Skinny Lister / Rescue Rooms / Nottingham
I guess one of the positives about the Covid lockdowns was the surprising rise in popularity of the sea shanty thanks to viral videos on TikTok. There’s the long standing shanty bands such as The Sheringham Shantymen, and Port Isaacs own The Fisherman’s Friends, but there are a number of great young shanty bands such as The Longest John’s and bands like Skinny Lister that span Shanty with folk rock.
So, I was excited to see that Skinny were heading out on tour with the Longest John’s in support and couldn’t wait for the show at Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms. I had high hopes for a rowdy night.
After the support set from The Longest John’s we were greeted by the whirlwind that is Skinny Lister as they lept onto the stage. Riding high following the release of their latest album “A Matter of Life and Love” the band stomped around the stage delivering a wide selection of songs, both old and new.
Skinny Lister (and the Longest John’s for that matter) are the kind of bands you don’t need to know anything about before to enjoy a brilliant show. The music speaks for itself and is lively, vibrant and gets you tapping along to. Indeed in many parts the choruses are easy to grasp and have the audience enthusiastically singing along to.
The performance was simply breathaking…. note perfect and full of passion for their craft !!! Singer Lorna dancing enthusiastically and flying around the stage, and is only surpassed by Maxwell Thomas on accordion and mandolin who has boundless energy, waving to the crowd, encouraging them to sing along at full volume. And as for Scott Milsom on standing bass….. raising it high above his head, the energy is just infectious.
The set list included favourite songs such as ‘Wanted’, ‘Life at a Loose End’, ’38 Minutes’ and ‘Colours’. New songs from “A Matter f Life and Love” also fitted in really well, and I’m sure will become fan favourites on stage, especially the albums title track, ‘Bavaria Area’ and ‘Breakfast at Heathrow’. The highlight for me though was a fantastic rendition of ‘John Kanaka‘ that had the crowd singing along to raising the roof of the Rescue Rooms.
As the show came to it’s inevitable end, we were delighted to one more outstanding song in the classic ‘Trouble on Oxford Street’ from their 2015 album “Down on Deptford Broadway” a raucous song of wild antics of a drunken night out in London town. The crowd were bouncing around and in full voice.
A brilliant night. Honestly, if you haven’t seen Skinny Lister live, make sure you get to a show. You will enjoy every moment I promise.
Set List
Wanted
Life at a Loose End
Tragedy in a Mirrow
Rattle & Roar
Bavaria Area
Matters of Life and Love
Colours
If the Gaff Don’t Let Us Down
Geordie Lad
What Can I Say
My Life My Architect
38 Minutes
Bold as Brass
John Kanaka
Rollin’ Over
Cathy
Breakfast at Heathrow
Bonny Away
This is War
Trouble on Oxford Street
Warming up the Nottingham crowd perfectly were four piece shantymen The Longest John’s with a set of more traditional shanties. Their 2020 album “Cures What Ails You” is a regular play in my house, and their performance was excellent. They opened their set with a wonderful rendition of the classic track ‘Santiana’ and added a level of humour to the genre with their excellent track ‘Hoist Up the Thing’ a song of someone with no knowledge of the sea answering an add and becoming a Sea Captain. A great track to sing along to ! As their set came to the end we had ‘Bonny Ship the Diamond’ followed by about a whaling ship and we ended with the incredible ‘Wellerman’ a real sing-a-long classic. The Longest John’s are masters of their craft. Their voices combine brilliantly (especially evident on ‘Wellerman’). They bring their own humorous style to the genre and are a real treat. It’s music designed to put a grin on your face.
Set List
Santiana
Hog Eye
Hoist Up the Thing
Don’t Forget
Pride
Hard Times
Drunken Sailor
The Mary Ellen Carter
Bonny Ship the Diamond
Wellerman
