Album Review: Dropkick Murphys, This Machine Still Kills Fascists

When these Celtic punks decided to use Woody Guthrie’s words for their smash hit song ‘I’m Shipping Up To Boston’ back in ‘05, they caught lightning in a bottle. Now, with firebrand co-frontman Al Barr taking time off to care for his mother, the rest of the Dropkicks set out to electrify us all once more, with this acoustic album filled with previously unused lyrics by the celebrated folk singer.

Part of a planned brace of unplugged records, This Machine… will please their loyal fanbase eager for new tunes. And it may well find particular favour in Ireland, where the spirit of Woody Guthrie has always resonated deeply, whether in the work of Christy Moore, Andy Irvine, Glen Hansard, Damien Dempsey or The Boomtown Rats.

This Machine Still Kills Fascists will also fascinate folk historians, and there are real treats here. ‘Never Git Drunk No More’, which features rising country singer Nikki Lane, is a future live favourite, while ‘Two 6’s Upside Down’ – the first single from the album – is a fun detour down cowpunk avenue. Ultimately, This Machine... may be seen in the long run as a fascinating curio rather than a Dropkicks smash. But fans of the man who inspired Bob Dylan will relish it.

Out now.

Read our interview with Dropkick Murphys in the current issue of Hot Press – out now. "These songs need to be sung now more than ever," Ken Casey tells Pat Carty...