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SKINNY LISTER


BIO:
Skinny Lister are not your average, modern day, gentrified English folk group. Fronted by Dan Heptinstall and Lorna Thomas; a vocalist with a lusty cackle and flirtatious presence, the London based five-piece hail from across England. Borrowing the nickname from the Lister family, pioneers in the use of anesthetic, the band have grown naturally and organically over the past two years. Yorkshire born songwriter Heptinstall, Lorna’s older brother Max, and long-time shanty singer Sam ‘Mule’ Brace, met some time ago at a folk club in London’s Greenwich area. The arrival of Hawaiian bassist Michael Camino and the naturally exuberant Lorna lifted them into another realm. Up on their stomping feet and clicking their heels, the Skinny Lister sound took hold as Dan’s perceptive ballads and folkie idylls were boosted by an eruption of a rambunctious free spirited rum fueled party music. Soon the Skinny Lister sound was charging down the nation’s canals and waterways, bursting into spontaneous song in pubs and clubs, kicking up a summer frenzy at numerous festivals. Over 30 festivals in fact, a nonstop work rate that saw them acknowledged and awarded by PRS as the ‘Hardest Working Band’ of summer 2011. “We travelled hundreds of miles together in a Land Rover with a double bass strapped to the roof, sharing the driving, playing gigs every night and going out to party afterwards. We didn’t make it easy on ourselves but it does bond you as family.” Dan recollects. Their allure is immediate – at a time when modern homegrown folk music often spells designer bearded, theme park Americanisation, Skinny Lister are a welcome throwback to earthier bands. Their musical blend has something of The Pogues’ infectious camaraderie and jovial recklessness combined with the bucolic English landscape of Alfred Wainwright’s fell walking guides. Now, captured by producer David Wrench (Bat for Lashes, James Yorkston) on debut album Forge & Flagon, the band’s distinctive qualities make their mark. Titled after a homemade pub ran by Lorna and Max’s family friends, Forge & Flagon marks Skinny Lister as an outfit who are decidedly more than the sum of their parts. Galvanised by months of road action they transform traditional and contemporary influence into a singular sound. See them live and the impression is fortified. Not least as Lorna’s outgoing crowd connecting personality is replicated by the rum dispensing, skirt hiking, leg shaking, five strong, all female, party starting troupe the Skinny Sisters. The group’s folk roots go back to Leicester where Lorna and melodeon playing Max spent much of their youth at local folk clubs, hanging out under the stairs as the traditional sound filled the air. When Lorna reconnected with Max and Dan in London she found their interest in the local Thameside folk scene had blossomed to provide an exciting outlet for her newly finessed singing and ukulele skills. “As soon as they put the diddles, polkas and jigs in there, there was no holding me back,” she laughs. “We never sat down again,” explains Dan logically. The folk fever proved infectious and irresistible; “For years on the first weekend after Plough Monday every year, my dad has gone to sing songs and get legless with the local Molly Dancers. I disowned him at the time but now, of course, I join him!” notes Lorna. “We all do.” Chimes Dan. “The idea of a whole pub belting out a good tune, it’s what pubs are for,” sighs Lorna. In an era when singing a song in a pub can get you thrown out for rowdiness, Skinny Lister – not to mention the Skinny Sisters – are a joyful reassertion of community principles. “If you can capture something like that in a gig, people are going to go away feeling part of something bigger rather than just standing around with a beer,” Lorna reasons. “We aren’t taking the piss, it’s a serious primal thing. You don’t need to have been a sailor to appreciate a sea shanty.” insists Dan. The debut album unfurls Skinny Lister’s charms in detail. Up tempo carouser John Kanaka, a trade sea shanty dating from Mule’s early Greenwich days, and stomping celebrations Trawler Man and Forty Pound Wedding; (a song written by Party George – Lorna and Max’s father – which they reinvent with characteristic verve) are winningly contrasted with the reflective coming of age waltz Seventeen Summers, the lovely nature appreciating Peregrine Fly and the skinny-dipping frolics of Colours. Skinny Lister the stand-apart folk band – not afraid to match sensitivity with a high kicking free for all. Time to open the floodgates and get the deck party started. (But beware the Skinny Sisters, folks – those ladies take no prisoners!)

