Dropkick Murphys

Dropkick Murphys may be synonymous with Boston’s Irish American heritage and St. Patrick’s Day bashes, yet the secret to the group’s longevity is their ability to consistently reimagine their trademark Celtic punk. When the proudly blue-collar band stormed out of the South Shore in the mid-’90s, they channelled the blitz and gang chants of oi! and street punk. By the mid-2000s, with bassist and singer Ken Casey, vocalist Al Barr and drummer Matt Kelly anchoring the lineup, buzzsaw tenacity gave way to folk-inspired tunefulness and barfly storytelling. The result was the biggest hit of Dropkick Murphys’ career: “I’m Shipping up to Boston”, a marriage of Woody Guthrie lyrics and rollicking accordion that blew up when director Martin Scorsese tapped it for the 2006 Irish mob thriller The Departed. The band shifted gears again for 2017’s 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory and 2021’s Turn Up That Dial, on which Celtic punk is injected with booming, Bruce Springsteen-style choruses perfect for raucous pub sing-alongs.