The Buffalo Skinners

"...I had to scurry out to see the unfeasibly young and talented Buffalo Skinners and their bluegrass-flavoured hoedown music. After four year,s I’m still stunned how good these lads are and how authentic they sound." - No Depression

"Fantastic" - BBC Radio 2

"The Buffalo skinners were an enchanting start to the night. The lead singer casually rustled up a rather deep and softly crackling voice for the opening number. The songs were true to the feeling of old folk and country in lyric and tone and having recently played with Mama Rosin in Gateshead, I could see why they would choose a band with such energy and charisma to set the stage for their show. Fiddle playing was reinvented on stage by James Nicholls, who chose to hold the instrument half way down his body rather than conventionally positioning it under his chin. It was a move that maximised the energy of everyone on stage, as he wasn't restricted by his instrument. There was no sense of pretension, this band were simply emotive and in tune with their music of love, death and adventure, encapsulating a genre of music with their infectious rhythms. It set the bar high for headliners Holy Moly." - Leopard-Skin-Pill-Box-Hat

"Jolly Exciting!" - BBC 6 Music

"Their creativity and outstanding total musicianship makes me feel nothing less than that they are not only a band on the rise’ but are headed for the upper-echelon class in only matter of time." - Forkster

"Buskers made good." - BBC Radio 2

"While the majority of the songs are raucous hoe-downs of the first degree, worthy of any whisky filled jamboree, the album shows off another side to the Buffalo Skinners. Robbie Thompson’s vocal lead (Promising End, I’m Away, and Ballad of Hannah) is immensely and awe-inspiringly emotive, and feels like that of a man with seventy hard years under his belt. Wooden Box, with its lyrical maturity – simple, precise, real – is not dissimilar to the ballads of Shane McGowan and Hold On, with a musical tip of the hat to The Band, is stunning in its autobiographical conviction “We need to keep ourselves alive, long enough to die together” You sure do believe it with these guys. That’s one of the real successes of the album, you believe it! This ain’t some monkey junk retro imitation, this is the real thing. I advise any self-respecting or even non-respecting civilian to get hold of these recordings and follow these lads up. They’re heading places, be damned sure about that, so all we can do is hoot and holler as they steam on by." - Supajam

"Since we first came across The Buffalo Skinners earlier this year, we’ve been huge fans of their self proclaimed “harmonious vocal cacophony” and they’ve been a regular fixture on the playlist here on The Front Porch ever since. " - The Front Porch - Amazing Radio

"Great." - BBC Radio 2

“I love The Buffalo Skinners, everything they do is energetic, warm and makes you want to dance and sing and drink and smile.” - Poet

"Astonishing." - BBC Radio 2

"Now to the best of the bunch; The Buffalo Skinners and their lively, engaging 14 track, self-titled album; this collection of Folk n’ Roll makes a refreshing change and injects a little bit of sunshine into your day as the mercury begins to fall.

I can’t fault this debut because it seems that each track deliberately showcases a slightly different aspect of the band’s talent; the vocals are uplifting even when the subject matter isn’t (Wooden Box), instruments are well deployed for the benefit of the song, not the ego of the player, and there is a feeling of restraint that runs through all 14 songs.

This suggests that they have thought carefully about what the record needs, not just what they can do, or what will sound cool in the studio. This strikes me as a mature, well considered approach to a collection of songs which sit together really well. I don’t usually hand out stars, but seeing as I did earlier, and it is my 1st birthday as a reviewer, I’ll indulge myself: 5 stars to the Buffalo Skinners, well done lads." - Rhubarb Bomb

"They also have ‘An Introducing…’ stage for new acts and caught a brief snippet of the Buffalo Skinners and Sam Brookes, impressed by both and will be investigating their music further." - The Rock 'n' Roll Oatcake

“Robbie Thompson plays the bass like a man kayaking for his life above the gaping maw of drowned oblivion. He lays down steady riffs like oar beats as the song pulls him towards the fiddle licks which race up the alley like brushfire and dive down steep corners like twisted bodies pulled from exciting wreckage. James Nicholls’ bow is arson, he is an arsonist. He charms the salt from his hundred-year-old violin and throws it into the frozen streets so people can dance on the melting ice. Pete Seccombe is a washboard smashing, boot-stomping, cigarette-rolling, shape-shifting coyote who stops traffic with his shouting. He is a wild man with humongous gestures and hearty slaps on the back. Lawrence Menard perches amongst half-full Guinness glasses, the bellows of his accordion hanging low like noise of a bar fight in winter air, and asks of tonight’s bachelor party “I ain’t gonna marry? I ain’t gonna settle down, Lord!” Robin Fisher turns everything into drums. Everything. Their music is a triumph over technology, a reinvention of old rock ‘n’ roll, blues, and folk standards. Zydefolk & Roll, they call it. It is a tornado. They are cacophonous and can be heard from miles. They are street level. They are the dirt-under the nails one finds in digging to the roots of live-music. They are The Buffalo Skinners.” - Nick Kipley - Allied Underground