We’re doing a pop up tour tomorrow. You can catch us at the below -
See you down the shops!
In case you missed it.. we were featured as ‘band of the day’ in The Guardian online on Tuesday and yesterday we had an interview with BBC News posted live. Check out the full articles by clicking the pics below.
We’re off on tour around the UK to support the release of our debut album ‘Forge & Flagon’ out 11th June. Venues are listed below, tickets are available from the links on the live page. Hope to see you on the road!
Check out our brand new vid for Rollin’ Over -
Download Rollin’ Over here – (http://bit.ly/I81luh)
Well after a fine old farewell at our last gig in America (involving heads in fireworks and black eyes – yep messy as ever) we return to the UK to celebrate the release of our debut AA single ‘If The Gaff Don’t Let Us Down’ and ‘Plough & Orion’ released on Sunday Best Recordings. It’s available from iTunes here: – including bonus track ‘Risk’.
+++ We’ve also made our very own printed fabric sleeves for just 300 limited edition 7″ vinyls for Record Store Day this Saturday 21st April http://www.recordstoreday.co.uk/participating-stores.aspx / https://www.facebook.com/rsdayuk
Here’s to diddling and dancing with you all!
After a noisy night in a car park outside the venue we wake up early. Vegas is on the cards and we’re all looking forward to a grand night out. I’m expecting lights, booze and God only knows what else. The drive is cool…we pass more prickly pears and Joshua Trees but my favourite are the cactus trees like in the cartoons.
They’re amazing! I could watch them all day…and I did as we drove through the Arizona desert into Nevada. The scenery then changes dramatically as we become surrounded by massive canyons…
…and a huge lake. Stunning.
Eventually we arrive into Vegas. We pull up to our seedy looking hotel with old men and prostitutes going upstairs in the middle of the day….
…We want to get the gig done by 11pm so that we can hit the strip. No such luck. We’re not on until around 12.30 by which point we’ve reached and breached the drinking performance quality barrier.
Max starts the set with wrong lyrics, I’m on my hands sand knees nibbling the boys knees and Mule is dancing around in the audience with his concertina. Funny funny gig.
Flagon goes down very well…
…and we pick up a crew to head into town…. From this point on, what happened in Vegas is staying there…
We have to leave early for Salt Lake City. Larry (tour manager and new best mate) had already told me he’d not be happy if we were late (in the nicest possible way – ‘better not be fucking late Lorna or I’ll be pissed!’ Anyway, with Max and Mule in full coma for most of the journey we are not late.
During soundcheck, I ask Larry if he plays in a band…he proceeded to show me a video of his metal band where he sets himself on fire. I get excited and think that would be a great way to end £40 Wedding on our last gig and plead with him but he hasn’t got the gear – sadly. Maybe next time eh Larry?!
Anyway, the gig is great, the sound is good and everyone is dancing and having a good time. Fun.
Oh and mileage now is: unknown as we have had a sign saying ‘oil replacement required’. There’s only 550 miles to go though for our last gig in Colorado.
After driving around in the dark we find ourselves in Shadowy Hills RV Resort after being promised a deal on the price by Paula. We pitch up and sleep. In the morning me and Dan Hep head to the office to work out our deal only to be greeted by two lizard people that refuse to help. Miserable. Anyway…they eventually agree to ring Paula who gives us a measly 10% off. Swines trapped us!
On the road again Max and Dan in the cockpit decide not to fill up at the petrol station. Hmm…we’re driving into the Arizona desert on limited fuel and want to make a detour through Joshua Tree National Park… Not too clever. Regardless, we carry on deeper into the park in search of Joshua trees and further away from the petrol station.
The point of no return comes and we carry on. We make it to the cactus garden where we all jump out for a quick look. Mule laughs and pretends to sit on one only to find he’s actually got a clump stuck to his bum when he stands up. Everyone laughs…Mule tries to pull it out but it proves harder than he thought. Dan Hep comes to his rescue though lifting his cherry Docs and giving it a swift kick. He promises he was trying to get it off but simply failed. Now Mule really has a cactus in his bum.
Everyone laughs harder…he eventually pulls out the spikes describing it as tough as superglue-like strong Velcro. We can’t stop laughing though. Mule feels like lamping Dan Hep but is probably stopped because of the spines stuck in his hand.
