Whether you know Venue23 as it is now, or as it was during its original incarnation, Warehouse23 – I feel it’s more important now than ever to support independently run venues and live music. Saying that, this sold-out show was absolutely rammed, and there was no mistaking that this 850 capacity venue was packed out for the show. You know it’s going to be a long night when your camera is flashing up “high-temperature” warnings well before the main act, Skindred, get their first shoutout of the night from the first supporting band.
InRetrospect and DeadPony Set the Tone
The first band up was InRetrospect. In truth, we weren’t familiar with the band… But we are now! Since the show, they’ve been on repeat on our Spotify. At the time of writing, they have three thousand monthly listeners on the platform, and we see them blowing up soon.
Their sound was tight, almost surgically precise, showing off a masterful blend of technical musicianship and massive, room-filling riffs. Their lead singer, Nathan, commanded the stage with confidence, and the crowd responded instantly to his clean and visceral screams. What started as a light head-nodding turned into full chaos by the end of the set, with the crowd coming alive right from the start.
Then came DeadPony, and they wasted no time amping the crowd back up after the short break. The Scottish outfit unleashed a jolt of punk-infused rock that instantly grabbed the room by the throat. The four-piece band have been around for several years, and their experience really shines through. You could see the connection among the band members as they interacted throughout the set, smiling, laughing and enjoying their time performing.
Front and centre, the vocalist Anna effortlessly switched between melodic clarity and raw snarls throughout the performance, even showing off some martial arts for good measure! My only complaint is that I wanted them to play a longer set! In fact, that could be said about both support bands. They both felt like headline acts in their own right.
Skindred: The Unstoppable Force
When the lights dropped and AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” started booming through Venue23, you could feel the crowd ready to ignite, once again. Skindred’s arrival is less a stage entrance and more a declaration of war… Or the announcement of a party, I’m not sure which… and their frontman, the un-mistakeable Benji Webbe, is quite possibly the coolest frontman, who oozes undiluted charisma. Hitting the stage covered in black jewelled clothing, spiked sunglasses, holding a blacked-out Union Jack flag, he was absolutely dressed to kill. But it’s not just the stage presence… As soon as I heard those unique vocals live for the first time, sounding every single bit like he does on all of their records… we, and indeed all the crowd, immediately started eating it up.
There’s just no mistaking the band’s signature “ragga-metal” fusion sound, and their setlist was full of anthems. Saying that, Skindred isn’t a band that takes itself too seriously and woven into their songs, were the likes of riffs from “Back In Black”, “Trouble” and “Jump Around” … At one stage we even took an interlude to see a member of the crowd try and eat an entire sandwich in thirty seconds to try and win tickets to see Slipknot.
That’s when the whiplash hits and the thundering bass lines and metal riffs hit again, and before you know it, the next Skindred crowd pleaser gets the whole room jumping again.
Of note is how Benji presents himself on stage, sharing caring and supportive messages in between songs. The performance was threaded with themes of support for music venues, British bands, togetherness, and perseverance in today’s tough times. Themes that resonated with the whole crowd, and paved a way nicely into their new single “You Got This”.
A few costume changes later, and we’re all singing the iconic “Nobody” to close out before the encore. Naturally, for anyone who’s ever seen Skindred live, whether in person or online, knew what was coming next. The climax came with the ritualistic madness of “Warning” and the inevitable ‘Newport Helicopter’. As far back in Venue23 as the eye could see… Hundreds of people took off their shirts, waiting for Benji to give the word – On his command, everyone started spinning their shirts above their heads in unison, in a moment of pure, communal rock joy.
Verdict
The night was a massive success. If you missed out, you missed one of the best shows of the year. Could be the Newport Helicopter or it could be how hot the temperature was in Venue23… But I need to go wash my t-shirt, because this gig left its mark on every single person in the room. What a brilliant night.
Photos – Dena Adams
Words – Darren Roberts
