Home Albums Album Review : Ferocious Dog – ‘Debut – 10th Anniversary Edition’

Album Review : Ferocious Dog – ‘Debut – 10th Anniversary Edition’

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Review by Paul Monkhouse for MPM

Juxtaposing a punk rock attitude with English Folk music is nothing new with New Model Army and The Levellers legends in the field but few other bands have done it as well as Ferocious Dog.

This tenth anniversary special edition is a fine way to celebrate their recorded debut, something that the somewhat tardy band took twenty-five years to release as they focused more on their road work than being in the studio since forming in 1988.

A snarling ball of power and passion, the fifteen-track opus made up for any lost time and hit the ground running, its every groove filled with the energy of their now famous live shows.

The opening trio of ‘The Glass’, ‘Lee’s Tune’ and ‘On the Rocks’ offer absolutely no let up in the whirring dervish euphoria stakes, all three glistening with punk attitude and sweat.

It’s not until the wistful pastoral stylings of the Billy Bragg style opening section of ‘Too Late’ do Ferocious Dog take their feet off the pedal and the following reggae shuffle of ‘Freeborn John’ adds some hazy sunshine to the very serious subject of its lyrics.

The band can certainly rock out too with the almost metallic ‘Quiet Paddy’ and Celtic ‘Lyla’ fit to prompt a moshpit at any ceilidh and the Ska infused ‘Pocket of Madness’ shows a joyously boisterous air.

With these added flavours in the mix, the whole is a hearty one but it’s when they display their adapt folk roots that they’re at their peak and the glorious ‘Mairi’s Wedding Part II’ and ‘Paddy on the Railway’ show the band at the creative best, the musicianship hugely impressive.

The album closes with the touching ‘Verse for Lee’, a quiet and crystal-clear tribute to band leader Ken Bonsall’s late son and it’s an eloquent end to the storm that went before.

Alongside this disc sits a second, ‘Live at Leeds Orchestral’ and it’s a different side to the Dogs but equally as appealing.

Cherry picking twelve favourites from their career and adding a bonus new song in the form of ‘Too Late’, this deadly dozen show a stripped back band leaning into their acoustic side and accompanied by strings and a female backing singer.

As a record of what was an emotional and transcendental night, the lush orchestration, superb arrangements and natural interplay between all those onstage is an involving listen.

There’s an aching beauty in tracks like ‘1914’, ‘Justice for 96’ and the haunting ‘Lacey Lee’, each component working to maximum effect and full blooded ‘Too Late’ is another gem added to their canon.

It all adds up to a package that not only celebrates a decade long recording career but a band that have an integrity, honesty and fire at the very core of their souls. This Dog’s for life, not just for festivals.

To preorder / pre stream Ferocious Dog (Remastered)and Live At Rock City go to: https://linktr.ee/FerociousDog

Following this special show on 30th April, the band host their Dogfest Festival in April, with further headline shows and festival appearances including the Rebellion and Beautiful Days festivals plus Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany.

Disc 1 – Ferocious Dog (Remastered) track listing.
01 The Glass.
02 Lee’s Tune.
03 On The Rocks.
04 Too Late.
05 Freeborn John.
06 Hell Hounds.
07 Quiet Paddy.
08 Lyla.
09 Criminal Justice.
10 Pocket Of Madness.
11 Blind Leading The Blind.
12 Freethinker.
13 Mairis Wedding Pt II
14 Paddy On The Railway.
15 Verse For Lee.

Disc 2 – Live At Leeds Orchestral track listing.
01 Landscape Artist.
02 A& B.
03 Class War.
04 Mairis Wedding Pt 3
05 Yellow Feather.
06 1914.
07 Justice For ’96.
08 The Demon.
09 Broken Soldier.
10 Lacey-Lee.
11 Criminal Justice.
12 Blind Leading The Blind.
13 Too Late (2022)

Ferocious Dog 2023 tour dates:
March
Thu 9th Knust Hamburg Germany
Fri 10th Underdogs’ Prague Czech Repulic
Sat 11th Backstage Halle Munich Germany
Mon 13th Gebäude 9 Cologne Germany
Tue 14th Colos-saal Aschaffenburg Germany
Thu 16th Little Devil Tilburg Netherlands
Fri 17th Melkweg Amsterdam Netherlands
Sat 18th Entreportaion Arion Belgium
Sun 19th Luxor Live Arnhem Netherlands
Mon 20th O’Sullivans Backstage By The Mill Paris France
Sat 25th Corporation Sheffield
Sun 26th Scarborough Punk Festival Scarborough
April
Fri 1st Barbican York
Sat 22ndDogfest Boston
Fri 28th Old Fire Station Carlisle
Sat 29th Northern Kin Festival Durham
Sun 30th Teddy Rocks Festival Dorset
May
Sat 6th Labadoux Festival Ingelmunster Belgium
Thu 11th Queen’s Hall Nuneaton
Fri 12th Tunes in The Dunes Cornwall
Sat 13th O2 Academy Leicester
June
Fri 2nd The Georgian Theatre Stockton-on-tees
Sat 3rd North West Calling Manchester
Fri 9th Here For The Music Bideford
Fri 16th Sign Of The Times Church End
Sat 17th Docks Academy Grimsby
FrI 30th Victoria Hall Settle
July
Sat 1st Victoria Hall Settle
Sun 2nd Victoria Hall Settle
Sat 8th Ely Folk Festival
Sat 15th Jurassic Fields Dorset
Fri 21st The Devils Arse Castleton
Sat 22ndBeautiful Day Out Leeds
August
Wed 2nd Wacken Open Air Festival Germany
Sat 5th Rebellion Festival Blackpool
Fri 11th Lakefest Ledbury
Thu 17th The Drill Lincoln
Fri 18th Guildhall Gloucester
Sat 19th Beautiful Days Ottery Saint Mary
Fri 25th Solfest Cumbria
September
Fri 1st Lindisfarne Festival Blyth
Sun 3rd Acapela Studio Cardiff
Thu 21st Club 85 Hitchin
Fri 22nd The 1865 Southampton
Sat 23rd Roadmender Northampton
Sat 29th Robin 2 Bilston
Sat 30th The Waterfront Norwich
October
Fri 6th Oran Mor Glasgow
Sat 7th La Belle Angele Edinburgh
Thu 12th Esquires Bedford
Fri 13th Boiler Shop Newcastle Upon Tyne
Sat 14th The Birdwell Venue Barnsley

  • Ferocious Dog 3 piece

Tickets available fromhttps://www.ferociousdog.co.uk/events

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