Skindred, Therapy? and Yashin
02 Academy, Birmingham
It’s Hallowe’en night here in the West Midlands and the lovely people from Jagermeister have organised a gig that could make everyone’s Hallowe’en the best ever. Tonight’s line up includes 2 bands who are known to put on exceptional performances over the past few years, and 1 up and coming band who are just beginning to make themselves known in the UK.
Kicking off proceedings are Glaswegian Sextet YASHIN who give us 30 minutes of perfectly executed Screamo-Rock, most of the band dress up for the occasion by donning some body paint which makes them look a little bit like Black Veil Brides, looks aside, they rise up to the occasion as more people flock in as the songs flow, they finish the set with a risky yet enjoyable Britney Spears cover ‘Everytime’ which serves as a great conclusion. 2012 should be their year.
Next up are Northern Irish veterans THERAPY? who have an hour to remind everyone why they’ve been around for more than 20 years, they have 12 albums under their belts and a new one nearing completion, so to pick an hour’s set from 13 albums can’t have been an easy task for them but tonight every song has been received rapturiously, especially regulars such as ‘Screamager’ and ‘Nowhere’, but songs like ‘Innocent X’ and ‘Potato Junkie’ sends the crowd into total meltdown. 2 new songs were played from their forthcoming album which went down a treat, by the sounds of them, album 13 should be another corker. The band have so much energy onstage, more so than most younger bands who are just finding their feet, frontman Andy Cairns and bassist Michael Mckeegan may be in their mid-40′s but they still have the same energy and determination as back in the early 90′s, a truly jaw-dropping set.
It’s up to the headliners SKINDRED to carry on the momentum set by the previous band, in recent years they have built up their fanbase by putting on sterling performances night after night, it’s safe to say that their reputation has been well and truly justified. As soon as their intro track The Imperial March blasts through the speakers, the crowd are already going mental even before the band come onstage, when they finally do, they have dressed up for the occasion with frontman Benji Webbe appearing as Darth Vader, they waste no time as they pummel into first song ‘Stand For Something’, the band sound fantastic all the way through the set, sounding tighter than ever. In between songs, Webbe works his magic onto the near-capacity audience, anything he says or does the fans respond uproariously, warming them up before each song, even teasing the fans by playing the intro to ‘Pressure’ several times so that they could get so built up they could possibly send the room into overdrive, when the song finally kicks in, the fans do just that sending the room into chaos, including many mosh-pits and multiple stage diving.
Towards the end, arguably Skindred’s two most popular songs ‘Nobody’ and ‘Warning’ is where both the band and the fans are at their most berserk, with the latter song involving the crowd to swing their garments in the air,(affectionately known as the Newport Helicopter) even whilst continuing to mosh! On the whole it was a terrific set, probably the best that I have ever witnessed, their reputation as one of the best live bands in the UK has been well and truly cemented.
This show has certainly been a night to remember for many fans here, all 3 bands delivered epic sets, they’ve joined in the Hallowe’en fun and best of all, left everyone with huge smiles on their faces. Definately the best Hallowe’en Party ever!
Skindred and Therapy? will be touring together in the UK in April 2012, if tonight is anything to go by, that tour should NOT be missed!
Words by Graeme Williams and special thanks to Chris Taylor of Laney amps and of course, Luke Bell – hero.
