Photo Copyright © Sakura
Pretty much as soon as this tour was announced additional dates were added to it due to public demand. Touring in support of their 25Live@25 album, Skunk Anansie are one of the most loved rock bands in the UK and the interest in this tour, as is the case every time Skin and co hit the road, was massive. As has been the case on every date of this anniversary run of shows, the venue was packed out by the time the band hit the stage with Charlie Couch Potato ahead of what was a career-spanning set.
Fronted by the iconic Skin, a vocalist who simply commands your attention from the moment she hits the stage, the band plunder their untouchable back catalogue to rock through the likes of Weak and Twisted (Everyday Hurts) with the kind of energy that comes from a band just starting out their career not one that is celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary. While all eyes are on Skin, her band put in a stellar peformance by her side as the likes of Hedonism and more hits just keep rolling. Plunging into the crowd on more than one occassion, Skin makes sure her fans know how special they are to the band and, even after twenty-five years, you can feel the love from both the fans and the band is as passionate now as it was when they first put a rocket up the backside of the UK rock scene twenty-five years ago.
Hailing from Liverpool, queer punks Queen Zee landed the lucky task of opening for the hugely popular headline act and hit the stage for this reasonably local gig with all the energy and attitude that we’ve come to expect from the Liverpool band. The band’s next stop will see them opening the Lock-Up stage at Reading and Leeds Festival this weekend. However, if you’re expecting to ease yourself into the day by checking this lot out, expect a rude wake-up call for a band who, as they showed again tonight, are the perfect addition to any bill.
