THE RUMJACKS + ROUGHNECK RIOT – PATTERNS, BRIGHTON 12.2.25
St Patrick’s Day was a while away, but why not warm up for the event by watching The Rumjacks perform some top draw Celtic Punk Rock tonight. This particular shindig was organised by Lout promoters and was to take place at Brighton’s very own ‘Patterns‘ venue near the seafront, and people seemed more than ready to join up for this particular rabble rousing, tankard wielding, beer swilling, dancefloor jigging style of a party.
Originally formed in 2008 in Sydney (Australia), the band have been going from strength to strength, gathering a worldwide fanbase on their travels. They are prolific with their recorded output too, which has been bolstered by a heavy touring schedule, taking them around the world and back again. Nowadays, band members are spread far and wide (Boston, Berlin, Befast and Milan), but they still manage to find their way back to each other for writing, recording and touring commitments. As if The Rumjacks wasn’t keeping him busy enough, frontman Mike Rivkees, has also been filling in on vocal duties for Al Barr of Boston’s legendary ‘Dropkick Murphys’, until Mr Barr is ready to take up the mantle again.
This 2025 tour of the UK and Europe is to promote the band’s 6th album, ‘Dead Anthems’ which was released on February 7th of this year. It was recorded in Asbury Park in New Jersey, and whilst being produced by the band’s Mike Rivkees, it was also engineered by Pete Steinkopf of ‘The Bouncing Souls’ and mixed by Kevin Bivona of ‘The Interrupters’.
This tour kicked off on January 31st in Florence (Italy) and will be taking in countries such as Spain, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and of course the UK. The last gig of the tour will wind up on St Patrick’s Day at the Melkweg in Amsterdam. But, tonight was our turn as the band kicked off the UK leg of the tour in the city of Brighton.
It was a bit of a chilly night but we weren’t about to let that put us off. Roughneck Riot had already treated us to an impressive opening set, but more on them later. The clock struck 8.40pm and without further adieu, The Rumjacks hit the stage running with the opening track from their brand new album. ‘Come Hell Or High Water’ is an energetic and raucous song, and a great way to start off tonight’s proceedings. Melodic Punk Rock with a big dash of Folk was the order of the day, and there were plenty more where that came from. The singer, Mike Rivkees was wearing a Mod style parka and a lambretta shirt, so you could say that he looked totally at home in Brighton. Couple that with a penny whistle, and you’ve got yourself an interesting hybrid of styles and influences. ‘Cold Like This’ is another new song, which tells the true story of a walk home from the pub in Boston (U.S.A. not Lincolnshire) during a particular cold snap. This song, of course, sounds much more fun than the walk in question.
The room was busy at this point in the evening, and this six piece band were giving it their all. They explained how their band members are spread far and wide, as they played ‘Across The Water’ to an enthusiastic crowd who were definitely not scared to sing along. This song was a highlight for me, and I enjoyed its sentiment. ‘An Irish Goodbye On St.Valentine’s Day’ was another new one, and quite appropriate on the day before the event. My wife also informed me that she found the mustachioed drummer “sexy”, which luckily isn’t quite grounds for divorce.
‘Smash Them Bottles’ is one of their catchiest new numbers, and Mike Rivkees warmed the audience up with a call and response run through of the chorus. It didn’t take long for the crowd to learn this chant, as the band blasted into this fast and lively tune. This particular highlight was followed with a medley of songs which included a Billy Bragg cover. The crowd were bouncing at this point, which was no mean feat for a Wednesday. Mr Rivkees shook the spit from his whistle, and dedicated the next song to the one and only Shane MacGowan (‘Some Legends Never Die’).
Sadly, the night was coming to an end, but not before The Rumjacks could play the classic ‘Pot And Kettle’ which is truly one of their catchiest tunes, and one that got my head bobbing. Bassist Johnny McKelvey, told us that they last played Brighton in 2016 at the Green Door Store to a minimal crowd. (Although they did play in Lewes back in 2019 – Review HERE). Tonight proved that their fanbase had swelled since then, and many a chorus was being recited out loud from the audience on this chilly mid week evening.
The Rumjacks had treated us to a mammoth set tonight, which could be only topped by an encore including ‘An Irish Pub Song’. This song went viral when it was originally released, and is a firm fan favourite. This enjoyable set was rounded off with a traditional folk cover called ‘I’ll Tell Me Ma’, which was then followed by the crowd dispersing from the venue with big grins on their faces. What more could you ask for?
