Jiggery folkery, hokery pokery………… Mad Dog Mcrea blend a unique mixture of folk rock, pop, gypsy jazz, bluegrass and ‘shake your ass’ music. From self penned songs of adventure, drinking, love and life to traditional songs of gypsies, fairies, legless pirates and black flies, Mad Dog never fail to capture their audience with their infectious songs.

In 2011 Mad Dog released their album The Whirling Dervish, this won the band Best Album Of The Year at the South West Music Awards 2011.

Mike Harding heard the band sometime in 2011 and got in touch with Mad Dog to ask them to send over CD’s, since then he has played them several times on the good ole BBC. He is quoted as saying “one of the most exciting discoveries of 2011” notwithstanding the fact that the band have three great albums under their belt and many years of performance behind them!

During March and April the band head out on their Whirling Dervish 2012 Tour which takes in such prestigious venues as The Borderline in London, The Band on the Wall in Manchester, The Doghouse in Dundee and many others… all of us here at Mad Dog Central certainly hope this marks a new beginning for the band and a spreading of the Mad Dog Ministry across the UK and beyond. Then we’re going to hit the festivls like a freight train.

The Mad Dog Mcrea line up:
Michael Mathieson ~ guitar/vocals
Dan Crimp ~ whistles & flutes
Graham Anderson ~ banjo/mandolin
Nicky Powell ~ fiddle
Damien Scarr ~ double bass
Pete Chart ~ drums

Mad Dog are acclaimed, not only for their music but for the off stage antics that seems to surround them. One such story, which has become local folklore in Donegal, Ireland saw the Mad Dogs under the influence of the local moonshine, returning from a festival in the dead of night on their newly refurbished and very plush tour bus. Confused and very lost they decided to park their large bus off-road on a nearby beach. Parking very close to the water’s edge they continued to party inside the bus until the little hours blissfully unaware of the rapidly rising Atlantic tide. The bus began to sink in the sand as the ocean quickly engulfed the inside of the bus. Realising their predicament the band proceeded to vacate the bus and swim to safety. As the bus disappeared under the Atlantic waves the drenched and dazzled band could only look on as their equipment and instruments sunk into the depths of Davy Jones’ locker. All was lost that night except a vague memory of the incident, the hats on their heads and The Music…