It was a gloomy night outside the Glass House on April 15. Clouds hung overhead and darkened the Pomona Arts Colony. But inside the Glass House, a raucous noise brewed in the form of the English folk band, Skinny Lister.
The band charged their way through a constantly fun boot-stomping set, plowing through most of their album, “Forge & Flagon,” as well as a new song, “Bold as Brass.” The band could not be contained to the stage as bassist Michael Camino took his stand-up bass into the crowd and waltzed around, at one point allowing a small kid to stand on the bass as he laid it on the ground and played. An unofficial member grabbed a bass drum and stood on the railing barrier in front of the stage. He had an audience member hold the drum while he banged on it. He eventually jumped into the audience, climbed on concert-goers’ backs and had me hold the drum while he thumped away. At one point, the mallet head on his drumstick flew off and I was able to scramble and grab it from the floor as he continued to play without it (I attempted to return it, but he was too busy dancing and banging away to care).
The continuous energy throughout the evening made for an extremely exciting set as the band jumped around the stage with traditional chants and dancing. Before the show, I was lucky enough to interview lead singers Dan Heptinstall and Lorna Thomas about Coachella, the origins of their band name, whose parent wrote one of their songs and more.
