Featured image and gallery: Ameena Ceesay
Skindred have established themselves as icons in the UK metal scene, with appearances at Slam Dunk and Bloodstock festivals under their belt. Their notoriety has recently extended toward younger generations around the world through TikTok and tonight, they make their return to Manchester to awaken something feral in the horde.
As Everything Unfolds kick off the run of supporting acts. “Let’s get fucking moving!” – the crowd obeys. Straight out of the gate the band brings beautiful vocals and a dynamic presence. Dubious looking projectors placed among the instruments reveal themselves to be strobe lights, used to great effect.
Nu metal legends P.O.D. follow suit. Since forming in the early 90s, they’ve risen to prominence, particularly with their acclaimed 2001 album Satellite. While it may prove a challenge to match the energy of the previous act, all doubt immediately dissolves. It’s clear that the crowd are more familiar with this act, and are catered to with classics such as ‘Youth of the Nation’ and ‘Alive.’
As if the atmosphere couldn’t get any hotter (both figuratively and literally), the curtain drops and a remix of the Imperial March acts as a call to arms for Skindred’s arrival, launching into opener, ‘Set Fazers.’
The blend of their discography and unconventional snippets reflects the structure of the rest of the set. ‘Pressure’ features a mid-track snippet of AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black’, while an interlude of Nelly’s ‘Hot In Herre’ beautifully segues into ‘That’s My Jam.’ At one point, vocalist Benji Webbe breaks out a mini keyboard, performing Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ before freestyling over House Of Pain’s ‘Jump Around’.
“Flash your lights and watch the world burn,” the opening lyric to ‘World’s On Fire’ echoes out, serving as an invitation for phones to light up and for fans to prepare for the incoming mosh. It is surprisingly less flamboyant compared to the other performances, it merely exists to let the crowd have the floor to dance and sing along.
‘L.O.V.E (Smile Please)’, taken from new album Smile, sees the venue littered with inflatable balls during the chorus. The evening also includes costume changes, call-and-response harmonising and Webbe remarking on their previous Manchester conquests during their 23 years as a band, just one of many story-time moments.
The crowd are given a welcome chance to cool down, as they’re encouraged to just listen, for an acoustic rendition of ‘Life That’s Free’ from the latest album.
A drum solo later and the insanity re-commences with an EDM remix of the now viral hit ‘Nobody’. Skindred close with an encore of ‘Warning’ where attendees strip off their shirts and helicopter along to end the night.
A Skindred live show strikes the perfect balance; spontaneous, but stable enough to keep the crowd hanging on every word, strum and bang. With a positively received headline show in Wembley just behind them, they’re clearly operating at their best right now.
Featured image: Georgina Hurdsfield After the considerably grey weather of the weekend, Sunday morning started with a spell of glorious sunshine to wake the people of Leeds Festival, a spot of cheer going into the dreaded final day of the weekend. But, of course, it wouldn’t be a proper festival weekend without the flash downpours,…
Featured image: Henry Redcliffe Not to be outshined by the artists performing today, the rain makes its inevitable return to the skies of Yorkshire over Leeds Festival. With the downpours hardly taking a break, Saturday is the day for the indie-heads and brats, as two of the most anticipated acts of the weekend take the…
Featured image: Georgina Hurdsfield Despite the dreary weather forecast, it seems the explosive noise of the night before has blown away the expected torrential rain, as the sun fights through the clouds to shine over Leeds Festival on Friday. With the opening of the ‘other’ stages, the first double headliner, and a very special birthday,…
Featured image: Ruby Boland As the gates of Bramham Park finally opened for the 2026 edition, so too did the heavens, with heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast for the whole weekend, you’d be forgiven for thinking this year’s instalment of Leeds Festival was a write-off. Neither the punters nor the artists would let this dreary…
Leave a reply