The Rumjacks tonight were:
Mike Rivkees – vocals, tin whistle, acoustic guitar
Gabriel Whitbourne – guitar, backing vocals
Pietro Delia Sala – drums
Adam Kenny – mandolin, bouzouki, banjo, backing vocals
Johnny McKelvey – bass, backing vocals
Kyle Goyette – accordion, backing vocals
The Rumjacks setlist:
‘Come Hell Or High Water’ (from 2025 ‘Dead Anthems’ LP)
‘They Kick You When You’re Down’ (from 2025 ‘Dead Anthems’ LP)
‘Fistful O’ Roses’ (from 2016 ‘Sleepin’ Rough’ LP)
‘Cold Like This’ (from 2025 ‘Dead Anthems’ LP)
‘Sainted Millions’ (from 2021 ‘Hestia’ LP)
‘Bullhead’ (from 2021 ‘Hestia’ LP)
‘Through These Iron Sights’ (from 2021 ‘Hestia’ LP)
‘Rhythm Of Her Name’ (from 2021 ‘Hestia’ LP)
‘Across The Water’ (from 2022 ‘Brass For Gold’ EP)
‘An Irish Goodbye On St Valentines Day’ (from 2025 ‘Dead Anthems’ LP)
‘Father’s Fight’ (from 2025 ‘Dead Anthems’ LP)
‘Smash Then Bottles’ (from 2025 ‘Dead Anthems’ LP)
‘Uncle Tommy’ / ‘Jolly Executioner’/ ‘To Have And To Have Not’ (Billy Bragg cover) / ‘Patron Saint Of Thieves’
‘Bloodsoaked In Chorus’
‘One For The Road’ (from 2022 ‘Brass For Gold’ EP)
‘Some Legends Never Die’ (from 2025 ‘Dead Anthems’ LP)
‘The Pot & Kettle’ (from 2016 ‘Sleepin’ Rough’ LP)
‘Hestia’ (from 2021 ‘Hestia’ LP)
‘Light In My Shadow’ (from 2021 ‘Hestia’ LP)
(encore)
‘An Irish Pub Song’ (from 2010 ‘Gangs Of New Holland’ LP)
‘I’ll Tell Me Ma’ (Trad cover)
Roughneck Riot were the support band tonight, and they will be joining The Rumjacks on all their UK dates. They hail from Warrington (UK) and have been active in the underground Punk scene since 2005. Their musical style has its influences heavily rooted in Folk, Punk and Hardcore and they brilliantly describe their collective manifesto as “Staunchly Anti-Fascist. Always Anti-Dickhead”. They are another hard working touring band, who have racked up over a thousand gigs since their formation. They also have five albums under their belts, with a sixth one on its way.
It was 7.40pm and the band took their places on the stage. The first song of the set was ‘Stay Awake’ which was just the tonic on this mid week night. Roughneck Riot certainly know how to blow the cobwebs off, and it was soon evident that this band is a class act. Matty Humphries gave us some rootsy vocals throughout, and Caitlin Costello’s Banjo playing was intricate and top notch. ‘Ignorance Is Easy’ was up next and was another energetic number from this well oiled folk Punk machine. Caitlin was sporting a cool ‘Hell’s Bitch’ shirt and Chris ‘Greeny’ Green was supplying us with the banter. He even thoughtfully apologised to us for our expensive beer and extortionate house prices.
‘A New Day Is Dawning’ was up next and by this time, the crowd (including myself) were well and truly won over. The musicianship was spot on, and they even had Eric Kane from ‘Strike Anywhere’ (U.S.A) filling in on the drums. You would have never known that this was his first gig with the band, as it all sounded seamless. During another spate of ‘Spot the T-shirt’ , I couldn’t help noticing that the bassist (Ryan Taylor) was wearing a ‘Split Dogs’ one (another band to watch out for). It was nearing the end of their set unfortunately, but they rounded things off with ‘This Is Our Day’. The crowd awarded them with big cheers and applause, and Roughneck Riot more than proved that they were true headline material.
Roughneck Riot:
Matty Humphries – vocals, guitar, mandolin
Ryan Taylor – bass, vocals
Caitlin Costello – banjo, vocals
Chris Green – guitar
Eric Kane – drums
Sam Bell – accordion, vocals
Roughneck Riot setlist:
‘Stay Awake’
‘Ignorance Is Easy’
‘D.C.M.O’
‘A New Way Is Dawning’
‘No Sense Of Human’
‘Animosity’
‘Pissin’ In The Wind’
‘All That We Know’
‘This Is Our Day’
