The Dreadnoughts - Jericho

A quick question for you, loyal reader – do you like your rock music fast paced? Frenetic? Hell, do you like it at a level I’d possibly go as far as to describe as furious?

Then we need look no further than Canadian folk-punkers The Dreadnoughts, a six-piece of both high technical ability and bizarrely silly names in equal measure. I ain’t kidding; when your drummer is affectionately known as “The Stupid Swedish Bastard”, there’s very little I can do other than highlight it as a talking point.

Though it isn’t like The Dreadnoughts as a band are short of talking points. From performing pure polka music under their alter-ego "Polka Time!" to the bevy (that seems like a pirate-y enough word) of sea-shanties scattered throughout their four studio albums, it’s safe to say you’re not getting a typical rock experience.

But that’s half the fun, right? And it isn’t like their offerings don’t pack a wallop. Take this week’s selection for our Rock Song of the Week, for instance. Jericho is a blisteringly paced bit of punk goodness that gets out of the gate as fast as it bombards across the finish line, with no time to take a breath in between the two. It’s got more punch than the refreshments table at a high school prom – with probably about as much smuggled whiskey poured in for good measure.

If you’re using this song to springboard into more of their back-catalogue of jams, a fair warning – if you like your rock without things like accordions, violins, pianos, double basses, mandolins, banjos and other instruments that could be loosely associated with Celtic Punk and/or Pirates, you might want to steer clear of The Dreadnoughts. You’d be missing out something fierce, though, I can promise you that. So strap yourself into your favourite pair of headphones and give this banger of a track your full attention, right now!