We make it to a Joshua tree and the big rocks, then run back to the RV. We’ve now added an extra hour on to the journey which was already tight…we make it safely to the other side of the park, refuel, then drive past deserted shack after deserted shack till we get to the Bar/Grill for the evening gig.
As usual we have fun. We drink and eat into our fee for that evening.
Las Vegas tomorrow…what on earth is that going to be like?
On our way to Sparks, we all desperately need a shower so pull over at a Flying J to do all the household chores and get ourselves all sparkly clean. Ahhh…much better. With a positive vibe semi restored in the RV we head on our way again. The landscape becomes far more deserty (spelling?), though snow storms are still visible and occasionally pass us by. Crazy place!
We pull into Reno and walk around in a tired zombie like state looking at all the lights and people smoking tabs flittering their money away. This HAS to be the weirdest gig for Skinny Lister yet surely?! It’s hard to imagine how our English folk will go down on a cabaret stage Englebert Humperdink is due to play on in 3 weeks. Surreal. We wonder if we have hotel rooms and finally speak to the promoter Doug who gives us the best news. We do indeed have our own rooms. Another night in the RV could well have ended in suicide. Dan Gray loses $40 dollars in a matter of seconds but who cares…we have some money for steak and a comfortable night’s kip.
We met with Rusted Root and there seems to be no bad air about my previous antics on stage! Phew…in fact everyone is happy to see each other. I do tell them I’m going to be a good girl tonight though so that probably helped.
The gig turned out to be fun. People were up from their booths for Trawler Man and remained there for the rest of the show. Not so weird after all. Gig over we hit the restaurant where we meet Sandy, our waitress for the evening. She’s worked at Nugget the casino for 37 years and still wears her ‘Employee of the month’ badge with pride (awarded in September 1994). Wow, this place is in a time warp. She’s great though and tells us of all the people she’s seen play on the very same stage as us, including Ginger Rogers.
Some guy buys us all a rum and that sets Dan Gray and Chris on a night out on the casino whilst I keep to my word and head to my bed. I want to go swimming in the morning.
A messy few days. Portland’s party meant next day was pretty nondescript. Think we got ourselves sorted at an RV park. That might have been the last shower I can remember. We drove a lot as usual.
Before the gig Mule, Dan Gray and Chris went out on a troll hunt, and had fun asking locals where the troll was located, the best answer they got was – ‘sure, the Troll’s up on ‘Troll Avenue’ 2 blocks over’. Funny stuff.
The Seattle gig was great. Dirk from Rusted Root joined us on the banjo for Forty Pound Wedding. The crowd seemed really up for it – and although the flagon was not allowed to be passed around I managed to decant contents and share it with the audience after the gig so everyone was VERY MERRY. Us Skinnies proceeded to have another party.
I wake up fully clothed next morning. We appear to be on the move. I am informed that I’m banned from dancing on stage with Rusted Root. Whoops. Must be a good girl from now on! Think I disrupted their last song by kissing Preach Freedom (the drummer), Colter and Patrick. A little nervous to see them again but sure it’ll be ok…
So, then we’re on the move to Boise for our own independent gig. Branching away from Rusted Root we feel a little strange. We find ourselves at quite a cool bar – have a great sound check and then head off to eat. We’re so hungry and dazed we can’t make decisions. We find ourselves eating wraps in an English Pub hmmm. Back for the gig – we’re missing the crowd RR pull in but everyone there enjoys it and we manage to sell a few vests and CDs.
We get chatting with a few people, Max talks to someone on probation who’s brother is in jail, I talk to some guy who shows me a picture of himself with a massive dead elk he’s tagged. Dan Gray learns about a local game called ‘whistle pigs’ where you shoot a whistle pig, then because they’re cannibals they all start to come out and eat their dead kins. One guy said he managed to shoot 7 whistle pigs in this fashion. You then get a dollar for each tail you hand in because they’re considered rodents. We go to bed feeling enlightened in our Rusted Root T-shirts after one too many African Amber beers.
Mileage – we’ve lost track of how many mikes we’ve been doing but its a lot and the metre now reads 26690