The Peelers

Montreal, Canada

Now based in Montreal, The Peelers were formed in 1999 in North Glengarry. Less than an hour from the city, they immersed themselves in a hotbed of Gaelic culture which smashed head-on into a love of whiskey, poetry, footy, debauchery, ska and punk. The band has evolved to become one of the most acclaimed Celtic punk acts in the genre. They don’t just bend the rules of tradition with their blend of aggro & trad Irish – these long ball merchants tear it to pieces.

Over the past 26 years the band has contributed to the growth of Celtic punk, roaming North America playing pubs, clubs, festivals, theatres, arenas, alehouses’, truck stops, hotel lobbies, snowboarding championships, barrooms, beer gardens, cocktail lounges, inns, public houses, living rooms, football matches, tiki bars, saloons, and taverns. They have shared bills with many major acts including Lagwagon, members of The Pogues, Flogging Molly, Andrew W.K., The Planet Smashers, and Face to Face. The band has three releases: ‘Boots and Suits’, ‘Liquordale’, and ‘Palace of the Fiend’. The latter two named Album of the Year by U.S. based webzine Shite n’ Onions, an online bible for Celtic punk rock enthusiasts.

Early 2021 saw the first release on the Stomp label, entitled ‘Down and Out in the City of Saints’. 10 songs, recorded in Montreal, Dundee Scotland, and Vancouver between December 2019 and June 2020, and mastered for vinyl at Le Lab Montreal. In keeping with their more recent material, Dave Barton’s songs reflect the North American experience of the diaspora with a tip of the newsboy cap to the Quebecois narrative and the lure of Boston and New York; blending truth and fiction, glory and sport, love and loss, darkness and despair, while introducing composites of individuals, companions, friends and foes met along the punk rock journey.

What the community has said:
“With Down and Out in the City of Saints The Peelers have once again lived up to their reputation as quality purveyors of Irish-punk…As is clear from beginning to end, Barton is a poet in a punk band, offering more than just stadium filling choruses, providing both substance and purpose in each word…” Cole Faulkner ThePunkSite 2022

The Peelers – Website

The Peelers – YouTube