SIR REG - Modern Day Disgrace (Gain Music/ Sony Music)

English:CD-review
  Van Muylem    9 juni 2016

Sir Reg is an energetic six piece from Sweden playing Celtic punk. To be honest: I have never heard of them, but once I started listening to the new album I was pretty fast amused and attracted! So here we go, folks!


The singer is a real Irish lad, came to live in Sweden and bumped into his future band mates: Karin, the violinist (a tiny and fiery redhead from Sweden who has a tendency to leave jaws open with her fiddle skills), Tommie (drums), Juba (bass), Filip (mandolin) and Chris (electric guitar).

Throwing an Irish Celtic folk party with End of the Line: catchy, happy fueled by positive energy and the perfect violin sound! It’s the kind of songs that makes you happy and makes you forget about real life troubles and before you know you start dancing or singing along! It’s pure magic! The backings are powerful and blend in perfectly giving it that strong party until we are too tired to party touch! Boys of St. Pauli is again a party maker with a thick folk layer. I can see the crowd dancing and having fun, it feels almost as if was the band’s personal anthem! Party on, smile, have fun and enjoy!

Drinking Like a Dane starts with the violin, but pretty fast the vocals take over, the guitars jump in: drinking and throwing a ball! Once again I feel that this one is made to be played on stage! Despite the title Fake Hero the feel is still positive. The story telling is a bit more up-fronted, but the instruments and the backings do their stinking best to keep us dancing and jumping. Raise your horns (hm: glasses, sorry horns are another band)! The brake halfway is a bit strange, but it leads to an melodic outburst! All Saint's Day is a sad and slow one showing off they can also produce sad songs and make shed a tear, but hey: party on is the red line so it doesn’t take long before they throw a bomb and restart the party! Life goes on and you have to party and have fun! Don’t stand still for too long and go on the road again! A short interlude stops the party for 16 seconds but we get more fun with

The Wrong Bar! It doesn’t matter that the church isn’t a bar, apparently: but hey that’s no trouble at all. Turning awkward situations into a party. Johnny gets his story about wanting to changing the world and off course they are looking for the best of things changing bad situations into a good one! I hear more guitars (with a bluesy sound). This one is more into pop/rock, showing they can do more than just throwing a party. I even hear a bit of melancholy. Won't Let You Cry sounds a bit like a ballad, filled with melancholy and real feelings. This story can be about refugees in general. I hear pathos, real emotions and a positive message in the end: helping out the needed! It’s one of the many highlights on this album! Breaking Down All Borders brings back the Irish Celtic party! Rise your pint and break down all the borders! Have fun with your neighbors and ask them for a dance! The perfect end comes with Call it a Day: strong backings, instruments on fire, a high tempo and a closing for a great party! It feels like the perfect song as last track for a gig too!

Honestly this album has the variety needed, as I feared a bit after the first songs but they managed to change things and give it the variety needed to keep in interesting and showing off their multi talents! Once again I’m more than happy that I looked for a genre that is not mine and expanded my personal taste! I hope that the real fans don’t shoot me for not knowing this band before! I hope I can drag some people to at least give a try like I did!

Party on and thank you for the great time!

Track list:

1. End of the Line

2. Boys of St. Pauli

3. Drinking Like a Dane

4. Fake Hero

5. All Saint's Day

6. (Interlude)

7. The Wrong Bar

8. Johnny

9. Won't Let You Cry

10. Breaking Down All Borders

11. Call it a Day