Street Dogs

Like that confused kid in high school who dyed his hair and wore a Rancid T-shirt while claiming to be punker than you now knows, boasting that you're a punk doesn't make you one. So, should several men in their 30s playing generic, predictable street punk be the exception? Fronted by former Dropkick Murphy's singer, and current fire-fighter, Mike McColgan, Street Dogs are already running out of steam while essentially still in their infancy, with several tunes falling flat on this sophomoric release. Blue-collar anthem "Up the Union" is listlessly laden with chanting choruses and the Celtic-favoured "The Shape of Other Men" is reminiscent of McColgan's previous band. While not a terrible effort, containing some catchy, punchy ditties within its 18 tracks, the whole "punk rock for the workingman" bit is forced fed to the listener and gets old fast.