The Scratch - Pull Like a Dog Review

Pull Like a Dog sees The Scratch fuse metal and trad folk with raw, kinetic energy for one of 2026’s most thrilling records.

Earlier in the year the Scratch did a three show pub crawl playing at the historic Marquis, Skehans in South London and the Faltering Fullback outside of the Emirates Stadium, maximising the tradition of Irish in London and Arsenal fans; as well as playing at the same tiny pub that Green Day once played at- to create a swelling community of Irish in London, including a memorable set right before an Irish Six Nations game in Skehans which led to a memorable atmosphere and a wall of death in the smallest place I’ve ever seen one. Now they’re back, with album number two – Pull Like a Dog, and look set to go even bigger – returning once more to London for Electric Ballroom, The Fighting Cocks and Signature Brew dates; and you can bet I’ll be at all three. There are few more live bands with more energy than The Scratch at the moment – and few bands more fun. The Signature Brew date is on Paddy’s Day – so expect a riot.

Right from the start you’re plunged into the Irish band’s rip-roaring single, ‘Pull Like a Dog,’ which says strap right in, you’re going to start a riot, from the one-time Irish buskers with metal-band history, and the metal influences are all over this: no wonder they’re at Bloodstock in the summer and are also scheduled to play 2000 Trees, few bands can manage that crossover this well. “Close your eyes and pull like a dog,” was the answer given by Irish Olympic rowers Gary and Paul O’Donovan in a 2016 interview and the phase became part of the lexicon since – their legacy, if you will – shorthand for the need and desire, and sheer fucking grit, to just about see anything through. This is a track that feels like perseverance of a band come full circle – “it’s a motivating phase we needed,” said Daniel “Lango” Lang, on cajon, percussion and lead vocals – and it meets its objective: it’s a firecracker of a phase that lets you in for what this band is going to be like from day one.

The jamming energy that the band brings to this show is a real treat, and the vibrant gigs that they’re known for injects tons of passion into the room. It feels like a mission statement for their intent of a band – ‘Pulling Teeth’ kicks in next and we’re swinging, away and firing with a punch to the gut. This whole project feels like they’re just there to have fun and experiment and this gives you a fly-on-the-wall insight into the maverick nature of The Scratch as a band – the metal background really helps giving a sense of organised chaos, the guitar almost feels like what a folk fiddle might play at times here, post-punk being rooted in folk traditions and given a metal bent – it’s the metal edge that keeps this combination of genres feeling different, and oh my god, the breakdown on this track is just hypnotising. “sometimes you’ll get lucky / sometimes they’ll disappear back up their own arse if it’s not too mucky / if you’re lucky,” the pre-chorus casts you under its spell and keeps you there – “he’s an Irish man though…” this is an album that wears the band’s country of origin on their sleeves and they aren’t afraid to dive deep first into where they came from. It feels like you’re witnessing a metal folklore history retelling of Ireland with a post punk bend – in the best way possible.

The bite that The Scratch has runs through this record and continues in an explosive way; acoustic instruments with loud guitar riffs and raucous energy embedded in its spirt. We get ‘Gladrags’ not long after – fiery, reflective, incredibly introspective and addressing its influence from an interview with Tyler the Creator head on, it’s a record that shows how being inattentive can lead to trouble, looking inward whilst also looking outward at the cycle of emptiness that surrounds it. 

This influence lends to the band’s most polished album to date, but don’t fear, the raw energy is installed from the first track – Spud’s “bag of tricks” allow the band to incorporate a wide range of percussion, octave pedals on acoustic guitars, smacking kegs with bags filled with gravel, and electric Japanese harp with a bow are all enlisted here, showing their sheer range of talent as musicians. Less a one-man band and more a one-band band, their ability to experiment and the hitting of strings with a screwdriver to create a sound akin to the stars themselves exploding predominates ‘Ringsend,’ a powerful late track song that wraps up the record.

‘Mother of God’ feels like a quieter track (but actually isn’t) that addresses the daughter Lango may never have, whilst the emotional confusion of a death and the grieving process ties into that with ‘Hope All Is Forgiven’ propels the narrative forward. Change is inevitable and there is no avoiding that – so ‘Roses and Poses’ gets that focus matter – which all loops back around as the core key theme of the album throughout – it feels like you’re getting sung to by a local on open mic night who has lived in the village his whole night with stories to tell older than everyone who lived there; but he also wanted everyone to crowd-surf and get in a mosh pit at the same time. It’s no-less than brilliant in evoking a feeling of memory in the crowd and inner-feeling retrospective that the album can’t shake off and is all the better for it.

Tracks like ‘Spacer’ pump up the album to ten songs and reward a full listen-through, easy to see how it comes together on a collective whole. The restless energy that The Scratch open is maintained throughout the whole album and only is bound to make an already-electric live show even more chaotic. Come for the thrills, come for the chaos – but more importantly, see this band live. They are one of the best live bands on the planet right now and we’re lucky to have them.