Skinny Lister - New Waves

Has folk music become the equivalent of what glamping is to camping? Is it now all designer beards, clean acoustic strums, neat waistcoats and frankly just a little bit too comfortable? Have the likes of Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons stolen away the dirty earthiness that this genre of music once possessed?

Well if it has then Skinny Lister, a band who have borrowed their name from the Lister family, pioneers in the use of the anaesthetic, are the band to rum-slam and high-kick it back into place. This is a band to stomp your feet, get a bit flirty, swing your skirt tails and drunkenly holler along to. Skinny Lister make folk music that romps along with a wilful and saucy exuberance that we probably haven’t heard since the Pogues. It’s deep set in old fashioned traditional values, yet seems as fresh and alive as the latest blog buzz band.

Their forthcoming album Forge & Flagon is a brilliantly jubilant piece of work. You can imagine men gulping tankards of ale down on wooden benches and slapping their thighs to the sounds of the jaunty accordion on songs like Forty Pound Wedding and Trawlerman. The new single If The Gaff Don’t Let Us Down is equally body bouncing, although it’s tempered with the more genteel Plough & Orion on the other side. This band would be perfect for a summer festival, which is probably why last summer saw Skinny Lister playing over 30 of the things, travelling hundreds of miles in a Land Rover with a double bass strapped to the roof and more will follow this year including Blissfields, Camp Bestival and Bestival.

To keep up with their hardworking ethic the band played numerous shows at South by South West Festival 2012 in Austin, Texas where they were accommodated at the renowned Berkman House, a 1930 craftsman ranch house. The building is a location for music and film projects and has hosted artists including Liz Green, The Miserable Rich, Rose Elinor Dougall, and Coma. Whilst the band stayed there they committed a number of songs to video, one of which - Rollin’ Over - you can see below. However, to get a real feel for the bands live experience have a look at the clip from a performance at Spyder House at South By South West at the bottom of this post and you’ll see why this year Skinny Lister are the one band you need to see live.

Skinny Lister - If The Gaff Don't Let Us Down

Skinny Lister - Rollin' Over Live At The Berkman House (Video)



Skinny Lister - Live Clip from Spyder House @ South by South West (Video)