Flogging Molly at Stubb's BarBQ, Austin, Tx - more photos... photo by jaime butler - staff photographer

by Harrison Davis - club kingsnake staff

I was surprised that I had gotten into Flogging Molly’s show at Stubb’s for a few reasons. First, it had been sold out for weeks and on top of that I got confirmation of my ticket just two hours before showtime.

Partially due to the late notice, I walked in about halfway through the set of openers The Mighty Stef. The Dublin, Ireland natives played a set of good, solid rock that was clearly a product of their home country, sounding a little like a slightly heavier version of The Frames. I thoroughly enjoyed what I saw and wish that I was able to see more.

Next was the Los Angeles based ska band, The Aggrolites. They tried desperately to get the crowd moving to what they called their ‘dirty reggae’. While nobody broke out into full on dancing, the entire crowd was bobbing their head to music. They even managed to work up a giant sing-along to their great closing cut “Don’t Let Me Down”.

On the other hand, Flogging Molly had absolutely no problems in getting the crowd moving. Straight from the opening number, the entire crowd was bouncing and singing along with the L.A. based Celtic folk-punk band. I had heard a lot about Flogging Molly’s live show and didn’t think that it had a chance to live up to the hype, but it did in every way imaginable. They played with incredible energy and got the same back from the audience. The set focused on both 2008’s Float and 2002’s Drunken Lullabies, but touched heavily on their 2000 debut, Swagger.

It was a great set that included many fan favorites. The highlight of which was an incredible performance of “What’s Left of the Flag”. They also definitely weren’t slouching in songs like “Drunken Lullabies” where they had full mosh pits going, a strange thing to see while listening to a banjo on stage. Lead singer Dave King had the whole crowd following everywhere he went. Even the acoustic section in the middle of the set went over quite well. I will absolutely see Flogging Molly again given the chance, and I’m pretty sure that chance will come in about a year with next year’s Countdown to St. Patrick’s Day tour.

Flogging Molly at Stubb's BarBQ, Austin, Tx - more photos... photo by jaime butler - staff photographer