Punk meets Irish Folk, with powerful results

For fans of: Sham 69; Social Distortion

Putting a punk rock spin on an Irish folk song might not strike people as being the most obvious way to spend your time, but Suburban Radio’s newest single ‘Fields Of Athenry’ does just that.

But of course, referring to Suburban Radio’s rendition as being punk rock is only half truthful. As the track opens it feels very Sham 69, but soon enough searing guitars spin in that start to change the vibe from punk to almost – almost – post-punk/power-pop. A solo that stretches to almost thirty seconds doesn’t feel very traditionally punk rock.

However, you can’t really argue with the sound. Searing guitar solos aside, the song hits you with a crashing drums and an understated bass section. The trademark Suburban Radio vocals power through the sound, eventually building up to a section that begs chanting along.

As is the magic of Suburban Radio, able to turn any song into a powerhouse that you’ll want to move to or sing to. And what they’ve done on ‘Fields Of Athenry’ only confirms this, as well as builds a lot of excitement for whatever they’ll do next!