom dripping off of this song, and others should take note of how folk-punk can be done. The Mary Wallopers are more punk on this one than most bands playing what is considered punk nowadays.  Sean McKenna says of the band's new song: “The song was written in response to the scapegoating and vilification of ordinary people just doing what they need to do in order to keep struggling through life, rarely harming anyone. Meanwhile those in positions of power, the ones who often create or uphold such situations, are held in h...