The Skeleton Club

Blues tunes, an open mic and the sweet, sweet scent of a well-cooked bbq are an appetising way for the regulars of The Grace Emily to ease the pain of a Monday. Opening with 'Giancarlo,' the lead singer of The Skeleton Club’s varied, bellowing voice unintentionally seduced the crowd, gaining the complete attention of regular Gemily goers. The Skeleton Club easily caused a clustered crowd to fall silent in complete memorisation by their contemporary, almost country-esque indie music.

Following with 'American River' and 'Blues One', The Skeleton Club were directed by the lead singer's siren of a voice and highlighted pleasantly by his vocal companion, with maracas and tambourine in hand. They truly absorbed the crowd into their short, but very sweet four song set. Closing with 'Down River, Down Town', due to crowd demand, The Skeleton Club made themselves to be a compulsory viewing.

With attractive stage presence, The Skeleton Club are vocally strong whilst instrumentally flexible; creating the perfect recipe for a rocking blues style gig. With only four songs on a cold Monday night, the band rocked out the tiny stage well and truly, gaining the crowds’ approval. But a special ability that The Skeleton Club has is their elasticity as musicians. Not only is the lead singer hearty and versatile, but all members of this popular five-piece contribute equally like a well-oiled machine.

A rarity of a handy, vocally inclined percussionist fitted perfectly with his rough yet precise singing solos. The Skeleton Club are like a compass, with the gift of being able to take their music in any direction. Throwing in a flamenco guitar solo during the show, keeping it interesting and the singer’s closing the set with a strong, timely voice. The Skeleton Club, like clockwork, simply put on a rocking, awesome performance. Along with Sons of Zoku, The Skeleton Club are one of the best band kicking around Adelaide. - The Sponge

The Skeleton Club 'Rattle & Smoke' EP Launch
Live Review by Jamie Oliver

It was a scorcher of a December Saturday and Jive was the venue to see The Skeleton Club celebrate the release of their EP Rattle & Smoke. Having released the EP online and with an intimate launch at the start of the year, time had finally come for the musos of Adelaide to taste the delightful folk sounds the band had on offer.
After a painfully exhausting day in the field, I rushed home, threw off the whites and hesitantly replaced them with my favourite gig jeans. Refuelled next and made my way into the CBD to just miss opener Ollie English, who you might find The Bakehouse talking about heavily in the coming weeks/months/years.

Second support was newcomers Flying Doormat. Although only having played a handful of shows before tonight; they displayed steady comfort in their abilities and had me bopping away to their psychedelic keys, guitar licks and occasional rapped verses. Definitely keep an eye on them.

I have to admit, I'm not one to frequent folk shows, but you can always appreciate a band with excellent musical talent. In fact one of the main features for me on the night was how evenly spread the musical contribution was from all performers. Usually a humble five-piece, three extra guests joined on-stage to make it nice and snug while adding perfect synergy with all songs written. Special nod to the trumpet giving even more depth to the Latin inspired arpeggios and chord progression.

Harmonised vocals impressed and you could only respect the heart that everyone put into their performance. Personally a sucker for ballads, The Skeleton Club more than whet my appetite with The Rotation and kept the night humming along with tracks like José and Blues II.

The elation of the crowd remained constant throughout with everyone fit comfortably in the cosy Jive setting. You couldn't help but sway your head and tap your feet with a lively group nestled at the front finding it hard to contain their joy and proceeded to sway around arm in arm, drinks in the other; indicative of the night's great show.

Every song coming to a close with loud cheers and whistles, The Skeleton Club more than delivered on a night they desperately put a lot of effort into starting with the crowd funding for Rattle & Smoke some time ago.

The Skeleton Club have three more shows for the year before returning in late February so be sure to check their Facebook page for dates and venues. In the mean time go have a listen and let their sweet, sweet tunes take you away. - Shoe Brew Nation