| Celtic punk | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 1980s,London, England:Irish folk andpunk rock scenes |
| Regional scenes | |
| Other topics | |
Celtic punk ispunk rock mixed with traditionalCeltic music. Celtic punk bands often play traditional Celtic folk songs, contemporary/political folk songs, and original compositions.[3] Common themes in Celtic punk music includepolitics, Celtic culture (particularlyGaelic culture) andidentity,heritage,religion,drinking andworking class pride.
The genre was popularised in the 1980s bythe Pogues. It is considered part of the broaderfolk punk genre, although that term is often used in North America for acoustic forms of punk rock rather than a mixture of traditional folk music and punk rock.
The typical Celtic punk band includesrockinstrumentation as well as traditional instruments such asbagpipes,fiddle,tin whistle,accordion,mandolin, andbanjo. LikeCeltic rock, Celtic punk is a form ofCeltic fusion.[4]
While popular around the world, Celtic punk is often criticized for certain non-Irish bands appropriating and misrepresenting Irish culture (perpetuating 'Plastic Paddy' stereotypes) with an excessive focus on drinking and fighting.[5][6] Other folk-punk bands that incorporate traditional folk material, such asThe Dreadnoughts andCordelia's Dad, have expressed disdain at being called 'Celtic punk' despite Celtic material making up a very small portion of their overall material (either due the common occurrence of non-Celtic folk songs being called 'Celtic,' or due to the misunderstanding that all traditional folk music mixed with punk rock is Celtic punk).[6][7]
Celtic punk's origins date back to 1960s and 1970sfolk rock musicians who playedIrish folk music andCeltic rock in the UK, as well as in more traditional Celticfolk bands such asthe Dubliners andthe Clancy Brothers. The Scottish bandthe Skids were possibly the first UK punk band to add a strong folk music element, as they did on their 1981 albumJoy. Around the same time inLondon,Shane MacGowan andSpider Stacy began experimenting with a sound that becamethe Pogues, which most consider to be the prototypical Celtic punk band.[3] Their early sets included a mixture of traditional folk songs and original songs written in a traditional style but performed in a punk style.[8] Other early Celtic punk bands includedNyah Fearties,Australia'sRoaring Jack andNorway'sGreenland Whalefishers.
The 1990s gave rise to a Celtic punk movement in North America, centered around the likes of theDropkick Murphys ofQuincy, Massachusetts, and Chicago'sThe Tossers - both from cities with particularly large population ofIrish Americans - as well as LA'sFlogging Molly (founded by Irish emigrantDave King). North American Celtic punk bands have been influenced by American forms of music, and commonly sing in English.[9]
Like other punk subcultures, Celtic punk has its own fashions as well. Similar to the music, Celtic punk fashion is a mixture of standard punk fashion and traditional Celtic clothing, most notably (and sometimes erroneously)tartans. Standard items in Celtic punk fashion include leather jackets, tartans, chains, studs,kilts, andmohawks. The favored tartan among punks in 70s-80s Britain was theRoyal Stewart tartan, due to both its widespread availability and perceived anti-establishment connotations.[10]
TheScottish Gaelic punk scene can be considered a part of the larger Celtic punk subculture, as even though most bands from that scene did not incorporate traditional sounds into their music, they sang inScottish Gaelic in support of their traditional language and in protest of linguistic homogenization (among many other issues).[11] They taught each other the language in DIY classes called 'Gaelic for Punks', and the scene was centered around theSabhal Mòr Ostaig college on theIsle of Skye,Scotland.[12]
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