Black 47 espouses an unblinkingly political and thoroughly Irish form of rock ‘n’ roll, with songs covering topics from the Northern Ireland conflict to civil rights and urban unrest in contemporary New York. Black 47 earned their chops playing the pub scene in Manhattan and self-producing their first indie record, Black 47, before converting The Cars’ Ric Ocasek to the cause and gaining mainstream attention with their second album. They are currently celebrating 20 years on the road with their new release “Bankers & Gangsters”
“Usually most comfortable playing loud and live with upraised fists and chunky guitar riffs in local hangouts – explodes with declarations of gnashing street poetry punctuated with wailing uilleann pipes, Joe Strummer-style chord chops and Bourbon Street sax sojourns.” — Rolling Stone