Live Review: The Mary Wallopers in Perth
The Mary Wallopers on the 16 of May 2024 at The Astor Theatre, Perth Western Australia
Review by Sheldon Ang
Photography by Sheldon Ang Photography
The jolly swaggers prance to the cadence of the tambourine, banjo, flute, drum, bass and guitar, with arms entwined and skipping in clockwise, then in reverse on a floor halfway across the world from County Louth. They synchronise their voices with the trio singing the archetypal tune of the commoners in Irish folklores. The fairer sex of the green, white and orange army along the crowd barrier weave their hair like sassy models in a shampoo ad, whipping the smoky air and faces of bystanders who are equally ebullient in the unbridled folksy affair of Dundalk – thanks to a 6-piece outfit which have been sweeping across globe from Dublin to New York and finally landing in Perth tonight. The lyrical folk may be emotionally charged through their anti-establishment, anti-capitalism and “F*ck the far right” songs, plus support for the weak and intermittently referencing the genocide of the Palestinians, but it seems no one will be congruously chained to the the solemn platitudes of life’s tragic in the next ninety minutes; their hands are charging back and forth towards the band during the maniacal sing along, while some are sitting on the shoulders of their companions. But the harmony on stage is striking, the voices are enchanting at times if not ardently zestful, and the message is unambiguous though the thickest of accents. They are masters at translating the dire topics of first, second and third world significance into a fun filled affair – this is the magic of The Mary Wallopers.
Conceived during covid and spewing two albums since, The Mary Wallopers have propelled to stardom among the community and Irish immigrants in a relatively short period following a stint of live streams in 2022 from their basement in Dundalk, while expanding the team from three (multi instrumentalist Charles and brother Andrew Hendy on banjo, with Sean McKenna on guitar – all vocalists) to a six piece (Finian O’Connor on pipes/whistles, Roisin Barrett on bass, Ken Mooney on drums) to catalyse the live experience of the Irish folksy kind. For those who are not attuned to the band, the live version of The Mary Wallopers are a rambunctious, fun filled boozy driven, yet professional outfit who exude the pub scene in Ireland on St Patrick’s Day.
The set sparked with Bold O’Donahue and Love Will Never Conquer Me – followed by Rothsea-O, releasing the fun filled affair across the Astor Theatre. The benchmark was set from the beginning. Every song was introduced with a story, which was helpful to the only non Irish person amongst the capacity crowd. While they are known for jollifying the relationship between politics of the upper echelon and the plight of workers such as The Turfman From Ardee, they do blend with a solemn tune propagating a wide range of emotion. The messages and stories are deep, and it wasn’t just about the wonderful chaos, but the connection with the audiences through the story telling style throughout the 90 minute performance.
The solo set gave us a breather, as all eyes on original members, Sean, Andrew and Charles in their acoustic performances, where the tambourine player requested for the audience to “Shut the f*ck up” during their acoustic sets. Everyone left the stage during the solos, leaving the singer under the spotlight.
Sean McKenna kicked off the solo acoustic set with an explanation to the meaning of the upcoming song, “the cost of living goes up but the wages stay the same, if you’re pissed off and filling the pinch, I’ll tell you who not to blame – it’s the people less than you…” before launching Idler. With lyrics starting with, Blame the ider who owns the apartments, built by the cronies on ex public lands…the song were sung with passion, like a poet in a poetry slam. Sean seemed to be the serious pillar, with gusto emanating from the lines on his face of widespread emotion. And it wasn’t just the solo acoustics, but also the most emotional charged song propagated during Lots of Little Soldiers, punching the words of protestation – “Free Palestine”, and singing with palpable sincerity, resonating a horde of disgusts over the genocide.
Andrew Hendy was next under the solo limelight, once again asking the boisterous crowd to “shut the f*ck up” before explaining, “This was how the Irish people were portrayed in the media – as savages, like animals and lazy, and being in America before this tour, I turned the page and saw the Palestinian people, I can’t help but compare them to this song.” And so he performed a cappella of Do Me Justice. Without the clutter of the instrument, the vocals were more discernible, with fans appreciating the emotional undulation and pitch perfect of the Frank Harte’s rendition – although it took several attempts for the crowd to dive into a soulful silence.
A song about immigrants by Charles Hendy to end the acoustic set, with a message loud and clear – “ A big f*ck you to the far right in Ireland” before launching Building Up And Tearing England Down.
The stage was lit in full beam again as the rest reunited with hits such as Eileen Og and Cod Liver Oil & The Orange Juice, with every word resonated by the fans as if they were singing the Amhrán na bhFiann before a World Cup football match, a note of patriotism in an all Irish fanfare. As the night went on, the buzz throughout the night escalated – even well after The Mary Wallopers left the stage with the merry go round dance affair continuing for seven minutes on the floor of The Astor Theatre.
Despite the on-stage playground, the band are a professional outfit, clinging together as tight as a clog, clinging to their music very seriously. The two albums The Mary Wallopers and Irish Rock N Roll were rebelliously performed, and as cliché as this might sound, the live version brought out the very best of The Mary Wallopers.
“Free Palestine!” yelled Sean McKinnon – those were the final words of their Australian tour.
Sheldon Ang Media would like to thank Frontier Touring and The Mary Wallopers for the Press Accreditation.
About the Writer/Photographer: Perth based Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to almost 100 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), KNOTFEST (Melbourne), Coldplay (Perth), KISS, P!NK, Fridayz Live, Robbie Williams and Rod Stewart with reviews shared by the likes of UB40, Delta Goodrem, The Wiggles and Toni Childs on social media. He has interviewed rockers Suzi Quatro (that’s her below during a TV interview), Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS) plus over 40 artists. He’s a contributor as a music journalist on Triple M Radio.
