A beautiful summer evening was made incredible by the ska and Celtic punk energy of two genre heavyweights at the Red Hat Amphitheatre.

It was the perfect marriage of a fantastic venue, even better summer weather and a range of bands who seemingly only know how to perform when they smile and enjoy every second on stage. The Flogging Molly and The switches The summer 2022 tour stopped in Raleigh, North Carolina, and days later the town is still dancing.

The opening of the four band range was Skintsan English reggae punk band based in London, UK, and Tiger Army from Los Angeles. The cool and contagiously groovy vibe of The Skints followed by the raging steamroller of psychobilly rock n’ roll known as Tiger Army set the tone for the evening perfectly.

The Interrupters co-headliners took to the stage just before 8 p.m. as the sun set over the downtown Raleigh skyline. Waste no time and jump straight into the fan favorite”Take back the power. Aimee Interrupter and the Bivona brothers, Kevin, Justin and Jesse couldn’t help but smile and managed to make eye contact with everyone present. Long before reaching their hit”Family,” The Interrupters made the entire Red Hat Amphitheater feel like one big happy family, dancing on perhaps the most glorious night of the summer.

Playing for a full hour as a co-headliner, The Interrupters included material from most of their catalog, including “She was arrested” Say it out loud and closing the evening with “She’s kerosene” Fight the good fight. After teasing the audience with a medley of unfinished covers from fellow Epitaph Records artists, Bad Religion, The Offspring and NOFX, the band delivered a great cover of Bad Religion’s “Sadness” which absolutely thrilled and energized the audience.

Flogging Molly opened their set with arguably their biggest hit, “drunken lullabies,” then didn’t slow down for the rest of the evening. Recently celebrating his 60th birthday, singer and bandleader Dave King demonstrated his unique ability to play guitar while simultaneously spreading his arms as wide as he could, inviting the audience to cling in for a huge hug. As politically charged as Flogging Molly was, the mood in the room was one of joy, hope, and let’s all be happy to get drunk together on this beautiful night.

Backed by stage lighting in every color of the rainbow, the band spread side by side across the stage, forming a kind of battle line from which the band launched assault after assault. Celtic stories of hope, loss and love fueled by punk. . The setlist was incredibly strong, including songs such as “Crushed,“ “Float,” and “What’s left of the flag? The energy never subsided. Their appreciation of being back on stage and in the presence of their fans was repeated many times, and Dave provided many cans of Guinness to the parched dancers in the pit.

In terms of co-headlining, the mix of The Interrupters and Flogging Molly works on every level. Their songs are aligned with stories of friendship, hope and struggle. The bands are equally grateful, emotional and genuinely grateful to be on stage and with adoring fans. Perhaps most importantly, the fanbases of these bands blend together so well that it was a really enjoyable night for everyone.

FLOAT MOLLY
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THE SWITCHES
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TIGER ARMY
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SKINS
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RED HAT AMPHITHEATER
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