If you were looking for an example of how to milk every last drop out of a half-hour set, then the Molly Vulpyne Band gave it to you on a plate at The Grand Social, Dublin, supporting Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts.
Molly Vulpyne
The Grand Social, Dublin – 6 November 2026
Words: Brian Boyle
Photography: Sam McCabe
Although a relatively new band on the scene, ageing punk fans who got there early enough would have had no problem recognising the unmissable frame of guitarist Peter Jones and drummer Jay Bagnall, two lads who also wreak havoc with influential Irish punk outfit Paranoid Visions.
It has to be said, the start was tough on them. Bodies were thin on the ground, but their vibrant brand of post-punk/alternative rock did strike a decent reaction early doors.
Lead singer Molly was polite at front of house, but a different character when called into action. And you will not see a more chalk-and-cheese guitar duo than herself and Jones, a beauty and the beast of sorts, in the nicest possible way, of course.
But it worked, and the impressive selection of songs from their solitary album Houndstooth And The Hum, especially the fully leaded Dead In The Water, fared well.
Refreshingly, it was a drummer that stole the show. Jay Bagnall was hemmed into the corner like a wild animal, and for the most part, in his Motörhead T-shirt, he looked like a man pleading for an escape to a Heavy Metal band.
But let’s be honest, this was not their crowd. The awkward silence between songs was deafening, and the mix of Thin Lizzy, The Almighty, Iron Maiden and even a couple of Megadeth garments told you what they were up against.
But Molly and co ploughed through, and the heralding of everyone to push forward and stop things looking like a badly attended barn dance did round off their night on a bit of a high.
A band well worth seeing, but with their own people, and on their own terms.
