It hasn’t been long since the last time Skindred played Manchester, yet they returned for a night of metal madness on a smaller stage, along with As Everything Unfolds and P.O.D.
As they played the Academy, I was full of anxiety going in. As you’d find in past reviews, my experiences in there have been… not so great. Though to my surprise, apart from an over-crowded merch stand, it didn’t seem oversold. Between bands, there was no pushing, no fighting… in fact, there were manners? The bar is so low for Academy shows that I almost celebrated getting an apology when my foot got stepped on. Every time I saw an interaction that I thought was going to lead to an argument, it ended in laughter! Was I in an alternative universe?
A breath of fresh air, regardless, so I began to look forward to the reason I was there. Not to judge the people, but to judge the bands.
To my delight, As Everything Unfolds was the first band on. I’d reviewed Ultraviolet and hoped to go to their headline show. Unfortunately, missed it. Seeing them live was worth the wait, though. They sounded incredible! Exactly what I’d hoped to hear when I first heard them. They played mainly newer songs, except for the classic On the Inside. Their stage presence was great, the performance was energetic and charismatic. I’m going to make sure I see them again!
P.O.D were just as energetic, and fully engaged with the crowd. I didn’t think I knew them but was happy to see everyone knew and love their music. It wasn’t until the end when they played Alive that I realised I had heard! Regardless, I enjoyed their set and found myself dancing along. I enjoyed their live debut of Afraid to Die.
Skindred really teased us with their entrance! The lights went low, and AC/DC’s Thunderstruck played. Still no band. Then the lights went red – the Imperial Death March came on. Finally, they came on and played Set Fazers. There were snippets of other songs, like Back in Black. Benji Webb had a lot of jokes with the audience, for example, having us sing Wonderwall and telling us to shut up. Telling us the background of songs and shouting at us for not reacting right… and then telling us to shut up. He turned the crowd into a choir for That’s My Jam. It was a great performance. It spread love and joy, playing incredible songs such as Gimme That Boom and Kill the Power.
I learnt about the Newport Helicopter. I had no idea, imagine my confusion when everyone started taking their shirts off and spinning them in the air!
Was funny though. Would see Skindred again.