Biography
Founded in Los Angeles in 1997, FLOGGING MOLLY has always defied categorization. The infectious originality of their songs is a badge of honour and key to the band's creativity, their urgency. They infuse punk rock with Celtic instruments—violin, mandolin and the accordion—and they merge blues progressions with grinding guitars and traditional Irish music.
FLOGGING MOLLY’S fans have always appreciated the social and political awareness driving the music. Swagger, the band's first album, transcended everyone's expectations in 2000, and the track "The Worst Day Since Yesterday" was included in the film Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Drunken Lullabies was released in 2002 and certified Gold. In 2004, the band released Within a Mile of Home, and in 2008, Flogging Molly put out Float, a deeply stirring and personal album recorded in King's native Ireland.
FLOGGING MOLLY has never conformed to industry tastes; they've always been the outcasts who put their fans before commercial success, and they've always put their music before marketability. The rewards of such independence and integrity are undeniable on their latest album, ‘Speed of Darkness’. The album, like FLOGGING MOLLY itself, is a testament to youth and resilience, to growing old and the wisdom of scars, and yet for all of the record's darkness and the speed with which it descends, the ultimate theme is one of light: We can persevere. We must and we will persevere. “Diehard fans might miss Flogging Molly's manic moments, but Darkness' lyrical depth--and sonic diversity--are incredibly rewarding.” – Rock Sound