Latest Articles


Video: Ben Brown Releases 'Let Go' Music Video Photo Video: Ben Brown Releases 'Let Go' Music Video
by Josh Sharpe - November 05, 2024

Ahead of an extensive run of UK shows with Skinny Lister, BEN BROWN is delighted to reveal a brand new video for ‘Let Go’. The track is taken from his debut solo EP on the Xtra Mile Recordings label, ‘Blue’, which is out now. Watch the video! ...

Skinny Lister to Release New EP 'Pub Shed Bootleg' This Friday Photo Skinny Lister to Release New EP 'Pub Shed Bootleg' This Friday
by Josh Sharpe - July 03, 2024

Following the release of their rave-received ‘Shanty Punk’ album last year, SKINNY LISTER will unveil a brand-new EP digitally on 5th July 2024. The ‘Pub Shed Bootleg’ features 6 tracks from the ‘Shanty Punk’ album, played live at the legendary Forge & Flagon pub shed earlier this year. It perfectly...

Skinny Lister Reveals New UK Headline Tour for Winter 2024 Photo Skinny Lister Reveals New UK Headline Tour for Winter 2024
by Josh Sharpe - April 17, 2024

Plotting another end-of-year bonanza, Skinny Lister will be back for a fresh stretch of UK shows in Winter 2024. Regularly cited as one of the best live bands in the biz, the Skinnies’ annual live pilgrimage around the UK has become the stuff of gig circuit legend in recent years. And already champi...

English Folk-Punks Skinny Lister Announce U.S. Tour Dates For March Photo English Folk-Punks Skinny Lister Announce U.S. Tour Dates For March
by Michael Major - February 20, 2024

Kicking off on March 11 in Austin, TX at the SXSW Music and Arts Festival, the band will also support labelmate Frank Turner in Ventura, CA on March 15, perform as part of Shamrock Rebellion with Flogging Molly across two dates, and make headline appearances on the west coast through March 24 with s...

Pet Needs Release 'Sleep When I'm Dead' Single Photo Pet Needs Release 'Sleep When I'm Dead' Single
by Michael Major - January 19, 2024

As PET NEEDS' fast-approaching third album ‘Intermittent Fast Living' creeps into view, the band are delighted to share a fresh track ahead of its release: “Sleep When I'm Dead”. Lurching through your monitors at 100mph, this life-lusting latest from the Essex punks is an invigorating clash of buzzs...

Indie Rock Songsmith Jon Snodgrass Announces New Album And Tour Dates Photo Indie Rock Songsmith Jon Snodgrass Announces New Album And Tour Dates
by Michael Major - January 10, 2024

Barge At Will was recorded, mixed, and mastered at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, CO. Stevenson played drums and bass on the album. A few of Snodgrass' buddies including Chris Wollard (Hot Water Music), Chris Cresswell (The Flatliners, Hot Water Music), Peter “JR” Wasilewski (Less Than Jake), an...

Video: SKINNY LISTER Share 'Unto The Breach' Video Photo Video: SKINNY LISTER Share 'Unto The Breach' Video
by Michael Major - October 19, 2023

As the official video for “Unto The Breach” shows, SKINNY LISTER are suited, booted, and ready to roll-out their brand new album to the masses tomorrow (20 Oct). Featuring all of the classic calling cards we’ve come to expect from the Skinnies, the video for “Unto The Breach” follows the band as the...

Flogging Molly to Release ''Til The Anarchy's Restored' EP Photo Flogging Molly to Release ''Til The Anarchy's Restored' EP
by Michael Major - February 08, 2023

The EP features the new single “’Til The Anarchy’s Restored,” with a pair of live performances of classic Flogging Molly tracks “Drunken Lullabies” and “What’s Left of the Flag.” Both songs originally appeared on the 2002 album, Drunken Lullabies, and were recorded with Albini in one take during the...

