This new album from An Slua from County Galway is a fine slab of twin guitar fuelled gruff Oi adorned with intricate artwork, They sing about the state of modern day Ireland and their name translates as The Crowd. I hadn’t heard of them before listening to this record — all I knew was that they come from County Galway in Ireland. Their album “Sure Look It” was released through a cooperation between Longshot Music and Distr-Oi! Records.
After listening to it, three things keep running through my head. I can’t neatly slot their music into any one subgenre. It’s definitely Oi! punk, but with a strong sense for melody. Musically this band draw on a range of influences, but centred round a heavy thumping fast take on Oi. It’s in the raw vocals, the terrace roar of crew choruses and the pounding drums- the incised guitar attack of AC/DC, the power chords of Steve Jones and that 12 bar blues riffing of Cock Sparrer/Status Quo (take your pick), albeit heavier and darker. Everything sounds pushed into the red, so you get the full ferocity.
From the first seconds, the band lays out its clear signature: two guitars, a gritty Oi! punk sound, and urgent vocals often backed by stadium-style gang shouts. It works in the opener “Plan of Campaign“, and equally so in “Dry Shite“, which leans even more heavily into dual-guitar tension and build up. The third track, “Arseways“, has an intro and chorus that give me vibes of Rancid’s more playful material. Then come “Big Man Yeah” and “Mountain of Rubbish“, the latter playing with tempo changes — a lot happens in two and a half minutes.
Side B opens with “Agrarian Agitation“, which shifts from a slow build to one of the fastest songs on the album. “Fed Up” brings back the stadium-style refrains. The two scorchers “Thick As Shit” and “Saoirse don Phalaistín” are fast, guitar-driven tracks. The closer, “Gifts From Galway“, is an ode to their home region — the kind of track that balances just the right mix of melancholy and punk grit, avoiding a sappy ballad while keeping that proper bittersweet undertone.
As for the political element already mentioned, their direction is clear from their own declaration: „All people, all species, all equal.“ Lyrically, the band tackles topics like capitalism, gentrification, widening social inequality, consumerism, the housing crisis, events in Palestine, and the rise of the far right.
An Slua are unmistakably a political band in every sense of the word. The album features ten original tracks ranging from a minute and a half to at most three minutes. A fast ride from start to finish. Their modus operandi is straightforward: punchy punk songs with urgent vocals.
“Mountain of Rubbish” is a lament at humanities destructive impact on the planet and the creatures living on it
released August 29th, 2025
An Slua’s members are
Drums: Eugene Kerrigan
Guitar: David Boyle
Bass: Bernard McKeever,
Vocals: Mic Mac Cana
Guitar: Shane Mac Cana
The Fat Angel Sings 