SKINNY LISTER / BEANS ON TOAST | LIVE REVIEW
The Globe, Cardiff, Wed 6 Dec
Stood on The Globe’s cluttered stage with no shoes and the scruffiest of beards, it’s easy to imagine Beans On Toast [below] has just rolled out of a tent on the last day of Glastonbury – or indeed, any of the other festivals at which he’s carved out a loyal following with his trademark ‘drunk folk’ performances. Beans, real name Jay McAllister, is no stranger to Cardiff. “God, we’ve been here a lot, haven’t we?” he notes between swigs of Budweiser. This particular run of tour dates marks the release of Cushty, his 10th album in as many years.
Shoutalong classics like MDMAmazing and The War On War are given new life thanks to the accompanying backing band, a new addition to Jay’s normal one man and a guitar formula. However, this fresh twist can’t fully disguise that Beans On Toast is a musician rather like his namesake – dependable, unfussy, but also predictable. Jay’s unchanging gravelly delivery and keystone themes of love, drugs, and vague political statements wear thin towards the end of the set, relying on McAllister’s natural humour and stage confidence to make up the shortfall in music. At one point he even leaves the stage in the middle of a song for a wee, returning with a shameless cheeky grin. He’s not going to win any Grammys, but it would be an unconditional yes to a night at the pub with him.
If Beans On Toast is the fourth pint at your local, then co-headliners Skinny Lister [top] are the liquor shot that kicks the night up a gear. The folk-punk six-piece bristles with a stomping energy from start to finish. Lorna Thomas makes for a manic frontwoman, spending as much time spinning across the stage in her flower dress as she does singing. You get the feeling that she would be flinging off her heels and crowdsurfing from wall to wall if only the crowd were more compact. She instead settles for hopping off stage and dancing amongst the punters, giving frontman Dan Hepinstall the chance to lead.
Not to be outdone, the rest of the band rotate through instruments at breakneck speed. Max Thomas switches from melodeon to electric guitar to vocals, while Scott Milsom jumps from double bass to guitar with ease. It’s slick, anarchic showmanship that’s best experienced live – and definitely with a beer in hand.
words and photos JASPER WILKINS