This was a show and a half! Ireland’s punk rebel rousers The Mary Wallopers played their first gig in Adelaide at The Gov as part of their debut Australian tour. All the promo information promised infectious energy and floor shaking singalongs, well we got that in spades and a whole lot more. I have no doubt they will continue to take the world by storm as they were well on their way to success with their raucous reinterpretations of traditional ballads before the world went into lockdown in March 2020. Now there is no stopping them having won the hearts and minds of Adelaide fans.
Formed by multi-instrumentalist Charles Hendy, his brother Andrew (banjo), and friend Sean McKenna (guitar), the Dundalk-based outfit are complete with Finian O’Connor (pipes/whistles), Roisin Barrett (bass), Ken Mooney (drums). The crowd took a bit of coaxing to come to the front by Charles who said “don’t be shy we have been sprayed for pests.” Opening with Bold O’Donahue the band were on fire. The larrikin spirit was alive and well in the band who don’t take themselves to seriously and razz each other up at every opportunity between songs, not forgetting some of the jokes and stories that soften the blow a bit of some heavy lyrical content.
Love Will Never Conquer Me was about Charles trying to “chat up the girls” and “holding their hands” but “not being very good at it sticking with drinking ten pints!” Rothsea-O was a tutorial about how to have a good time and The Rich Man and the Poor Man was clever take on what happens to rich people when they die. The Mary Wallopers play with much gusto and bravado and it’s hard not to be in awe of what they do and how they go about it. They have the albums but for this band it is very much about the live experience. The Turfman from Ardee was a great and the free Palestine sentiment was shared in Lots of Little Soldiers. There was barely a moment to catch your breath before they were tearing through the next song. Banks of the Roses was gold before slowing things down for the next three which gave Charles, Andrew and Sean a chance to shine individually on The Idler, John O’Halloran and Building Up and Tearing England Down.
The back story behind Bonny Ship revealed the origins behind the band name which was the name of a ship which was named after a sex worker. It is clear to see where that rebellious streak comes from. The crowd were massively in to it, they sang, they danced, they drank, it raucous and above all it was a fun show. The Holy Ground, The Blarney Stone, Gates of Heaven and Lowlands of Holland were awesome moments topped off by encore crowd rousing All for Me Grog topped off a brilliant night.
Live Review By Rob Lyon