Ricky Warwick has been an unfeigned part of rock ‘n’ roll’s fabric for the best part of four decades now. From his fleeting stint in New Model Army to cementing his reputation in The Almighty, Black Star Riders and having the town halls to front a post-Lynott Thin Lizzy, the County Down man has done it all through hard graft, hard times and an indelible passion in his songwriting and performance.
Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts
The Grand Social, Dublin – 6 November 2026
Words: Brian Boyle
Photography: Sam McCabe
At The Grand Social, along with his band The Fighting Hearts, he was flying under his own name in a city he knows like the back of his hand, having spent seven years in nearby Ringsend. Tonight, his temporary dwelling was a stone’s throw from the Ha’penny Bridge, the iconic cast iron structure that Warwick has no doubt crossed many times.
The Grand Social is no-frills. There is little in the way of house lights, and if you drop a euro, it is gone forever. And as there is no backstage in the traditional sense, artists must enter through the back of the venue.
So making your way through the crowd like a prize fighter entering the ring was apt for a man who has been on the canvas in the past, but was never on the ropes.
Decked out all in black, including a Thin Lizzy T-shirt given to him by a fan in Limerick last night, Warwick looked bang up for a rowdy night, as he mounted the boards to the chimes of Edwin Starr’s War.
New song Hellbent & Heaven Sent was the perfect opener, a breathless ball breaker that laid the foundation for what was ahead.
For whatever reason, tonight was not a full house. But that did not matter to Warwick. If anything, he upped his game, as Fighting Heart was belted out like he was playing the Hollywood Bowl.
With over twenty studio albums amassed in his career, you could forgive him if a Lizzy track was not in the set. But Warwick knew where he was tonight, and according to script, a roaring Are You Ready was given both barrels, topped off with a kiss to the great man above.
With five Black Star Riders albums in his arsenal, picking just a few tunes must have been an arduous task. However, the one that started that run, the snarling All Hell Breaks Loose, was always going to make the final cut, but it was hard not to miss the statuesque presence of his former wingman Scott Gorham doing with him.
Amongst all the heavy artillery, new album Fire & Vengeance also made a damn fine bang. Although fresh out of the wrapper, the title track along with Seek Zen Destroy and Last Chance To Dance proved that they will not be one-tour wonders.
Naturally though, we are here for the classics, and those in their Almighty t-shirts got a mid-set gift of Jonestown Mind, and with sweat dripping down Warwick’s well-travelled tattoos, he was still giving it the same muscle and determination he did when it first landed 32 years ago.
Do You Understand? got the same treatment, and after all these years is still spilling people’s beer.
Being the old-school prolific rocker he is, his last album Blood Ties is only a year old, and unfortunately the album’s flagship track Don’t Leave Me In The Dark did not include an appearance from Lita Ford. She has not set foot on a Dublin stage since 1988. But guitarist and equally as enchanting Brendon Riley took over her vocals with admirable skill.
With the 10 pm curfew looming, there was time for more of the gilt-edged Black Star Riders material.
Although there is still a bit of snobbery from Thin Lizzy fanatics who continue to question their authenticity, the Celtic fire and rousing spirit of a track like Kingdom Of The Lost should never have its sincerity sneered at.
Same goes for Finest Hour, one of the most uplifting rock songs you will ever hear, and how great it was to see Warwick’s pride for it is as great as ever.
The night ended on a celebratory high as 60th birthday greetings to his Almighty bandmate Floyd London lit the fuse for Free ‘N’ Easy to go on its usual rebellious rampage, sending a happy gathering home with unrepentant rock ‘n’ roll ringing in their ears.
A little over 25 years ago, while at a low ebb, Ricky Warwick was delivering sandwiches at an unholy hour in Dublin. July gone, he was playing to 80,000 sun-kissed punters at Knebworth with The Almighty.
But whether it be the rough or the smooth, the Newtonards man’s work ethic remains the same. And tonight was no different.
The pints may have been €8.50, but as always, when Ricky Warwick comes to town, the craic was 90.
Up the Ringer.
November
