Flogging Molly Whip Kino Šiška into Shape (2012)

Arhiv Arhiv Last updated 11 June 2026

Venue: Kino Šiška / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 03.09.2012
Attendance: 650
Ticket price: 27,00 EUR

This summer, Ljubljana’s Kino Šiška is going through a proper green revival. It even looks like it’s turning into a Mecca for hot-blooded musicians of Irish descent who, on top of juggling a whole range of instruments, always manage to throw an unforgettable party. After Boston’s Dropkick Murphys gave it a thorough shaking in June, this time their colleagues from the American West Coast, California to be exact, took their turn. Flogging Molly, as they’ve named themselves, added a few more serious degrees to Monday evening’s sultry heat and made sure our heads won’t cool down for quite some time. We witnessed a proper rowdy bash (again!), exactly the kind that real punk – rock hell-raisers do the Irish way!

Dublin-born Dave King, the main driving force of the band (he even started his musical journey in the heavy metal band Fastway), put together an interesting lineup of quality and (to put it very mildly) damn tireless musicians under the Flogging Molly name: Dennis Casey (guitars), Matthew Hensley (accordion), Nathen Maxwell (bass guitar), Bridget Regan (violin, tin whistle), Robert Schmidt (mandolin, banjo) and George Schwindt (drums, percussion). As for the name, they ‘borrowed’ it from the pub Molly Malone’s, where they used to play every Monday so relentlessly that it felt like they were literally flogging the place to pieces each time.

There’s plenty of common ground in the music of The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. All three bands draw their inspiration and main traits largely from traditional Irish music, each cutting it to their own measure. If we can say that The Pogues, in their punk take, stay most authentically true to Irish tradition, then Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly added something extra on top. With the latter especially, you can pick up more of a rock flavor, which is largely thanks to Dennis Casey, who has a great handle on the electric guitar, though Dave King, with his ‘early rocker roots’, surely had a say in it too.

With no support act, Flogging Molly started their flogging almost exactly at half past nine in the evening. The very first bars, helped along by the extremely high-spirited lead vocalist and guitarist Dave King (who occasionally picks up a bodhran as well), got the crowd moving, shoving and generally making merry, just as such a gig demands. Before long he pointedly raised the middle finger of his right hand, showing quite clearly, and saying with no holding back, what he thinks about capitalism, exploitation and the system in which the little guy has to survive every day. At first glance it might really seem that there isn’t much depth in this kind of music, but the rebellion sparked by the punk movement years ago has certainly found its continuation in the lyrics that Flogging Molly sing. A critique of a system and a society that replaces the true values of human life with consumerist thinking, greed and a grab for power is more relevant these days than ever. The audience below the stage naturally got that with ease and identified with the message of the songs, which were strung together one after another almost without a break. Flogging Molly are an extremely energetic live band that rarely takes a moment to slow the tempo. Even the ballad-leaning songs from the studio albums are played live boldly, fast and punchy. We got songs from all the studio albums, with the most emphasis on Swagger (2000), Drunken Lullabies (2002) and Speed of Darkness (2011). It was an interesting mix of a Best Of repertoire, to which they also added a cover of Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’. With the abundance of instruments on stage, it seems each one finds its own space. Nothing is too much and nothing is missing. Mastering the instruments while simultaneously keeping up a tireless workout is truly fascinating, almost breathtaking. These musicians are excellent, running through the entire set list routinely without a single mistake, without a trace of fatigue and, most importantly, enjoying themselves immensely while doing it.

It probably goes without saying that this time too quite a few glasses of beer were thrown into the air, and the cleaners no doubt had their hands full after the event. There were also a few budding stage divers, who, to our great delight, pulled off a number of excellent stage dives. This was despite the security guards, who tried their hardest to stop them. Well, maybe someone just forgot to teach them that this kind of mischief is totally harmless and, above all, an integral part of this sort of concert revelry.

For the encore, they played The Worst Day Since Yesterday, one of their first hits, which even found its place in the film Mr. & Mrs. Smith, starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Two more hits followed, Salty Dog and Float. We did hope they’d strum out the good old Irish Rover for us too, but sadly we never got it. No big deal, we were more than happy with what we got.

For an hour and three quarters, we easily forgot all the gloom and problems of everyday life. We let loose and released all the anger and rage that builds up in us day after day. Could there be a better send-off back into life than that good old tune from Monty Python – Always Look On the Bright Side of Life? With that recording, Flogging Molly wrap up their flogging, celebrate a bit more on stage to the beat after a job well done, and hand out a few beers among the most fervent fans. At the same time, they’re telling us: life is sometimes one big pile of shit, but keep your head up, let’s keep going! Until the next flogging.

Setlist

1. The Wrong Company
2. The Likes of You Again
3. Swagger
4. Speed of Darkness
5. Revolution
6. Life in A Tenament Square
7. Whistles the Wind
8. Saints and Sinners
9. Drunken Lulabies
10. Requiem for a Dying Song
11. The Power’s Out
12. The Son Never Shines (on Closed Doors)
13. A Prayer For Me in Silence
14. Times They Are A-Changing (cover Bob Dylan)
15. Black Friday Rule
16. Oliver Boy (All of the Boys)
17. Rebels of the Sacret Heart
18. Devils Dance Floor
19. If I Ever Leave This World Alive
20. What’s Left of the Flag
21. The Seven Deadly Sins