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The crowd began chanting for Skindred long before their set and the diverse and pumped-up audience were full of anticipation. Benji bounced on wearing a flamboyant silver suit and red top hat to raputurous applause.
The crowd’s reaction for opening act Me VS Hero and Michigan based Chiodos had been positive with the bands whipping the crowd into a fever.
But seeing Skindred step on stage was the moment everyone had been waiting for and from the very opening notes of ‘Bruises’ the crowd became a massive sea of movement.
Benji is a big character and he gets back from the crowd exactly what he puts in. You can’t help but bounce along to the infectious riffs and it’s easy to see why everyone loves Skindred’s live shows.
A buzz of energy filled the room as Benji had the whole crowd in the palm of his hand, from sing-alongs to orchestrating a massive circle pit, he has getting the crowd bouncing around down to a fine art.
Their new material goes down just as well as their old and they finish off with their classic track ‘Nobody’ which saw the entire crowd go absolutely mental. As soon as Skindred left the stage, the chants for them to come back began, and of course, they did not disappoint.
For Benji, an encore was an excuse for a costume change, coming back on stage donning a military cap and a green sequin sleeved jacket.
At one point he pulls on a pink feather boa as Rhianna’s ‘Only Girl (In The World)’ blasts through the speakers before merging into their massive hit ‘Pressure’. Skindred finished the night with their latest single ‘Warning’ for which they were joined by Sam from Me VS Hero on vocals.
For the final chorus Benji asked everyone to remove something and swing it in the air, the crowd were happy to oblige, removing everything from jackets, to bags, to shoes, even t-shirts. And so ended an incredibly intense and kinetic gig.