It takes some stones to open your set by playing AC/DC and then stomping onto the stage to the Imperial March. Skindred is the kind of band to do something that audacious and then effortlessly top it.
At a packed Tramshed, the ragga-punk legends put on not only one of the best shows I have seen this year (admittedly a bar you could stub your toe on) but one of the best shows I have ever had the pleasure to see.
With queues around the block, you could tell this close-as-they-could-get to a hometown gig for the Newport metalheads was going to be something special.
It’s a shame half the audience was stuck outside trying to get in because the opening act St Agnes was superb.
Fronted by Kitty A Austen, the self-described ‘disgusting rock band’ was in fine form. Austen is a brilliant frontman, engaging, charming and brimming with energy. It’s a rare thing to see an opening act get the crowd jumping as they walk through the door but St Agnes managed it with aplomb.
Signing off before their final song of the tour, Kitty said the band ‘had the wildest of times’.
Next up were Trashboat. The post-hardcore four-piece from St Albans bound onto the stage, and it was clear from the off they were having a great time throughout their high energy performance.
Highlights included; Alpha Omega, a song about the ‘biggest fucking idiot’ frontman, Tobi Duncan had ever met, a great cover of Linkin Park’s Giving Up, dedicated to the late, great Chester Bennington, and the pop-punk tinged Strangers.
Playing several tracks from their latest album, Don’t You Feel Amazing, it’s clear Trashboat sound has had a dramatic evolution from almost pure pop-punk to politically-tinged hardcore.
Duncan had his sights aimed at the press throughout the set, and I can’t say I blame the guy at all.
Doing some reading for this review I came across all manner of low rent ‘journalists’ trying to gotcha him into saying something incendiary about the scene or the industry, rather than just asking him about the album, which I have to say, is pretty damn good.
Before their final banger, Makes Me Want to Scream, Tobi signed off by saying this to his detractors: “On the press cycle for this album, I was asked personal questions that don’t have anything to do with the music because people will click on it.
“I want to say I don’t care how you present or who you love. Don’t seek validation from the outside.
“You do you, and fuck everyone else.”
Finally, it was time for Skindred. As the band launched into Stand for Something Benji yelled: “Get the fuck up”, and the place went mental.
So this idiot didn’t know Skindred were Welsh. When Benji greeted the crowd by yelling: “fucking Wales, is it?” I thought he was taking the piss. To be fair, he probably was.
It wasn’t until he launched into an impromptu Tom Jones impression that the penny finally dropped.
Decked out in a red top hat with huge plumes sticking out of it, Benji cut a striking figure as the undisputed master of ceremonies. It didn’t take long for the experienced raconteur to have the audience eating out of the palm of his hand.
In Benji’s own words: “This is a celebration of life.
“Without you, we are just four assholes. I don’t know where you are from or what day you’ve had. Just switch off the bs and love each other.
“There’s too many people care about the colour of their skin or sexuality, I think they should mind their own fucking business.”
“Now repeat after me, wahoo!”
Few frontmen can make a serious point while keeping the party going for two hours, but Benji does it effortlessly.
At one point, he offered the crowd a t-shirt, then, after seeing several dozen hands shoot up, tossed it behind him and declared: “Twenty-five fucking quid.
“Do you think we’re made of money? We’re from Newport!”
Before launching into Pressure, Benji lamented that he would usually tell a story about his next-door neighbour asking him to turn his music down. But his next-door neighbour was in the audience. The joys of a home town gig (or the closest place they could book to it), I guess
The most impressive thing about Skindred is how they are always in complete control of the room. They launch into random covers of Back in Black, play Van Halen before their own song called Jump, and get the crowd to fight over who gets to sing the Whoops in That’s My Jam.
Though their best aside of the night was the Skindred sandwich challenge where they got a member of the audience to try and eat a sandwich in 30 seconds to win Slipknot tickets. The poor guy didn’t manage it but he did get a t-shirt as a consolation prize.
The audience was in a party mood all night. Huge pits opened up for Ninja and Kill the Power before Benji dimmed the lights for a touching rendition of Say It Now dedicated to ‘friends and loved ones that should be here that aren’t.’
Skindred then rounded out their main set with a little song called Nobody. The whole place erupts – a massive pit opens up, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.
The encore sees Benji return dressed as Freddie Mercury, with the members of St Agnes as they closed out a blinding set and an incredible performance with Danger.