FEROCIOUS DOG + MILLIE MANDERS AND THE SHUTUP – CHALK, BRIGHTON 12.9.22
Folk punk sextet Ferocious Dog kicked off their their 18-date UK ‘Never Too Late For Hope Tour’ here in Brighton at Chalk this evening in support to their latest Top 40 platter ‘The Hope’ that dropped last year.
After catching them last year for the first time and loving the show, I was determined to see them again after unfortunately missing their slot at R-Fest at Rebellion in Blackpool due to so many clashes.
Ferocious Dog delivers a sweet blend of Celtic folk punk that brings to mind a mix of The Levellers, The Rumjacks, New Model Army and Dropkick Murphys, to name a few. If any of those shake your boat, then definitely go give Ferocious Dog a listen now!
They sure have a loyal and dedicated following, with many of the ‘Hell Hounds’ travelling the length and breadth of the country following the lads on tour. Luckily for me, a good portion of tonight’s 80+ minute set is pulled from their latest album, ‘The Hope’, which I’m pretty familiar with.
After the intro, we are straight into that sea shanty kick of ‘Haul Away Joe’, a favourite of mine from the latest platter and which immediately sets the crowd bouncing and singing. The almighty ‘Pentrich Rising’ follows, lyrically steeped in history with some high-speed fiddle/violin courtesy of Dan Booth stage left and damn fine banjo from Sam Wood, who throughout the set I count him playing at least five different instruments. He truly is a musical maestro. ‘Victims’ seems to have become a crowd favourite with its “Okay, Let’s Go!” line echoing around the venue. The rest of the main set flies by mostly keeping the energy levels high, after all, this is a punk rock show but the moving ‘Broken Soldier’ and ‘A & B’ slow things down a touch. A frantic ‘Punk Police’, ‘Born Under Punches’ and ‘Spin’ round off the main set.
The band return for a five-song encore, and for the melancholic ‘The Hope’, the audience is linked arm in arm in a huge circle while a few ballroom dance across the open floor. This is followed by a stupid fast version of ‘Gallows Justice’ and a sweet run-through of the haunting ‘Slow Motion Suicide’ to end a magnificent twenty-one-song set.
Ferocious Dog are exceptional on record but live, they truly shine.
Ferocious Dog are:
Ken Bonsall – vocals, acoustic guitar
Dan Booth – violin
Sam Wood – banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, acoustic guitar, whistles, accordion
Kyle Peters – electric guitar
Nick Wragg – bassist
Luke Grainger – drums/percussion
Ferocious Dog setlist:
‘Port Isaac’ (from 2021 ‘The Hope’ album)
‘Haul Away Joe’ (from 2021 ‘The Hope’ album)
‘Pentrich Rising’ (from 2021 ‘The Hope’ album)
‘Victims’ (from 2021 ‘The Hope’ album)
‘Broken Soldier’ (from 2021 ‘The Hope’ album)
‘Black Gold’ (from 2017 ‘Red’ album)
‘Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya’ (from 2017 ‘Red’ album)
‘Poor Angry and Young’ (from 2015 ‘From Without’ album)
‘A & B’ (from 2017 ‘Red’ album)
‘Sea Shepherd’ (from 2021 ‘The Hope’ album)
‘Exiled Life (The Chase)’ (from 2021 ‘The Hope’ album)
‘Khatyn’ (from 2021 ‘The Hope’ album)
‘Unconditional’ (from 2015 ‘From Without’ album)
‘Punk Police’ (from 2021 ‘The Hope’ album)
‘Born Under Punches’ (from 2021 ‘The Hope’ album)
‘Spin’ (from 2017 ‘Red’ album)
(encore)
‘Crime And Punishment’ (from 2015 ‘From Without’ album)
‘Parting Glass’ (from 2021 ‘The Hope’ album)
‘The Hope’ (from 2021 ‘The Hope’ album)
‘Gallows Justice’ (from 2015 ‘From Without’ album)
‘Slow Motion Suicide’ (from 2015 ‘From Without’ album)
Support this evening came from Millie Manders And The Shutup who I personally last encountered locally at The Brunswick in Hove last December – Read the review HERE. Although other members of the Brighton & Hove News Music Team did catch the performance on 4th August at R-Fest at Rebellion – Read that day’s reviews HERE.
Opening with the skanking ‘Bacchus’, Millie Manders and The Shutup soon get the attention of the mainly Ferocious Dog following, and by the second track, ‘The One That Got Away’, the early crowd is truly in her pocket.
It’s a short but powerful set tonight, and Millie’s saxophone is noticeably absent, but the songs are as catchy and potent as ever. ‘Silent Screams’ shows Millie’s incredible vocal range with a chorus that smashes down doors, and ‘Your Story’ is pop-punk perfection.
Joe Quigley’s guitar seems crushingly heavy tonight, moving into hardcore territory, adding even more of an edge to the already punchy ‘Not OK’ and ‘Bitter’ with the crowd chanting back the line “I’m Bitter”. Millie Manders and The Shutup deserve your attention, so go grab their debut ‘Telling Truths, Breaking Lies’, and I’ll see you at the front.
Millie Manders And The Shutup are:
Millie Manders – vocals/saxophone/guitar
George Boreham – bass
Joe Quigley – guitar
Pete Wright – drums
Millie Manders And The Shutup setlist:
‘Bacchus’ (from 2016 ‘Obsession Transgression’ EP)
‘One That Got Away’ (from 2018 ‘Shutup’ EP)
‘Broken Record’ (from 2020 ‘Telling Truths, Breaking Ties’ album)
‘Silent Screams’ (from 2020 ‘Telling Truths, Breaking Ties’ album)
‘Your Story’ (from 2020 ‘Telling Truths, Breaking Ties’ album)
‘Sweet Melody’ (from 2020 ‘Sweet Melody’ single)
‘Not OK’ (from 2020 ‘Telling Truths, Breaking Ties’ album)
‘Bitter’ (from 2020 ‘Telling Truths, Breaking Ties’ album)
