There wasn't a dull moment to be found Tuesday night as an enthusiastic jumble of mightily excited people shuffled into the sold out Fillmore to get their weekday fix of stomping, jumping, and clinking glasses in time with the rollicking good time sounds of Skinny Lister. Wedged into the always challenging opening spot, Skinny Lister had a Herculean task ahead of them: to warm up and at the same time seduce an audience teeming with Flogging Molly die-hards. They relished the chance and took on that dare full throttle with explosively good results.
The musical forces of nature that brought a multi-generational crowd vibrating with excitement together also helped Skinny Lister take over during their set and prove their mettle. Put it to you this way: no one was checking their watches wondering when Flogging Molly would be arriving; they were all too busy singing along and clapping their hands in unison.
Folk punk front woman and critical darling Lorna Thomas practically caused a small riot when she broke through the fourth wall and catapulted herself off the stage and into the front rows. This had the same effect as if she'd grabbed concertgoers by the collar and commanded them to sit up and take notice. She needn't have worried, The Fillmore audience was already embracing the British newcomers like old friends at the pub.
They didn't get the title of "Hardest Working Band In The UK" for nothing. Oldies as well as songs off of Forge & Flagon rounded out the set and I found that the band's music is edgy enough for young indie fans and bold and unrepentant enough to hook all the aging post-punk veterans who might be listening.
Between the booming stand-up bass, the squeezebox, the thundering drums, and the magnetic and saucy stage show, I could see that they had won some hearts during the evening. They left the stage spent and happy and we stayed fired up long afterward.
Please Skinny Lister, come back and see us again, you hear?
