On Saturday, Skindred rocked the packed O2 Academy in Birmingham. They were accompanied by nu metallers from P.O.D. and As Everything Unfolds.
It was a very metal Saturday night in Birmingham. Crowds of fans lined up outside the O2 Academy to see Skindred and Cattle Decapitation, who happened to be playing in O2’s second venue. But the Skindred’s fans were easy to spot, because they weren’t wearing battle jackets and were packed with spikes as a parallel queue. We have a photo gallery and a report from the concert by Christian Gould for you.
Skindred – good time for everyone!
That evening, we see not only Benji and his crew on stage, but also the supporting guys from P.O.D. and representatives of the younger generation: As Everything Unfold.
As Everything Unfold
As Everything Unfolds, melodic metalcore from the UK, kick things off, and it’s an energetic performance from the first riff. Vocalist Charlie Rolfe switches effortlessly between clean, melodic vocals and guttural growls, and she’s backed up by some crushing breakdowns and intricate riffing that wouldn’t be out of place in more progressive oriented bands.
P.O.D.
It’s the turn of veteran nu-metallers, P.O.D., and they explode onto stage with relatively new release 'Drop’, a glimpse of what we can expect from upcoming album 'Veritas’. P.O.D have been playing for 30 years and their experience on the stage shows as they hype the crowd with a series of hits from their biggest selling album, 2001s 'Satellite’. Birmingham was in fine voice as they sing along to 'Youth of the Nation’, 'Afraid to Die’ and 'Alive. Watching the reaction of the crowd, it doesn’t feel as though we’re watching a support act, this feels like a headlining performance – P.O.D have set a high bar for Skindred.
Skindred
The lights dim, the Imperial March begins, and it’s time to welcome Skindred to the stage. The Newport rockers have been doing this for 25 years now, a constant presence in the background of UK metal, but now it’s their time. In the last 2 years they’ve gone viral on TikTok, had their latest album chart at #2 and won Best Alternative Act at the MOBO Awards. The setlist is heavy on material from Smile but still journeys through some of Skindred’s most iconic hits of the last 20 years including 'Rat Race’, 'That’s my Jam’, 'Kill the Power’ and 'Nobody’.
Skindred are a band who understand the importance of the live experience more than most. They’ve been a mainstay of British festivals and are renowned for their ability to get even the most stubborn or hungover crowd bouncing. Benji takes a turn for the serious when introducing 'Kill the Power’ and recounts the story of his difficult childhood and his desire to bring people together through music. It’s a beautiful, sincere moment as Benji talks about the need for inclusivity and positivity and as we look around at the audience hanging on his every word we can understand why he’s been chasing this feeling for 25 years.
This concert will certainly be remembered for a long time by all those who had the opportunity to appear in Birmingham that evening. Skindred is a band that never disappoints its listeners. Their concerts are absolutely great fun for everyone! What we could witness, seeing a cross-section of ages and subcultural diversity. And finally, I would like to add that great applause is deserved for two wonderful women who translated what was happening on stage and the lyrics of the songs into sign language during the concert.