Tom Jenkins Releases New Album 'It Comes In The Morning, It Hangs In The Evening Sky' Photo Tom Jenkins Releases New Album 'It Comes In The Morning, It Hangs In The Evening Sky'
by Michael Major - November 25, 2022

‘It Comes In The Morning, It Hangs In The Evening Sky’ is the singer-songwriter’s follow-up to solo debut ‘Misery In Comfort’. A new studio effort, it also features contributions from special guests including Phil Campbell (Motorhead), Marc Ford (The Black Crowes), Elijah Ford (Gary Clark Jr) and Pa...

Flogging Molly Announce Extensive 2023 U.S. Tour Photo Flogging Molly Announce Extensive 2023 U.S. Tour
by Michael Major - November 16, 2022

Flogging Molly, who released Anthem their seventh album, in September, have announced a six-week trek across the U.S., with the tour launching on Feb. 2 at Austin’s ACL Live at The Moody Theater. The tour is in the band’s second round of U.S. dates in support of their recent album. Check out the lis...

Tom Jenkins Returns With New Single 'Be There For You' Photo Tom Jenkins Returns With New Single 'Be There For You'
by Michael Major - September 26, 2022

TOM JENKINS releases his new single “Be There For You”, as he confirms the release of his next album, which will feature the new track alongside Tom’s earlier string of releases including indie-rock anthem “Under The Sun”, country-tinged track “Back Roads” and “Magic Mushroom Island”, a rock track t...

Skinny Lister Release New Single 'Like It's the First Time' Photo Skinny Lister Release New Single 'Like It's the First Time'
by Michael Major - March 31, 2022

The official video for ​”Like It’s The First Time”, including footage from Skinny Lister’s most recent headline tour in the US sees the band travelling, larking about backstage, greeting fans and barrelling their way through their buoyant live set. Watch the new music video now!...

Frank Turner Releases New Track Feat. Jason Isbell & Dom Howard of Muse Photo Frank Turner Releases New Track Feat. Jason Isbell & Dom Howard of Muse
by Sarah Jae Leiber - May 06, 2021

Produced by Rich Costey (Biffy Clyro, Foo Fighters), who Turner worked with on 2013’s Tape Deck Heart, “The Gathering” features pile driving drums courtesy of Muse’s Dom Howard and a triumphant guitar solo from Jason Isbell, who recorded remotely from Los Angeles and Nashville....

UK Songwriter Johnny Lloyd (Tribes) Announces Solo Debut Album, Releases Music Video Photo UK Songwriter Johnny Lloyd (Tribes) Announces Solo Debut Album, Releases Music Video
by Tori Hartshorn - April 05, 2019

A new year always brings new beginnings, and for fans of UK artist JOHNNY LLOYD, the long-rumored re-emergence of this treasured songwriter has been a long time coming. Opening a confident new chapter in his career, the former Tribes frontman will return with the release of his debut solo album, Nex...

Skinny Lister Announces U.S. Dates With The Bouncing Souls, The Bronx and Frank Turne Photo Skinny Lister Announces U.S. Dates With The Bouncing Souls, The Bronx and Frank Turner
by Kaitlin Milligan - January 24, 2019

UK rock band Skinny Lister have announced its upcoming spring U.S. tour dates with The Bouncing Souls and The Bronx. Supporting The Bouncing Souls on their 30th anniversary tour, Skinny Lister will be featured on the run from May 2-12, including a double-header in Denver, CO on May 2 and 3, Salt Lak...

Trapper Schoepp Shares New Video Photo Trapper Schoepp Shares New Video
by Tori Hartshorn - December 12, 2018

Xtra Mile recording artist Trapper Schoepp has announced today's premiere of 'Freight Train,' the latest track from the Wisconsin-based singer-songwriter's eagerly anticipated new album,PRIMETIME ILLUSION. Originally written and performed by San Francisco alt-rockers Sister Double Happiness, 'Freigh...

Trapper Schoepp Releases Bob Dylan Co-Write, Announces New Album Photo Trapper Schoepp Releases Bob Dylan Co-Write, Announces New Album
by Tori Hartshorn - November 13, 2018

Xtra Mile Recordings is excited to announce that Wisconsin-based Trapper Schoepp's new album, Primetime Illusion, will be released worldwide on January 25, 2019. Produced in Milwaukee by Pat Sansone (Wilco, Robyn Hitchcock), Primetime Illusion sees Schoepp reaching for his own place in the canon wit...












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