“Manic psycho-ceilídh from the London-Irish heirs to the Pogues' legacy”

Hot Press, Ireland

“We prefer Neck to The Dropkick Murphys!”

Big Cheese Magazine, UK

The perfect combination of full-on cutting edge electric Punk Rock and traditional Irish folk…

Punk Rock doesn't get much better than this!

Organ Magazine

Not for nothing have London-Irish Psycho-Ceilídh band NECK been described as 'The Heavy Artillery of Irish Music': nine years of furious global gigging have honed this 6-piece’s high energy live show down to a tee! Their 3^rd album, Come Out Fighting was released, Worldwide, in November 2009 through highly regarded independent Punk label, Golf Records (with Europe-wide distribution via Plastic Head). It will, however, be released in the USA & Canada on March 9th 2010 on Abstract Sounds.  It has, thus far though, received universally glowing reviews in the UK press (i.e. Organ, Irish Post – 5 Stars; Big Cheese , Rock 'n' Reel – 4 stars), while their 4th album's scheduled for 2010.

The 6 piece band's sound juxtaposes the swirling spiritual abandon of authentic Traditional Irish music: (fiddle, tin-whistle, and banjo) with the electric energy blast of a full-on, pumped-up-to-fe*k Punk band! Distilling the sound of two other mighty London rebel bands The Clash & The Pogues & 'carrying the torch on' with their own, unique London-Irish brew: Psycho-Ceilídh!

The band's rowdy, exhilarating live show's now firmly established them as International Festival favourites from Moscow (in front of 7,000) to Texas & all points in between! Along with their own headline tours, shows & festival appearances, they've performed with acts such as their U.S. contemporaries (& buddies) The Dropkick Murphys & Flogging Molly; as well as Shane MacGowan, The Levellers, Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones, Hayseed Dixie & The Misfits. 2008 was their sixth year at Rebellion/Wasted and and they're the only band to play Glastonbury’s LeftField stage as many times as Tony Benn & Billy Bragg.

Added to that, Boston’s 'Irish Punk' radio station/ webzine/ compilation album that revels in all things Emerald and Loud is named after the Neck tune, ‘Shite & Onions’ and their "Psycho Ceilídh" e.p. featured in New York's Irish Voice Top Ten releases chart, which included U2 and Sinéad O'Connor! NECK have, subsequently, made many trips to the USA  - the last two as festival headliners.

Make no mistake - amongst the leaders and followers of Irish folk influenced Punk bands all over the world - with their roots, understanding and command of the music, NECK are most certainly the real deal! Eyebrows will be raised. Toes will tap. Tears will be shed. Bodies will be thrown all over the shaggin’ dancefloor! NECK will bring The Hooley! ...Fact.

Just some of the festivals that NECK have rocked the bejaysus out of (& quite a few more than once!):

UK & Ireland: Glastonbury; Rebellion; Wickerman; Guilfest; Beautiful Days; Trowbridge; Strummercamp; Endorse-it-in-Dorset; Great Escape; Wickham; Solfest; Ardoyne Fleadh; Gas Yard Feile; Waterford Spraoi;

Europe and farther afield: Goorock, BE; Paas Pop, Huntenpop, Nirwanas TuinFeest, NL; Punk 'n' Disorderly (x3), With Full Force, Wilwarin, Stadfest, DE; Postplatz, Nextpunk, CH; Travobaccano, Brintaal Celtic Fest, IT; Rain Rock, AT; Skagen, Punk&Billy Bash, DK; Oulu Irish Fest, FIN; Tantsy, RUSSIA; SXSW, Dublin Irish Festival, Irish2000Fest, Wildwood Irish Fest, USA; …and many more!

"...After I got back from my 'Tour of Duty' in Ireland with Shane MacGowan's band The Popes, me & a couple of mates in the London Punk & Hardcore scenes from Waterford & Tyrone had this idea to put this band together. We were getting drunk, blah blah....you know, and we thought a good way of getting booze for free and perhaps meeting girls was by playing in a band playing Irish music with a punk thing going on as well, but we didn't have a lot of money so we were blagging everything really. One of the earliest gigs we played we didn't even have a name. We went through all the Irish Gaelic names, but nothing stuck - we were even called The Craic Dealers at one point, but it doesn't really work on the phone. :-D. Anyway, so - we turned up at this gig & we didn't even have any gear of our own, we had to borrow a guitar, a fiddle or whatever. We were like "Right! Where's de biddies?"  type thing, and the landlord was from Galway or somewhere and he was going, "Jaysus! You've a neck like a jockeys' bollocks youse lot - turning up here with nothing but a thirst and a bugle!"

( a 'bugle' is an Irish slang expression for an erection - I think one of the lads may have been a wee bit too excited at the 'meeting girls' yoke...).  So we went: "That's it! - that’s the name:....Neck!". I think yer bugley man may have even kissed him for naming us, & he thought we were 'a mad shower of eejits & gobshites, entirely!' but he let us play & got us drunk afterwards! (Plus we liked to 'neck' a few pints as well), so that's where the name came from..."  - from the Mudkiss Interview-