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Punk Rockers Score Hell's Kitchen TV Theme
10 Jul
Summary
- Dropkick Murphys provide theme song for new series.
- The series is inspired by 1960s Hell's Kitchen gang.
- J.K. Simmons stars in the upcoming MGM+ show.
Veteran Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys will lend their music to MGM+'s upcoming series, "The Westies." The show, inspired by the violent Irish gang that operated in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen during the early 1960s, premieres on Sunday, July 12. The band's singer, Ken Casey, noted that their rollicking anthem "Dropped on My Head" is a fitting choice for a "rowdy violent show."
The series, set in the early 1980s, focuses on the Westies' efforts to profit from the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Despite facing overwhelming odds against the Italian Mafia's Five Families, the gang used brutality and cunning to maintain influence. The narrative explores internal conflicts within the gang, contrasting younger generations with established leadership, all under scrutiny from an FBI investigation into the mafia.
Manager Jeff Castelaz highlighted the serendipitous match between the song's lyrics and the series' themes. He recalled that when the show's creators heard "Dropped on My Head," which appeared on the band's 2025 "For the People" album, they immediately recognized its suitability. This collaboration echoes a previous success when Martin Scorsese featured the Murphys' "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" in his 2006 film "The Departed."
