Skindred - Cambridge Junction 20/12/18
Read Ryan's interview with Benji here


When speaking to Benji Webbe (vocalist) of Skindred before the show, he told me that I was gonna get “f*cked* after I told him I’d never seen them live before. He was right.

From the first notes of show opener ‘Big Tings’ to the final chords of set closer ‘Warning’, Skindred were on fire and the crowd reciprocated that energy.



As soon as AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ played, Skindred’s entrance music, you knew you were in for a rock n roll show. On their most recent album, Skindred have ditched some of their more metal and dub elements in turn for a more straight up hard rock sound. While this may have disappointed some hard core fans, hearing these songs live they are just as ferocious as any thing else from their nearly 20 year career.


Show openers were Tigress, a female-fronted Alt-rock band. The woman had a very strong singing voice and the songs were strong but somewhat generic. Perhaps the most interesting part of their set was having Christmas presents containing their t-shirts thrown into the crowd.

Sonic Boom Six

Main Support were Sonic Boom Six, a ska-metal-punk band who have been in the game almost as long as Skindred have. They managed to get the crowd dancing: they had a few of their own fans in the crowd and certainly made some new ones on the night too.


There’s no one quite like Skindred when you think about their style but no one is like them live either. On that night in the Junction the crowd were treated to everything from Oasis to The Prodigy mixed into their own songs. Benji commands the crowd like a military commander but is also capable of drawing emotion in a powerful speech about making an effort for your friends and family before performing ‘Pass It On’.

While their stage time was just over an hour and about 12 songs long, the setlist was littered with fan favourites from the thick riffs of ‘Ninja’ and ‘Kill the Power’ to the t-shirt swinging anthem ‘Warning’ and an acoustic rendition of ‘Pass It On’. There really was something for everyone in this show.


Whether you are fan of their genre-bending style or not, there is no doubt you’d walk away from a Skindred show wanting to see them again.

Words and Skindred pix - Ryan Bird

http://www.skindred.net/