Three decades deep and The Real McKenzies have not lost a single step. The Vancouver Celtic punk lifers return with “I Wanna Eat Sardines (With Yer Mother),” the first single from their upcoming album ‘On Yer Bike’, arriving May 29 on Stomp Records. The track landed March 27 and marks the band’s first new music following the closure of Fat Wreck Chords. Listen here.
Equal parts pub anthem and cheeky Celtic mischief, the song barrels forward on roaring guitars, thunderous drums, and the unmistakable skirl of bagpipes wrapped around a chorus built to be shouted across a crowded barroom. It’s rowdy, irreverent, and proudly ridiculous in the best possible way. This is punk rock that knows exactly how fun it can be when the pints are flowing and the pipes are blazing.
‘On Yer Bike’ is a thirteen-track blast of raucous Celtic punk. It swings through tales of love, history, literature, and outright lunacy, including a Sawney Bean trilogy, three songs inspired by Scotland’s most infamous cannibal clan. Soaring bagpipes and heart-pounding rhythms anchor every track.
Founded in 1992 by frontman and Scottish punk poet laureate Paul McKenzie, the band has shared stages with NOFX, Rancid, Flogging Molly, Metallica, and the late Shane MacGowan. Their reputation was built the old-fashioned way: relentless touring, roaring crowds, and songs made to be sung at the top of your lungs. ‘On Yer Bike’ proves the fire still burns.