Skindred Cause Ah Riot in Newcastle - Concert Review and Setlist

You know it was a good show when you wake up the next day half convinced you've got meningitis because your necks that stiff, and that was definitely me this morning. The mighty Skindred are gracing Glasgow tonight, but I failed to get tickets, so off to Newcastle I went. Due to Storm Babet, only essential travel was recommended - and this show was absolutely that. 

First up was Cody Frost, who describes themself as "rave-punk". They incorporate a seemingly endless amount of different genres and influences, each release making it more difficult to pin down a simple characterization of what their sound is, but whatever description you want to assign to it, one truth remains - it sounds awesome live. Supported by live drums and guitar, they laid waste to NX over the course of their 8-song set, with trippy, distortion-heavy 'BERLIN' being a particular highlight. The Skindred support slot isn't all that's upcoming for them in Glasgow, you can also catch them supporting Meet Me At The Altar at the end of the month.

Next up were masked nu-metal revivalists BLACKGOLD, who immediately had the pit going at it. Dense, unrelenting instrumentation and charismatic frontman Spookz did not let up for one minute of their set, much to the dismay of this old dude down front who was growing increasingly irate with every time the ever-growing pit got too near him. Asides from him, everyone else seemed to be having a great time - especially with closing number 'BOOGEYMAN', where rapid turntabling and pounding riffs pushed the energy levels somehow even further, leaving the crowd so ready for more. 

And finally, it was time for Skindred. Walking on with the Imperial March, and opening with 'Set Fazers', they wasted no time in getting the crowd going. Old favorite 'Babylon' was up next. There really is no band quite like Skindred, and it showed all through the night. Benji Webbe might just be one of the best frontmen in the game, not just because of his musical ability and stage presence, but because of the palpable love he has for the live show. The whole band put literally everything they had into every track, regardless of when in their decades-long career it may have been released.

It wasn't just Skindred who put on an awesome performance, the crowd participation was off the wall too, especially in the 'Big Tings' cut 'That's My Jam'. I thought the chants of "Ooh, Ooh, That's My Jam" couldn't be louder than at their Download set, and 2000 Geordies probably didn't manage to out-shout a whole festival, but it certainly felt that way. I was up on the balcony, and I could feel it bouncing the whole night - not so much that I was concerned for my life, but enough to know how insane the rest of the crowd must have been without taking my eyes off the stage.

Some of the best singalongs came with the 'Smile' track 'If I Could', and 'Kill The Power', with the crowd never once disappointing. Newcastle is in an awkward spot in the country and thus gets skipped on a lot of tours, but that just makes our crowds even better when tours do hit up the North East. 

Anybody who has been to a Skindred show knows Benji likes to chat between songs. Before 'Kill The Power', there was an affirming speech about not letting anybody stand in the way of your dreams, but after this, he took a more serious turn. Discussing the impacts of drug addiction on his friends and his own family, his profound speech didn't feel like when bands go through the motions of paying lip service to serious issues, but was clearly from the heart, and very well could be the vehicle that encourages somebody to seek the help they need, and an acoustic performance of 'Life That's Free' only further embodied this message.

The night was starting to come to a close, but that did not mean the energy let up at all. Viral hit and Skindred classic 'Nobody' had a pit the size of the floor going, and lead single from 'Smile': 'Gimme That Boom' went down a treat. After a brief disappearance for the encore, the groovy opener of 'Smile': 'Our Religion' segued into 'Warning'. As always, 'Warning' was accompanied by the incredible sight (and never great smell) of the Newport Helicopter, and that was the night.

If you can't have fun at a Skindred show, you can't have fun anywhere. Benji, Daniel, Mikey, and Arya sound better than ever, and I can't wait to see them again. If you can, go see them. If you can't - go figure out how to change that - you won't regret it.

Setlist:

1. Set Fazers
2. Babylon
3. Rat Race
4. World's on Fire
5. That's My Jam
6. L.O.V.E. (Smile Please)
7. If I Could
8. Kill the Power
9. Life That's Free
10. Nobody
11. Gimme That Boom
12. Our Religion
13. Warning