As someone on the left of politics, it’s hard in 2025. Who’s with us? You seem to be in the middle of polarisation, a lack of empathy, and scapegoating.
Where are the people who believe in the common good? In humanity? Who believe that genocide might not be a good thing?
That seems to be the central tenet of For The People, and its opener “Who’ll Stand With Us” is exactly what you need—and want—from the Dropkicks. The answer to the question (or it should be) is anyone who believes that “the bosses and the bankers never gave their share.” But all too often these days, those very working class people are turning to right-wing populist scum (hi Nige!) with facile lies as answers.
That’s why this album matters. For The People is needed right now, and it’s almost perfect Dropkick Murphys.
“Longshot”—one of many featuring a special guest, this time The Scratch—dials up the folk and isn’t far off ceilidh. But “The Big Man” is more than ready to start a moshpit: a tribute to “the big man from Pennywise,” as he’ll sort the shit that needs sorting. Let’s hope they mean Jim Lindberg.
They are superb songwriters, and that can sometimes get forgotten. Play “Chesterfields and Aftershave” to remember. Tender and laden with regret, it’s somewhere between Gaslight Anthem and Levellers and stands as a supreme example of how they can just do whatever they choose.
The Mary Wallopers ensure “Bury the Bones” is anthemic and made for playing live—where the band will always belong.
On that one they sing “resist! Resist! Never comply” and that ethos isn’t just on this album, it’s in their DNA.
“Kids Games” rockets along and deals with times past; “Sooner Kill ‘Em First”—one of the Irish ones, if you will—sees the drinks flow, and “Fiending for the Lies” might be a riffing rocker with a tinge of AC/DC, but it’s more than that. It’s a vicious attack on 2025 and social media.
“Streetlights” rumbles with menace, but the last few tracks are particularly special.
First, Sir William Bragg appears for a cameo on “School Days Over”—perfect, really, given that it’s about going down the mines.
And when Al Barr is back in his rightful place, as he is on “The Vultures Circle High,” somehow everything is right in the Dropkicks’ world.
The last one—appropriately, “One Last Goodbye (Tribute to Shane)”—acknowledges the genius that was The Pogues’ frontman, who obviously would have been an influence and also a kindred spirit.
We’ll not see his like again, but that’s also true of the Dropkick Murphys. Watching them back in February, you couldn’t fail to feel the warmth, the camaraderie, the brotherhood.
They are the punk band of the people, not the elite—and For The People is for the many, and never ever the few.
Rating 9/10
