Modena City Ramblers & Folkstone were the stars of Friday, July 4th, 2025, lighting up the stage of the Kozel Carroponte in Sesto San Giovanni (MILAN) with a folk/rock night that thrilled and engaged the large crowd in attendance.
The two bands took turns over the course of a nearly three-hour show. Modena City Ramblers performed tracks from their special tour “Appunti Resistenti”, marked by their signature Irish sound, while Folkstone presented songs from their recent album “Natura Morta”, performed with the unique traditional instruments that always accompany them.
Some tracks were performed together, such as “Fragile”, Folkstone’s latest single, which also features MCR in the studio recording.
In 2025, a year that marks the 80th anniversary of Italy’s Liberation, the 30th anniversary of the collective album Materiale Resistente, and the 20th anniversary of their gold record Appunti Partigiani, the Modena City Ramblers are on a special tour entitled “Appunti Resistenti”. The tour focuses on the songs the band has dedicated throughout their 30+ year career to the theme of the Resistance and anti-fascist values, along with four new tracks that open a new chapter in this artistic journey deeply connected to the “Ramblers’” identity.
Of course, the setlist also includes their greatest hits that ignite audiences across Italy and beyond. But this concert is above all a joyful and determined musical event of Resistance and Militancy, featuring songs that, in these troubling times of political and social drift, become each night the anthem of a united People—one that identifies with the Constitution and the founding principles of the Italian Republic. A secular communion of shared ideals that erases the distance between stage and audience.
These songs are nothing more than modest traces—sound notes—of a journey that began even before 1945, the year of Liberation. A journey often started with worn-out shoes and only the baggage of a powerful Ideal. A journey that today continues through Democracy, thanks to the sacrifices of many and the struggle of a People. Songs as humble acts of remembrance—perhaps of debatable artistic value—but belonging to a culture and tradition whose weight has taken root in a shared militant imagination. Partisan material, resistant notes.
On Friday, 2025 April 4th, Folkstone released their new single “Fragile”, featuring none other than Modena City Ramblers. The single is part of the album “Natura Morta”, already available on all digital streaming platforms, in physical format and on vinyl since March 21st.
“Fragile” is a union of two souls that had long sought each other from afar. The meeting between Folkstone and Modena City Ramblers gives this song a timeless flavor, like a tale told by a friendly voice by the fireside, accompanied by the notes of a violin and bagpipes echoing in the air.
“Dedicated to the one who flows through our veins and discreetly yet passionately accompanies our days: Music,” the band comments.
The music video for “Fragile” tells the story of a journey to meet the Modena City Ramblers on a fleeting spring day. A van, a hat, an encounter, voices and instruments merging as evening falls. The one thing that never disappoints or betrays—but instead unites those who make music and those who listen—is music itself: “Like a flower in a crack in the asphalt.”
Watch the videoclip:
“Natura Morta” is a double album with a melancholic and sincere soul, yet also powerful and full of vibrant energy. It includes collaborations with notable artists such as Modena City Ramblers (Fragile), Trevor Sadist (Mediterraneo), Daridel (Mala Tempora Currunt), and Punkreas (La Fabbrica dei Perdenti).
The music is orchestrated with bagpipes, harps, and other evocative instruments that call to mind distant times. The lyrics, on the other hand, are deeply rooted in the present moment, capturing slices of humanity with a gaze that is more sensitive than critical—from the first to the last line. A playful and romantic portrait of our lives and the world around us.
The band explains the album:
“Our ‘Natura Morta’ is a gaze lost in life, a sense of mystical disorder, and a dose of disillusionment born from constant and self-critical reflection. All of it carried with a smile, always aware of the daily reality—so wonderful and painful at once. We live in an age of extreme materialism. This album is meant to be a desperately romantic cry.”
MODENA CITY RAMBLERS – BIO
Modena City Ramblers were formed in 1991 as an Irish folk band, driven by their love for the music and traditions of the Emerald Isle. From there began a 30-year journey of success, both in recordings and in live performances across Italy and Europe.
After the 2020 lockdown, which kept them away from their loyal fans (used to nearly 80 live dates per year), the band returned in 2021 to celebrate their 30th anniversary with the same spirit as always—through music and a deep connection with their audience.
From 2022 to 2024, in addition to many Italian concerts, Modena City Ramblers brought their live performances to South Africa, Chile, Spain, Ireland, the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Luxembourg—including an appearance at the Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary.
In 2025, they will bring the new “Appunti Resistenti” tour around the world.
Modena City Ramblers lineup 2025:
Davide “Dudu” Morandi – vocals
Massimo Ghiacci – bass, backing vocals
Franco D’Aniello – flutes, sax, backing vocals
Francesco “Fry” Moneti – violin, guitars, backing vocals
Leo Sgavetti – accordion, keyboards, backing vocals
Enrico Torreggiani – drums
Riccardo Sgavetti – guitars
FOLKSTONE – BIO
Folkstone is a rock/metal band formed in 2004 by frontman Lorenzo “Lore” Marchesi. They have released 7 studio albums and 2 live DVDs to date.
What makes this band unique is their explosive blend of ancient instruments—such as bagpipes, harp, flutes, bouzouki, and hurdy-gurdy—with a solid rock/metal foundation of bass, guitar, and drums.
Their vocals are entirely in Italian, with lyrics that are rich and engaging—ranging from storytelling to introspective and social themes.
From the beginning, their natural element has been the stage, where their punk attitude brings their expressive power to life through hundreds of concerts across Italy and Europe.
After a hiatus of several years, they announced their reunion in 2023, headlining the MetalItalia Festival at the Live Club in Trezzo sull’Adda. The incredible and warm response from fans led to the release of the new single “Macerie”, followed a few months later by “La Fabbrica dei Perdenti”, whose video was filmed at a sold-out Alcatraz in Milan in March 2024.
Both singles were also released on the vinyl collection “Racconti da Taverna”, which compiles the songs that have marked the band’s history.
After a summer tour, they wrote a double album, released on March 21, 2025, titled “Natura Morta”, which they presented at Milan’s Legend Club from March 28–30, 2025.
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