They’re back, after a long layoff – and The Buffalo Skinners are ready to revive the grittier side of 60s rock with their new album.

Release Date: 28th March 2024

Label: Loose Chat Records

Formats: Digital

We haven’t heard a great deal from The Buffalo Skinners for quite a few years now – indeed, they last crossed our radar back in 2016, with Cease Your Dreaming, their previous album; it’s great to have them back.  And, what’s more, the twin forces of Peter Seccombe (guitar and vocals) and James Nicholls (violin and vocals) have been rejoined by another founder member, Lawrence Menard (accordion, keyboards and electric guitar) who last donned a Buffalo Skinners outfit for the band’s 2014 album, The Other Nine-to-Five.

The Buffalo Skinners have always been an evolving concern and that evolution continues, with multi-instrumentalist and super-vocalist Clare Quinn (she’s also Lawrence Menard’s partner in Those Folk), multi-instrumentalist recording engineer David Haynes and bassist Becca Philip now joining the band’s ranks.  And, if your recollection of The Buffalo Skinners is that of a predominantly acoustic band with folk and country leanings, then you’re in for quite a surprise – and a pleasant one to boot.  Picking Up what You’re Putting Down is an album that’s awash with the rock iconography of the mid-sixties: Fender Jaguar guitars, Vox AC30 amplification and the mellow Fender Rhodes keyboard sound that it’s impossible not to associate with The Doors.  And the whole thing is topped off by James taking his violin into territory previously only trodden by electric guitars and by some of the most angelic harmony vocals that you’ll hear this side of Bonfire Night.

In their time – and they’ve been with us since 2010, when they first spilled out onto the street corners of Scarborough to busk their trade – The Buffalo Skinners have attracted generous plaudits from the likes of Steve Lamacq, Bob Harris, Janice Long, Cerys Matthews and Paul Jones.  I’ve a feeling that, when Picking Up What You’re Putting Down – with its lyrical themes of reckless living, the daily grind, parting, coming of age and parenthood and its authentic 60s garage sound – hits the national consciousness, those plaudits will be replayed, at top volume.

It’s the album’s gritty title track that gets Picking Up What You’re Putting Down up and running, and as a statement of intent, it’s perfect.  That 60s garage feel is there from the outset, albeit with James’s violin providing a special edge to differentiate The Buffalo Skinners from any pretenders who may be lurking in the bushes; the guitars churn and there are enough “Yeh, yeh, yehs” to satisfy even the most picky of 60s memorialists.

East meets west for Wrong Crowd, a song in which the eastern trappings of the tune are laced with a healthy dose of Doors-like West Coast flavourings.  Once again, James’s violin parts make a real difference and proto-psychedelic guitar licks that highlight the plea: “Scotty, beam me up,” are divine.  The pace is slowed, whilst the tones get richer for the echo-y Cheesecake, before the riffage pays a call at Iggy Pop’s door with the invigorating Sonny Song.  The tune gives a nod in the direction of The Passenger as Clare’s harmony vocals and James’s violin both add a real sparkle.

It’s difficult to choose a favourite track from Picking Up What You’re Putting Down, such is the quality of the material on offer but, if pressed, I’d go for Lawrence’s Slim Richmond.  A heavy, choppy guitar figure is brilliantly augmented by an airy riff played on violin, rather than on the guitar you’d expect and Lawrence’s keyboard parts transport the listener right back to the Whiskey A Go-Go, circa 1968.  It’s truly excellent!  The folk/gospel Carve Yourself a Stone is another high point, as is the light, bright Washing My Hands, the album’s lead single.  Strummed acoustic guitars and a tinkly piano provide the accompaniment to a song which, despite its subject matter of break-up, has lyrics that are decidedly joyful.

We stick with the folkier mood for the acoustic One Rule, before the mood gets heavier once more with the clean, hard-hitting garage rock of Wear it on Your Sleeve and, particularly, the powerful, lazy, riff-laden, Double Blue Line.  Guitar, fiddle and keyboards all take a turn in the spotlight on a tune that is totally irresistible.

There are lots of references to The Doors on Picking Up What You’re Putting Down but, perhaps, the clearest of those references comes on Come Down, the album’s penultimate track.  The guitars are powerful, the vocals are as clear as Morrison’s and Lawrence’s Fender Rhodes tones almost convinced me that I’d stumbled across a lost LA Woman track.  But, just maybe, it’s Clare that makes the biggest impact with vocal harmonies that are simply heavenly.

The Buffalo Skinners are joined by a few old friends – from ATB faves Holy Moly and the Crackers and Rob Heron and the Tea Pad Orchestra, as well as Robbie Thompson, another of the band’s founding members – for Regret Regret, the album’s epic closing track.  It’s the ultimate singalong and, as it evolves from a lazy gospel/country ballad, complete with acoustic guitars, banjo and mandolin into a no-holds-barred party-in-the-studio, you’re left in no doubt whatsoever:  the Buffalo Skinners have had as much fun recording Picking Up What You’re Putting Down as we’re all going to have listening to it – preferably on repeat.

Picking Up What You’re Putting Down is, indeed, an excellent album, and there’s no doubt that every track will work well in the live environment.  It’s great news, then, that The Buffalo Skinners will be taking the album on the road throughout May 2024.  They’ll be playing the following venues and I heartily recommend that you try to pop along to show to see for yourself what all the fuss is about:

8^th May            Gullivers, Manchester

9^th May            The Jam Jar, Bristol

10^th May          The John Peel Centre, Stowmarket

12^th May          The Lexington, Islington

14^th May          Cluny 2, Newcastle

15^th May          The Hug & Pint, Glasgow

16^th May          Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds

17^th May          Yellow Arch Venue, Sheffield

Tickets for all shows can be purchased here.

Watch the official video to Slim Richmond, one of the album’s real highlights, here:

The Buffalo Skinners online: Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X (formerly Twitter)

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