The Hogs: Czech tour

The crack was ninety in the city of Prague... and elsewhere

Reports from the Hogs Czech tour, June 13-22, 2007

Fittingly, the first stop of the grand "hogging" June tour took place in Plzeň (Pilsen), not far from the famous brewery, the home of Pilsner Urquell beer. The setting was a pub (stuck between a casino and an erotic center), or more specifically, an open yard of the pub, with wooden tables and benches under the trees. The audience was mixed enough bunch, including not only humans but some puppies as well. It all felt cozy and homely.

The Hogs played a spirited set, starting shortly after 9 pm and finishing only close to midnight. Incredible energy, boundless enthusiasm, playing at the speed of light (with abundant support of Czech beer). The setlist comprised mostly traditional favourites: Whiskey In the Jar, Wild Rover, All For Me Grog, Mountain Dew, Wild Mountain Thyme, Nancy Whiskey, Banks Of the Roses... or a superb, absolutely crazed, breakneck-speed version of Poor Paddy On The Railway, which would make even the poorest and most tired Paddies tap their toes. Also some favourites from the Pogues setlist were included – Streams Of Whiskey and Dirty Old Town – and played at full blast, rocking the place. To sum up, it was nearly three hours of great music and sheer pleasure.

A week later, the new Hogs’ CD was launched in the dim cave of Rock Café, a popular Prague music club. The show was a part of the United Islands of Prague music festival, and as such it was introduced by the festival organizers and – to the surprise of everybody, including the band members themselves – also by the Prague mayor, who only recently returned from his successful climb to the top of Mount Everest. The band wasted no time and used the chance to make him launch the CD in the usual manner – by "christening" it with some good Czech beer. Maybe it was the unexpectedness of the request, maybe the incompetency to operate beer bottles, but in any case, much of the liquid ended not only on the CD, but also on (and inside?) the mayor’s shoes. His absence for the rest of the show could thus be excused by an urgent need to rush home to change his beer-soaked footwear.

The gig was as wild and vigorous as ever, and varied by the presence of the popular Czech songwriter Václav Koubek, who sang some of the good old Irish songs (Rising Of the Moon, Whiskey In the Jar, Rosin the Bow...) in Czech versions, adding also the sound of his accordion. A few numbers even saw the appearance of a guest whistler. All in all, the audience was treated to a mammoth portion of joy, energy, and great music till the midnight hour.

After that highlight of the tour, one more performance followed in Dobříš, a small town not far from Prague. Despite the strange setting of a community centre, with columns rising to the ceiling and small crystal chandeliers overhead, the wild gig got people dancing with abandon, some of them (only those of the male gender, though) even getting rid of their sweat-soaked shirts. The cheering at the end knew no end – and so did probably the number of consumed drinks, including those consumed onstage and backstage, judging by the appearance of the Hogs frontman, wgho certainly was worse for wear.

Anyway, all things move toward their end– but in this case the end is only temporary as Hogging, pt.2 is scheduled for August.