Hailing from Nottinghamshire, Ferocious Dog are a folk punk band who cut their teeth on the live circuit, long before they committed their remarkably wide-reaching sound to record. Operating in a similar field to the Levellers, and with a similar focus on social justice and unerringly honest lyrics, the band have built up a sizeable following over the years, becoming the first independent band to ever sell out Nottingham’s legendary Rock City. Now back with their sixth full-length effort (acoustic versions notwithstanding), the band follow up 2021’s excellent The Hope with Kleptocracy, a twelve-track album which, once again, sees the band exploring contemporary society through a mix of current and historical examples of oppression.
Editions:
Released via Graphite Records, Kleptocracy features 12 tracks on the standard edition and vinyl, while a deluxe CD (reviewed here) adds four bonus tracks. The vinyl is available in black, red, or clear, and can be ordered direct form the band in a range of bundles, including CD and T shirt options, while a signed postcard is included with all editions. Head here to check out the full range.
The Album
The album kicks off at a suitably [ahem] ferocious pace with the insanely catchy Witch Hunt, a frantic punk jig that recalls early Levellers. It sets a high bar for the album that follows, even as it demands you tap your feet to the relentless rhythm. Next up is a song influenced by the lyrics of Linton Kwesi Johnson and written for the laws that saw the police given powers to stop and search pretty much anyone – with predictable effects. Sus Laws moves from an initially haunting intro to up-tempo folk romp, the addictive chorus as memorable as anything in the FD canon, and with real bite in the subject matter. It’s followed by the title track, a blistering takedown of neoliberal ideology, delivered with punk rock panache and boasting not only great violin, but also some fiery lead work. In contrast, Iron Mike Malloy is a classic Irish folk piece guaranteed to light up even the darkest of places with its glorious melody. What follows is both a key track on the album and a highlight – Merthyr Rising – a brilliant song that slips between traditional folk and blazing punk, but always with the crucial story at its core. It’s a song dear to Ken’s heart and it shows in the passion of his delivery, the band matching him every step of the way with a tune that fairly leaps from the speakers. The first half concludes with A Place We Call Home, a rare song for the band in that it’s a purely fictitious tale (albeit with plenty of authenticity at its heart), detailing the life of a couple forced out onto the streets when they lose their house. Described by Ken as the band’s Fairytale Of New York and, with a gorgeous vocal from Lizzey Joy Ross giving credence to that claim, it’s an instant classic, sure to become a live favourite down the line.
Kicking off the second half of the album, the band deliver the lightning-fast Irish folk-punk bruiser Blood Soaked Shores, which pairs a dark lyric with the most uplifting of tunes, complete with dizzying bass solo and sparky accordion part. Next up, the band take a harder tack, with a classic punk riff neatly panned around the speakers. Titled Darker Side Of Town, for those who dig the band’s weightier material, it’s definitely a belter. The band opt for a straight folk tune next with Matty Groves, and although the riffs do appear, it’s the great story that keeps the listener hooked. Then there’s the lengthy Running With The Hounds, which just builds and builds to its unstoppable climax, making you wonder how the hell Ferocious Dog manage to play this damn fast. It’s followed by the rather brilliant Moby Dick, which is a gloriously dark Sea shanty. The album concludes, and all too soon, with the righteous fury of Anger On The Streets, which offers arguably one of the punkiest riffs the band have ever deployed. A devastating finale, it’s as if a riot has erupted in your house, and the band simply unload in one last display of defiance. It is the perfect conclusion and, although the deluxe edition neatly extends the runtime (see below), for those with the standard edition, Anger On The Streets leaves you with ringing feedback in your ears and hope in your heart.
Bonus Tracks
For those with the deluxe edition, a further four tracks await. The first of these, the folky Brixton’s Burning can’t quite match Anger On The Streets for energy, but it has a great sense of dynamic as it recalls those fateful days when Brixton burned. Rather more unexpected is the southern fried country-folk-blues of Protest Singer’s Blues, which mixes up banjo and unstoppable rhythm. Hidden away in the bonus tracks, Tell God And The Devil is an album highlight with a brilliant melody that sounds like the melody for Peter Gabriel’s Games Without Frontiers filtered through Never Mind The Bollocks and Red Roses For Me. The deluxe edition comes to its close with a sweet acoustic track, The Protest Singer, which comes complete with harmonica and a rather lovely vocal that serves essentially as a mission statement for the band – “it’s dangerous to be right, when the government’s wrong – the power of the music is something they can’t prevent.” It’s the perfect finale for an album that takes in a wide range of styles, but always with a point in mind.
Not all deluxe editions are worth the effort, but in the case of Kleptocracy, you get three great tracks and one stone-cold classic (Tell God And The Devil). While Anger On the Streets is an unequivocally explosive finale, the extra tracks feel anything but tacked on, and the flow of the extended album is easily as good as the more condensed version. If you’re a fan, this is the version to get.
Conclusion
Kleptocracy, as we have come to expect from Ferocious Dog, is a fantastic album that draws form a range of influences to deliver a genuinely charged and emotional experience. With the band translating the fiery passion of Ken’s lyrics, and a fantastic production job that brings it all vibrantly to life, it may not be quite as good as seeing the band in the flesh, but it’s a damn close thing. The songs, meanwhile, are as good as anything the Dog have yet put their name to and, once the initial adrenaline rush has worn off, you’ll want to return to decipher the lyrics and learn a little more about the subject matter. In an era where bands seem to be increasingly afraid of saying anything of substance, Ferocious Dog are more important than ever, while their gift of detailing the hardest topics over the loveliest music remains undimmed. 9.5/10
