There has perhaps never been a better time to be an Irish band. This is the era of Kneecap and Fontaines D.C., of Sprints, NewDad and The Murder Capital. But none of those groups sound remotely like The Scratch, who have created a fusion of metal and trad that’s aggressive and driving, with a quirky sense of joy to it too. At its full-throttle best, it ignites an urge to drink and dance that simply cannot be fought.
‘Pull Like A Dog’ offers a tighter, more metallic synthesis of the two poles in The Scratch’s sound, with the miles put in to reach their third LP apparent in its more concise songwriting — it contains one more track yet is 10 minutes shorter than 2023’s ‘Mind Yourself’, for example.
In this process of refinement, no ounce of fun has been lost. The opening title track’s galloping percussion and whiplash-inducing riffs live up to its name, inducing the feeling of someone yanking reins attached to you at breakneck speed.
Pullin’ Teeth is raucous as a pub brawl with whip-smart lyricism (“You’re as flat as a snake’s bollocks,” is quite the putdown) and jaunty rhythms, and the jagged Gladrags has riffs that chomp and snap.
This dynamism makes The Scratch’s left turns even more impactful as a result. Not every offering is designed to make punters throw their pints in the air – there are moments of shade and shadow.
Sometimes, they favour suspense, as with the slow-burning tension and release of Crack, and the coiled claustrophobia of Mother Of God follows a similar path (albeit with less explosive results). Spacer’s folksier balladry has a darker, scratchier denouement, while the funereal I Hope All Is Forgiven cuts all pretenses to dig to the heart of the immediate sorrow of grief: “And then I heard that he’s no longer living / He’s gone, he’s gone / I hope all is forgiven.”
Along the way, there’s darkness, there’s bravado and quickfire changes of pace between the two. It’s The Scratch in their most fully realised form yet, a demonstration that they’re one of the sharpest, most innovative bands operating at the moment.
The Scratch Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed April 01 2026 - BELFAST Voodoo
Thu April 23 2026 - GLASGOW SWG3 TV Studio
Fri April 24 2026 - LEEDS Wardrobe
Sat April 25 2026 - MANCHESTER Club Academy
Sun April 26 2026 - BRISTOL Thekla
Tue April 28 2026 - BIRMINGHAM Castle and Falcon
Wed April 29 2026 - NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
Thu April 30 2026 - LONDON Electric Ballroom
Sat July 04 2026 - DUBLIN Iveagh Gardens
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