“We’re a bunch of drunk assholes. It’s good to be back in Dover.”

With these warm words of introduction, Jonny Swagger launched his band into a frenetic set of Celtic punk rock at the Dover Brick House. Sandwiched between power punk trio Bugo and Boston rockabilly stars Dave Smith & The Country Rebels, The Swaggerin’ Growlers returned to their lead singer’s hometown to participate in the Brick House’s Wicked Wednesday festivities on the late evening of Dec. 12.

Swagger, the band’s lead singer and guitarist, was obviously amped up for the occasion. With a devilishly giddy grin on his sweat-caked face, little flecks of spittle occasionally cartwheeling off his lip, he crooned his first line of the set: “I sold my soul for a bottle of Bushmills.” Meanwhile, Swagger rapidly strummed an acoustic guitar, like an Irish folk musician in fast-forward.

Joining Swagger were Matt Cost on bass and backing vocals, Corey Nolan on drums and Seth Moore on tin whistle. The Growlers had to make do without fiddle player Annie Libertini, who could not make it to the show. The group was also without mandolin player Matthew Lister, who, according to other band members, wandered off the stage in Portland some weeks back and never returned.

But, even without the aid of fiddle and mandolin, the band managed to inject an audibly Celtic influence into each punkabilly tune. Moore, who wore a black leather jacket with a huge middle finger patched to the back, contributed greatly to the music’s Irish edge as his fingers fluttered across the tin whistle. Alternating between electric and acoustic bass, Cost complimented Swagger’s playing nicely, and the two of them were exceptionally animated onstage, sometimes hopping around like crazed bunnies on amphetamines. Nolan, who sported a braided goatee, a pork pie hat, glasses and lots of tats, kept up the brisk pace with machine gun drumming, often playing with wrists crossed.

The Growlers’ style came in stark contrast to the opening band, Bugo. Hailing from Newburyport, Mass., the group is composed of a simple power trio format with guitar, bass and drums. The band played loud and heavy rock songs, including a tribute to Ted Nugent and a couple of instrumental tunes. Although the set featured some pretty kickass drum beats, the trio could stand to tighten up its nuts and bolts, and the bassist and guitarist both sang with forced growls that belied their relatively clean-cut appearances.

Following the Growlers were the fun-lovin’ Country Rebels, who Swagger qualified as one of the best new bands coming out of the Boston area. The group (which features former Satan’s Teardrops bassist Zach Shedd on upright bass) is characterized by greasy hair, big sideburns, heavy tattoos and a country-western speed punk sound. Bandleader Dave Smith sang with a distinctly unforced growl and riffed on electric rhythm guitar, while the lead guitarist, making his first ever appearance with the band, ripped fast-paced but twangy solos. All the while, the bassist and drummer thumped away with galloping swiftness.
But The Growlers were the Wicked Wednesday centerpiece, and their hometown enthusiasm showed. Swagger seemed to approach the gig with a mix of nostalgia and disgust for Dover. Although some of the other band members are from the immediate Boston area, many of the songs dealt with living and not working in the Garrison City.

“Who here lives in this town?” Swagger asked between songs. “Well you all fuckin’ suck!” he continued when no one responded.

Other regular subjects for The Growlers include drinking, unemployment and … drinking. The band played several songs off its 2007 album, “The Bottle and the Bow,” released in March by Thugly Goose Records. The show at the Brick House, like the CD, showcased influences ranging from The Pogues to Rancid to the Clancy Brothers. (The back of the latest CD shows a photo that includes two record sleeves from the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, along with several liquor bottles, a paperback copy of Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” a deck of Bicycle playing cards and a switchblade.) 

One song, called “Greetings From the Unemployment Line,” dealt with the trials of being jobless. Another, as Swagger bitterly explained, recalled the days when he lived in some dude’s attic in Dover and was “piss broke.” Yet another, Swagger claimed, the band learned by playing “Guitar Hero.” 

But, despite their overstated degeneracy and unwholesome lyrics, the band members seemed endowed with playful and exuberant spirits that turned each Irish drinking song into a festive and joyful musical experience. (At one point, Swagger mentioned that Cost is straightedge, although it was hard to tell whether he was being sarcastic or not.) After delivering their final tune of the night, the fond farewell of “Kiss My Ass,” The Swaggerin’ Growlers left the stage with parting words of encouragement.

“If you tip your bartender, we’ll tip your mom,” Swagger told the confused audience members, a couple of whom chuckled awkwardly.

The Swaggerin’ Growlers will return to the region for a show at Slim’s Tex Mex Saloon in Rochester on Friday, Dec. 21. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/theswaggeringrowlers. For more on Bugo, go to www.myspace.com/bugobugo. For info on Dave Smith and the Country Rebels, go to www.myspace.com/davesmithrebelcountry.