Adam Keys@Newcastle The Cluny, October 6th 2016
The Cluny holds a special place in the hearts of many acts all over the country, and this is especially true for Skinny Lister. Every time the band have toured, they have made sure they have stopped at the Ouseburn venue with Thursday night’s show representing their first time playing Cluny 1 – a move upstairs from the smaller Cluny 2.
This promotion is in line with the rise of the band over the last two years and the enthusiasm from the sold-out crowd showed the kind of cult following the band are building all over the world.
From the off Daniel Heptinstal was full of energy, bringing his Shane McGowan style vocals to the fore, as Lorna Thomas provided a perfect ‘look at me’ style performance of rockabilly dancing mixed with sheer enthusiasm.
Playing a mixture of all three albums, as they promoted their latest The Devil, The Heart & The Fight (RUSHONROCK 10/10), the London-based band had the Cluny bouncing and singing along from the get go.
Despite the fact that the new album has only been available for a number of weeks, it has clearly gone down a treat as most of the audience knew every word of every song, with the likes of Devil In Me, Tragedy In Me and Charlie all receiving a rapturous sing a long from an adoring audience. But, even with all of these great songs, no Skinny Lister show would be complete without their drunken chant of John Kanaka, which went down an absolute treat and really got the blood boiling!
Although the new tracks went down a treat, the response from older tracks such as Irene, Trouble On Oxford Street, Bonny Away and Georges Glass is unlikely to be matched or bettered at the Cluny this year. With a constant theme of drinking linking each track together, Skinny Lister were made for a music venue that is famous for its incredible selection of real ale and craft beers.
After a terrific set, the band exited for a quick breather before coming on for their encore and they really did save three of the best for the end. Starting with their stand out track from The Devil, The Heart and The Fight, Beat It From The Chest, the band set the tone with the encore, with stomping feet and a sing along atmosphere, before they upped the pace with Hamburg Drunk and Six Whiskies to finish an incredible show on a Pogues style high.