Dropkick Murphys

Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band founded in 1996 in Quincy, Massachusetts, with deep roots in Boston. Led by bassist and vocalist Ken Casey, the band blends Irish folk tradition with British punk and American hardcore, forging a powerful, working-class sound that is unmistakably their own.

Their breakthrough came with their 2004 reworking of the Red Sox anthem “Tessie,” but global recognition followed with “The Warrior’s Code” and especially “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” (2005), which featured in Martin Scorsese’s film The Departed and became their signature hit.

In 2025, Dropkick Murphys returned with the album For The People, released on July 4. The record includes the charged anthem “Who’ll Stand With Us?” and the single “Sirens,” both of which confront themes of social inequality and urge solidarity and resistance against entrenched power structures.

To mark the release, the band played a free hometown concert at Quincy’s 400th birthday celebration—just steps from their first bar gig—reconnecting with fans in a raw, communal setting. Now performing as an eight-piece, the band continues their legacy of loud, energetic, and family-friendly shows.

Their Summer of Discontent Tour (launched July 2025) brings them across the U.S. with Bad Religion and The Mainliners. They’ve stayed outspoken politically—leaving Twitter/X in 2022 in protest of Elon Musk’s leadership, and Casey has often challenged Trump supporters at shows with fiery monologues and anti-corporate rants, standing firm in his blue-collar ethos.

Beyond music, the band runs the Claddagh Fund, a charity launched in 2009 to support children, veterans, and those in recovery. As of 2025, they’ve raised over $20 million for community causes.