Flogging Molly & The Interrupters Brought the Wall of Unity to Seattle's WAMU Theatre.

Saturday September 17, 2022 Seattle, WA

There was a touch of fall in the air Saturday night in Seattle, as fans of Flogging Molly and The Interrupters gathered into a packed Washington Music Theatre (WAMU) with openers Tiger Army and The Skints. All eyes were smiling as a tour over 4 years in the waiting finally kicked off to what appeared to be a sell out crowd.

Starting things off for the evening were The Skints. The London based reggae punk band is one of the most creative and technically groups around. Their unique sound is a mix of reggae, ska, dub, punk rock, dancehall, soul, and rap with three lead singers creating a mesmerizing display of artistry. Performing in front of a beautiful tapestry of the moon (with their name on it) illuminated by soft pastel lighting The Skints are comprised of : Jamie Kyriakides (vocals, drums, guitar), Joshua Waters Rudge (vocals, guitar), Jonathan Doyle (bass guitar) and Marcia Richards (vocals, keyboards, alto saxophone, melodica, flute, guitar, sampler). Guitarist Jamie Kyriakides expressed to the crowd his gratefulness to be performing in Seattle after the long pandemic wait to return. He then asked the crowd if they were ready to dance stating “Seattle isn’t known for dancing right? It brought laughs and a challenge that fans were ready to take on. Based on the amount of shoes left on the WAMU floor I would say that yes, Seattle is known for dancing.

Vocalist Marcia Richards gave photographers a warm-up of their own skipping from all parts of the stage and connecting with fans singing along the barricade. There were several mind boggling moments where the vocalist performed using multiple instruments while running back and forth to the keyboards. The band’s 30 minute set included the popular philosophical and contemplative tune “The Forest Through The Trees” from their 2015 album FM as well as new songs from their latest release Sunrise.

A fast change over from the crew and a new backdrop set the stage for the second act, L.A based rockabilly, psychobilly, trio, Tiger Army. Led by founding member Nick 13 (vocals and guitar) the band is celebrating its 25th year together, which includes six studio albums and four EPs. Drummer Mike Fasano and Nick 13 had an impromptu sound check before Djordje Stijepovic and his upright bass strolled by the edge of the stage. Nick 13 gave a quick shout out to the Seattle crowd and then jumped straight into their lightening fueled set. Djordje impressed the crowd spinning his upright bass in circles while keeping time. His handling of the bass stole the spotlight on more than one occasion. The musicality between the trio was a respectful display of brotherhood and a result of years of experience in the industry. Nick 13 and Djordje performed several songs together in unison and at other moments felt like an epic showdown.

Tiger Army set stirred up the crowd surfers but it was all smiles and cheers from loyal fans being gently brought over the barricade rail. One of their stand out moments was their cover of “Rumble” the 1958 instrumental written by the late Link Wray who’s “power chord” influenced many of those in the rockabilly and punk rock genres.

There was more to prep before the next act but fast moving stage hands were on it. Fans kept themselves busy singing along to the classic reggae and ska tunes playing through the house speakers. The venue went dark and the only lights were from the flickering flashlights backstage. The crowd screamed in anticipation which drowned out the background music. A sudden burst of blinding light emerged from the top of the stage to reveal the Interrupters‘s backdrop and guitarist Kevin Bivona standing on a case with his hands in the air. Followed closely behind were twin brothers Justin Bivona (bass), Jesse Bivona (drums) and lead vocalist Aimee Interrupter , waving her hands enthusiastically to the crowd.

The L.A based ska punk band greeted the crowd and then bolted into their first song “Take Back the Power”. As fans raised their fists and sang along, Aimee used every inch of the stage to try to connect to her fans. Pointing to several of them as she sang “Are you a leader or will you follow?” There is something about The Interrupters that brings about an infectious energy, that at the same time puts you at ease. I could only compare it to the ultimate family re-union, only here your family accepts you for you are with open arms. A theme that carries into several of their songs, especially on their new album In the Wild, released in August 2022. As the band started to sing their new lead single, “Raised by Wolves”, fans jumped and screamed “ah woooo” as if they were wild animals themselves. The song which speaks about over coming abandonment has such an upbeat tempo you can’t help but smile triumphantly throughout. Aimee, Kevin and Justin have great chemistry and it was fun to watch them dancing with each other on stage. The interactive musicianship played throughout each song with the Bivona brother’s jumping off everything on stage including brother Jesse’s drum riser.

A very special moment came mid set before the band performed “Let ’em Go” as Kevin gave a shout out to those in the LGTBQ+ community. A slight hush came over the crowd as Aimee yelled “to those who don’t feel seen, we see you!” Then dedicated the song to them. The band slowed things down for a bit and brought out the horn players for a great ska styled version of Billie Eilish’s hit song “Bad Guy”. For the band’s final songs “Gave You Everything” and “She’s Kerosene” the band had one last surprise up their sleeve. Kevin asked the crowd if they were able to put their hands in the air and get ready for the “wall of unity“. Confetti the fell from the WAMU ceiling and 12 bright red beach balls were tossed from the stage. Kevin then asked everyone to look around at their neighbors. As the last song played out and fans played like children jumping to catch confetti and hitting balls back into the air. There was one last thank you to the crowd and a reminder to take care of each other.

Finally the last headliner, L.A based Irish-American Celtic punk band, Flogging Molly, was about to take the stage. The house went dark as fans cheered “Molly!, Molly!” The music changed to The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly” as lead singer, Dave King, walked onstage. Standing dimly lit with a single spotlight on his face he raised his hands up to his ears to mimic horns, stuck out his tongue and let out a devilish yell into the microphone. The rest of the band walked onstage and King frantically strummed as he ran around. Flogging Molly started their set with a handful of older tunes such as: “Drunken Lullabies”, “The Hand of John L. Sullivan” and “Selfish Man” before launching into several songs off their latest album, Anthem.

Watching Floggy Molly live it’s hard to keep your focus on one particular band member for too long. The band has been performing since 1997 plays with such passion and precision. King is the ultimate frontman and truly captivates the audience. Paired on stage left were Spencer Swain (banjo) and Dennis Casey (guitar), who played together like age old friends. Casey with his perfectly timed choreography often ended many songs with his fist held high in the air. On stage right were Matt Hensley (accordion) and Nathen Maxwell (bass) with Bridget Regan (violin) and Mike Alonso (drums) nested center behind King. I have to admit spending a little more time admiring the way Hensley danced about the stage with his custom designed accordion. The fluidity in his hand movements were just beautiful, as if watching a Flamenco dancer.

Moments before “These Times Have got me Drinking/ Tripping up The Stairs” King stopped the music to ask the crowd to clap and cheer for a young fan who held up a sign that read “this is my first concert“. But the highlight of the set was during the toe tapping, sea shanty styled song “The Croppy Boy ’98”. For this tune, King put down the guitar and played the hand drum. If you haven’t heard the song, fair warning..it’s a real ear worm. You’ll be singing about “Two fried eggs in the morning” for days. Anyways..this song brought the most interaction from the crowd. It was wonderful to see so many people letting loose and sharing a dance together. As Alonso’s rhythmic drumming intensified a large circle opened up mid floor which quickly filled with fans kicking up their feet. King then set aside the drum and freely danced onstage. If you missed your chance to see this tour you’ve got one more chance this week. The summer tour ends this Sunday in Las Vegas, NV.