Rockpedia

Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

Celtic punk1985

Second genre

Celtic rock1970

Head to headCeltic punk vs Celtic rock
Celtic punk: heaviness 4, melody 9, speed 7. Celtic rock: heaviness 3, melody 9, speed 5.Heaviness4 / 3Melody9 / 9Speed7 / 5
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Celtic rock does the same thing at rock tempo without punk's aggression, and predates this by fifteen years.

Celtic rock is sung cleanly where Celtic punk is shouted, and slower: 100 to 140 bpm against 140 to 190. To hear the difference, play The Pogues next to Horslips. They share a root in rock, and Celtic rock came first, by fifteen years.

Put together from each genre's vocals, tempo, song length, key acts and place in the tree.

In figures

Heaviness
Celtic punk4
Celtic rock3
−1
Speed
Celtic punk7
Celtic rock5
−2
Melody
Celtic punk9
Celtic rock9
level

Celtic punk

1985 · London / Boston

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Celtic punk

In short

Tin whistle, mandolin and accordion over distorted guitar. Irish pub songs turned up to eleven.

How it sounds

  • Mandolin, banjo, accordion, tin whistle and fiddle beside electric guitar.
  • Jig and reel rhythms accelerated to punk tempo.
  • Choruses for singing in unison, pint in hand - amplified pub music.

Key acts

  • The Pogues
  • Dropkick Murphys
  • Flogging Molly

Start here

The pickThe Pogues - Rum Sodomy & the Lash. Produced by Elvis Costello, and it shows.

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Celtic rock

1970 · Ireland / Scotland

Where it sits

Rock › Folk rock › Celtic rock

In short

Traditional Irish and Scottish tunes set on drums and electric guitar. The direct ancestor of folk metal.

How it sounds

  • Fiddle, tin whistle, uilleann pipes and mandolin alongside electric guitar.
  • Jig and reel rhythms adapted to a rock drum kit.
  • Traditional melodies used as the main riff rather than as decoration.

Key acts

  • Horslips
  • Thin Lizzy
  • The Pogues

Start here

The pickThin Lizzy - Whiskey in the Jar. A centuries-old ballad played on twin guitars.

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