Mr. Irish Bastard - St. Patrick's Tour

 Mr. Irish Bastard. True to its name, the band was formed by Irishman Chris Lennon, in Münster, Germany, after a night of revelry with fellow enthusiast Gran E. Smith. Armed with an acoustic guitar and a banjo, the duo quickly assembled a diverse group of like-minded musicians and set out to make their mark on the world, one Irish pub at a time. Inspired by bands such as The Pogues, The Levellers and Flogging Molly, Mr. Irish Bastard sought to create a sound that combined the raucous spirit of punk with the melodic, storytelling traditions of Irish folk music. 

Initially, the band began as a small, local project with Mr. Irish Bastard on vocals, and a group of friends filling out the lineup. The band’s early years were particularly marked by a DIY ethic, self-releasing their debut EP, St. Mary’s School of Drinking in 2006, introducing their trademark sound: fast, boisterous punk songs paired with acoustic elements of Irish folk. Songs like Stupid Bastards became staples of their live shows and attracted a dedicated fan base. The band's raucous performances, high-energy songs, and the mix of modern punk with traditional Irish sounds created a buzz in Germany and beyond. Over time, the line-up solidified with members who shared a love for both genres. Mr. Irish Bastard quickly gained a reputation for their energetic live shows, where the band's infectious enthusiasm and rowdy spirit won over audiences at clubs and NoCut Entertainment, Carl-Zeiss-Straße 7, D-22946 Trittau torben@nocut.de Tel.: +49 4154 / 99 88 2 – 12 

festivals across Germany. After only a few months of existence, the band were invited by UK folk veterans The Levellers to support them on their forthcoming Chaos Theory tour and finally they travelled with their idols through Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. After such a short time, a long cherished dream came true. 

In 2008, Mr. Irish Bastard released their debut album, The Bastard Brotherhood, which featured a mix of original songs and covers of traditional Irish tunes, all delivered with a punk rock twist. The album was well received both critically and commercially and brought them recognition from the wider Celtic punk community in Europe, Japan and the US. Their success with The Bastard Brotherhood allowed Mr. Irish Bastard to embark on their first major tour of Europe and Asia. Between 2009 and 2010 they performed throughout Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland, The UK, China and Japan steadily building an international following. 

In 2010, Mr. Irish Bastard followed up their debut album with A Fistful of Dirt, which marked a significant step in their evolution as a band, blending a wider range of musical influences into their Celtic punk core. With its release, the band embarked on another extensive European tour and began playing at larger venues and festivals, including prominent appearances at the Vainstream Festival, Devil Side and even supporting their heroes The Pogues. 

Actually, this idea started as a joke, but in the end it turned into a whole album: only one year after A Fistful of Dirt, Mr. Irish Bastard released their third full-length studio album, Never Mind the Bastards – Here Is Mr. Irish Bollocks, being a playful nod to the Sex Pistols famous Never Mind the Bollocks album, and the record itself was a high-energy assault on the senses. Recorded in four different studios, the album covers all the songs from the original album and adds a variety of Irish acoustic instruments and sometimes even brass sections. Mr. Irish Bastard were even joined on backing vocals by Japanese Celtic punk band Modern B Beard. 

Numerous festival appearances and a support tour with In Extremo followed over the next years. This led to an extensive collaboration with In Extremo producer Jörg Umbreit, who took charge of their next album, The World, The Flesh & The Devil, which featured highly acclaimed songs such as I Hope They Sell Beer In Hell and Kingdom Of The Sun. To everyone's delight, The World, The Flesh & The Devil even reached number 55 in the German charts. Armed with their success, Mr. Irish Bastard toured Europe and Asia again. NoCut Entertainment, Carl-Zeiss-Straße 7, D-22946 Trittau torben@nocut.de Tel.: +49 4154 / 99 88 2 – 12 

In 2018, Mr. Irish Bastard released their next album The Desire for Revenge, which was praised for its lyrical depth and musical maturity, reflecting the band's growth over the years. Numerous highlights followed in the following years (with a pandemic-related interruption) such as their participation in Subway to Sally's Eisheiliger Nacht or the Full Metal Cruise. 

During the pandemic, Mr. Irish Bastard reunited with producer Jörg Umbreit to work on a new album and after 3 years in the making, Battle Sounds of the Damned was finally released in 2024. An extensive tour has kicked off in England, Wales and Scotland and will continue across Europe and Asia until 2025. @mririshbastardofficial 

For more info visit: www.mririshbastard.com 

Enquiries: torben@nocut.de, chris@mririshbastard.com