Flogging Molly, Anti-Flag & Skinny Lister – The Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ – Saturday, February 18, 2023
Review & Photos by Lori Schneider (IG: @LoriSchneiderPhotography)
I love finding new bands and new music to see and hear, but when I say “new”, I mean new to me. These bands have been around for some time in one iteration or another, but I have only just recently discovered them. Where have I been all this time?
Flogging Molly brought their 2023 Winter Tour to the Wellmont Theater Saturday night. Providing support for this tour were Anti-Flag and Skinny Lister.
Skinny Lister are a British folk punk/shanty punk band originally formed in London in 2009. Current members include brother and sister Max Thomas (melodeon/accordion, mandolin and vocals) and Lorna Thomas (vocals and ukulele), Daniel Heptinstall (lead vocals, guitar, stomp box), Scott Milsom (double bass, bass guitar and vocals) and Tim Hillden (drums).
Once touted as the ‘Hardest Working Band in the UK’ (playing more festivals in 2011 than anyone else in the UK), their fifth studio album “A Matter of Life and Love” was released in October 2021. Playing a 30-minute set, songs included “Wanted”, “George’s Glass”, “Tragedy in A Minor”, “Down on the Barrier”, “John Kanaka”, “Rollin’ Over”, “Hamburg Drunk”, “Company at the Bar”, and “Trouble on Oxford Street”. The camaraderie was evident throughout the entire performance (drinking included) with fun, good times and shanty punk at its best!!
Skinny Lister can be found online at www.skinnylister.com and on Instagram @skinnylister.
Anti-Flag, an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania formed in 1988 (reformed in 1992) took the stage next. The band (known throughout their career for left-wing political activism) was promoting their 13th studio album “Lies They Tell Our Children”. Current members include Justin Sane (lead vocals, lead guitar), Chris Head (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Pat Thetic (drums, percussion), and Chris Barker aka Chris No. 2 (bass guitar, backing and lead vocals).
With a multitude of riffs, high energy, high jumps and signature punk rock (mosh pits and crowd surfing included), Anti-Flag did not disappoint! Performing a 45-minute set, they opened with “The Fight of Our Lives”. Other songs included “Laugh. Cry. Smile. Die”, “Die for the Government”, “This is the End”, “Victory or Death”, “Brandenburg Gate” and a mash up of “Should I Stay or Should I Go / God Save the Queen / Rise Above / Fall Back Down / If the Kids Are United / She / Blitzkrieg Bop / Should I Stay or Should I Go”.
Anti-Flag can be found online at www.anti-flag.com. and on Instagram @antiflag.
Flogging Molly, an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk band, was formed in Los Angeles in 1995. Their musical influences include The Pogues, Johnny Cash and The Clash (to name a few). Boisterous and full of personality, Flogging Molly members include Dave King (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, and more), Dennis Casey (guitar, vocals), Matt Hensley (accordion, concertina), Nathen Maxwell (bass guitar, vocals), Spencer Swain (mandolin, banjo, guitar, vocals), Mike Alonso (drums, percussion) and Bridget Regan (violin, backing and lead vocals). Bridget unfortunately injured her shoulder and was unable to perform for the show.
Flogging Molly’s 7th album “Anthem” was released in September 2022. Led by Irish vocalist Dave King, their clamorous, rambunctious, rollicking and rowdy Celtic punk music reaches and entertains both young and old alike. Opening with “The Likes of You Again”, the energy and passion presented by all members of the band and interactions with the crowd is unquestionably a major part of their appeal. Performing a 90-minute set plus encore, other songs performed included “Swagger”, “No Last Goodbyes”, “Drunken Lullabies”, “Float”, “Life Begins and Ends”, “If I Ever Leave This World Alive”, “What’s Left of the Flag” and “Salty Dog”. Ending the night and escorting the crowd out the doors was a recording of a Monty Python song “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”.
Flogging Molly can be found online at www.floggingmolly.com and on Instagram @floggingmolly.
