The Scratch – Mind Yourself

On very short notice a friend of mine gave me a ticket to Iggy Pop in Dublin. Iggy was great as expected but for me the highlight of the day was a support band I only knew by reputation. The Scratch.  I don’t know why I never got around to checking them out before now, I have heard their name in passing a LOT.

 

Live they were a real revelation. They had a huge crowd in the palm of their hands. Circle pits, audience participation, and a real confidence of a band who knew what they were doing. I was knocked out by the sheer energy and the exuberance. So, who the hell are The Scratch?

 

Started as a fun experiment in the kitchen of a house in Perrystown, a suburb of South Dublin the Scratch are a 4-piece acoustic act from Dublin, Ireland. Born from a shared love of acoustic guitar, metal and traditional Irish music. They have built a reputation by busking, then by touring their asses off. Releasing their first album “Couldn’t give a Rats” in 2020. This 2nd album “Mind Yourself” came out in 2023 but is shamefully new to my ears.

 

How they approach music is quite unique. They stick to their busking roots, so instead of drums Daniel "Lango" Lang plays a bass drum, and cajón with beaters, all while singing. the live presentation has all four members Conor "Dock" Dockery (guitar, backing vocals), Gary "Snakeskin" Regan (guitar, backing vocals), and Cathal McKenna (bass, backing vocals) at front of stage, and vocals shared in busker style.

So how to describe them and their music? They have been tagged Punk/Folk or Cajun/Prog/Trad. I’m not sure which of these labels fit, if any. I feel the traditional Irish music as a foundation is a good starting point

 

The album kicks off with a young boy talking about a “Banshee” before the band kicks in with a riff that would be at home on a grunge album before an eastern influenced vocal starts while still maintaining a deep Dublin accent and lyrically speaks of Irish working class living. The metal tag might be present on the surface as acoustic music is the heartbeat of this band. “Cheeky Bastard” rocks along with a chorus that punctures the Ladette, hard drinking, Oasis loving idiots that frequent every council estate pub, with a chorus of “He won’t stop singing Champagne Supernova”. Ita stomper of a song that updates the early 70s Irish rockbound the Horslips, trad/rock crossover. This is a song designed to get you singing and dancing. The Irish trad roots are most “Hole in the ground” which features The Uilleann pipes (I think), but also shows of the vocal melodies of a band where every member can sing. “Blaggard” is closer to straight metal/acoustic mix with the cajón hitting as hard as any drummer. The lyrics are filled with Irish slang that amused me no end. “Trom II (a Slip in the wind)" is almost acapella with minimum acoustic backing. It is a delicate break from the tempo of the rest of the album that washes over the listener in the best way possible.

 

Overall, It’s a solid calling card for an Irish band following their own muse and musically stands apart from the run of the mill traditional rock band set up. It doesn’t quite match the fevered energy of their live show, but the chops are there, the vocals are flawless, and the songs are extremely well written. However, I am extremely late arriving to this party I’m glad to have discovered them. My opinion is a moot point, judging on what I witnessed they have built a huge audience of all ages on their home soil who love the band, love the songs and lyrics, and sing along to everyone. This band deserve to heard wider afield and grow an audience everywhere.

 

By all means check out this album, but to get the real vibe of this band look up some of the live gigs that have been posted online. At last, an Irish Band that while embracing their roots are not pretending like some better-known Irish bands, I won’t mention to be Celtic warriors or over egging the traditional music. Instead, they sonically strike a balance between all their influences to create something unique called “The Scratch”.

 

-Bobo Coen