SKINDRED CKY/DANKO JONES
Newport’s raucous ragga-metal outfit lead a partying trifecta
As dusk descends over a rapidly filling Guildhall, Southampton is nearing the end of its hottest day of the year thus far. So, for DANKO JONES [7], the task of working the city’s heavy music diehards into a sweat should be an easy one. The trio’s sex-drugs-and-rock’n’roll lyrics on cuts like Sugar Chocolate and First Date are so basic and by-numbers that they make AC/DC look like Tool, but it can’t be denied that the band’s swagger and charisma make them a truly enticing and fitting warm-up.
CKY [8] are, mercifully, far less prone to cliché, expanding upon Danko Jones’s more formulaic rock approach with guitar riffs, melodies and rhythms that far exceed the opening act. Frontman Chad I Ginsburg and bassist Matt Deis make themselves as mobile as possible for their ever-expanding crowd of devotees, while the energy brought forth by the gritty bass and guitars of the popular hit 96 Quite Bitter Beings is palpable. The set comes to a manic conclusion as the GG Allin cover Bite It You Scum brings about the catharsis of this evening’s first full-sized moshpit.
With the arrival of the truly unique SKINDRED [9], the entire affair takes a turn, transforming from a rock concert into an unabashed display that transcends genre with the sole intent of providing the best night out possible. That becomes crystal clear as the quartet appear to the sound of a dance remix of the Star Wars theme, and then balance out new single Big Tings with the electronic stomp of Stand
For Something. To call Skindred’s audience ‘fired up’ would be a gross understatement, with anthems new and old all being greeted with the same undying enthusiasm and constant movement. Dancing, headbanging, moshing – anything’s on the table as Benji Webbe and co craft one of the most inclusive shows in metal. The lead singer’s repartee with his fans is as witty as ever, only subsiding with the acoustic lament of Saying It Now, which is lovingly dedicated to a deceased friend. The brief, emotional diversion is juxtaposed in the biggest possible way thereafter, as Kill The Power causes an invigorating explosion that continues through Nobody and a jam-packed encore. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Skindred show without Warning’s commencement of the iconic Newport Helicopter, the sight of which on such a gigantic scale is destined to send all of Southampton home with big grins plastered across their faces.