To begin, the Street Dogs followed the Bunker Hill Pipe Band onto the stage festooned with holiday lights and mini Christmas trees. Then for 90 minutes the Dogs conjured their broad vision of punk rock. “Up the Union’’ championed workers’ rights. “Final Transmission’’ paid respect to members of the military killed in service. “Jakes’’ honored the memory of Worcester firefighter Jon Davies, who died earlier in the month battling a blaze. “Back to the World’’ celebrated family. “Drink Tonight,’’ well, that one is self explanatory.
Singer Mike McColgan - who served in the military and was a firefighter - brings resonant authenticity to his work. The rest of the Dogs craft a hard-charging brand of street punk that rolls up melodic hard-core and folkier, Celtic influences in a way that sounds different enough from McColgan’s old group, the Dropkick Murphys.
The band played mostly newer songs in the top half of the show followed by an interlude of tunes fleshed out with acoustic instruments, including covers of cover tunes (Ewan MacColl’s “Dirty Old Town’’ as learned from the Pogues and Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song’’ as learned from Joe Strummer).
Then the Dogs raced home with songs about Dorchester (especially Savin Hill) plus a reworking of a Sham 69 tune into “Boston Breakout.’’ The Paradise became a frothing mosh pit of very physical holiday cheer.
Off With Their Heads blazed through impassioned and knotted punk tirades. Murder the Stout offered lively folk stomps. And the kids in Barroom Heroes were torch bearers for old-school punk.
Scott McLennan can be reached at smclennan1010@gmail.com.
