Rating: 8/10
Release: 16 March 2018
Labe: Black Dingo

I’m constantly surprised by the country of origin when listening to Celtic punk music. The genre is loved the world over and really good bands come from places that you might not expect. The Clan comes from Milan Italy and I guess I expect to find great wine and art there but maybe not a band that takes its influences from Dropkick Murphys and The Rumjacks. I’m happy to have found them though. They have a great sound and personality. The album Here To Stay kicks off in a big way with the first track “Pocket Money Heroes”, the bagpipes make their presence felt immediately and make my heart warm. The song has poppy almost reggae verses but big choruses and did I mention bagpipes! It’s a nice first song and shows the bands strengths. “Glory Waits” follows with a really good traditional feel some great mandolin and whistles. I really like this track and it will make its way into my must play list for a long time. I guess I have to say “Jail Times” is not really for me. It feels out of place on the album having a very reggae rock feel. It is well done but definitely not what the band does best. “Rebel Town gets back to the folk and punk sound. A very nice song with a singalong chorus and excellent mandolin and violin. This is a great bar song. “Johnny” sees the return of the bagpipes and some outstanding drums. This song really pops and features a massive guitar solo and a great bridge. Whistles, Mandolin ,and drums really make “Rat Race “stand out. “Here To Stay” brings back the reggae a bit but the duel vocals and punk feel make it a better track. “Prodigal Son has some great bass along with drums and bagpipes for a memorable song. “Seize the Day “is a nice track with some sweet violin. The song “Wayfaring Stranger” is a favorite of mine and I really like this version. “Easy Roller” is a rock beast with bagpipes and electric guitars on overdrive and” Johnny Non Parla” the Italian version of Johnny, follows with more of the same. it is a nice one two punch of high energy Celtic punk to go out on. I love the singers and the lyrics are very well done throughout the album but my pick for the best track is “Vesuvius” a stunning instrumental track that easily makes it into my best songs of the year list. The whistle playing alone would have won me over but the track has everything. Overall the album is a solid slab of well-done Celtic punk rock with some great instrumental touches. The production is great and the singing is above average. I’m not really a fan of the reggae that pops up here and there but I will say it’s well done like everything on this album.

Tracklist

1. Pocket money heros
2. Glory waits
3. Jail times
4. Rebel town
5. Johnny
6. Rat race
7. Here to stay
8. Prodigal son
9. Seize the day
10. Wayfaring stranger
11. Vesuvius
12. Easy roller
13. Johnny non parla
14. Rievoluzione