ShareFerocious Dog performing The Enemy Within Tour at Rock City Nottingham on Saturday 28th April 2018.
Images and review by Kevin Cooper
Ending their UK tour with a return to Nottingham, Warsop’s Ferocious Dog sold out Rock City again last night as they brought their raucous Celtic folk and punk songs to an ever faithful, diverse and excited crowd.
From the opening notes of Gallows Justice, they delivered a set which was non-stop foot stomping, hand clapping and ferocious moshing. From the full on fast songs to the more soft and gentle, they played with a sincerity that would be alien to most bands.
New band member John Leonard played the intricate folk melodies on his various stringed instruments with commendable ease and precision, whilst the other newbie Alex Smith belied his young years as he punished the drums.
The solid bass of John Alexander completed the rhythm section leaving Ken Bonsall’s vocals and Dan Booth’s fiddle to lead the charge with Leslie Carter (formerly of Carter USM) completing the line up on guitar.
With over twenty songs which ranged from the energetic madness of Hellhounds to the roaring and brilliant Ruby Bridges, it was simply impossible to keep still. Spin, a real lyric heavy track about the state of the country allowed Ken to put his boot into the Tories, whilst Criminal Justice had the incredible poignancy that could only be written by someone who experienced the 1984/5 miner’s strike as Bonsall did.
A highlight was A Place I Want To Be which saw Carter take on the lead vocals as he started slow and gentle with his acoustic guitar before the song exploded into action. Class War saw them flirt with a little reggae and Together We Are Strong was really catchy with its sing along lyrics. Finishing with The Enemy Within and the fabulous Slow Motion Suicide, Ferocious Dog had delivered a 26 song set with not a single filler to be heard.
With the local food bank benefiting from boxes of supplies as the band’s loyal following continue to empty their kitchen cupboards on request, Ferocious Dog are a fiercely independent band who will undoubtedly continue to sell out venues across the country.
