LIVE FROM THE PIT: Skindred, Alien Ant Farm and Spineshank

Not many bands could tear the metal community away from their spooky antics on Halloween night, but when SKINDRED put up the Bat signal for an evening at Alexandra Palace, few turned down their duty to Dred Bounce the night away. And SKINDRED did not disappoint, turning to friends SPINESHANK and ALIEN ANT FARM for support, Newport’s finest armed themselves with lasers, smoke machines, confetti canons and more sequinned costume changes than a Taylor Swift Eras concert. 

SPINESHANK opened proceedings and put every inch of their 30 years of nu-metal experience into their performance, getting so lost in their own music and the fanfare of playing Alexandra Palace, that the end of their set was a surprise to them too. They practically had to be dragged from the stage, announcing that their set was over with no indication to the crowd that the end was nigh - and the crowd were so enamoured with the band they could have played on well into the night with no complaint. Part of that exceptional performance was in part to their latest investment in James Mills, vocalist for SEVERANCE, who filled in on bass and vocals (and hype), giving a standout performance. 

With big shoes to fill, ALIEN ANT FARM followed, trotting on stage to the Nightmare Before Christmas theme just to make sure the crowd knew this was a Halloween show (the copious amount of zombie makeup on both support acts did the trick too). And if ALIEN ANT FARM did anything correctly that night it was cement the fact that every band should have a backup vocalist armed with a shaker that waltzed across the stage with his mic stand; a thoroughly enjoyable addition to what was a double whammy of brilliant opening acts. ALIEN ANT FARM on the other hand did know when to end their set, and it was just in time for a walk off before re-entering the stage for the cover everyone was waiting to hear - MICHAEL JACKSON’s Smooth Criminal. 

Now when SKINDRED took to the stage, it was not the first time the crowd had glimpsed frontman Benji Webbe, who’d walked across the stage dressed as a doctor for each of the support acts before departing for a costume change - the first of many that evening. And when Benji decides to slip into something a little more comfortable, that typically means fur coats, sequins, hats of every variety, clashing colours, tassels and spiked sunglasses, all of which made an appearance throughout the show. But at no point did Benji’s antics detract from what was an unmissable spectacle. The music after all was as rambunctious as Benji’s style - brash, loud, campy, and exactly what the doctor ordered. 

Marching on stage to a remix of Star Wars’ Imperial March - this would not be the only rehashed cover to make an appearance that night - it took two songs before SKINDRED were deploying the confetti cannons and four songs for the sparks to fly. It is an unspoken rule that Ally Pally requires the absolute most that bands have to offer, be that theatrics, production and the majority of their budget, and that can be a daunting prospect for some bands. Not for SKINDRED though, who seemed thoroughly at home amongst the lasers and lights. Whatever magic makes SKINDRED so special is so well suited to Ally Pally that a residency should be considered. 

Rattling through 90 minutes of music that passed by in a heartbeat, the band perfectly balanced their numerous hits with tracks from their latest album You Got This that blended so effortlessly it was hard to discern their recent releases from their golden oldies, both in performance and crowd reception. But of course there had to be a sprinkling of that quirkiness that SKINDRED are loved for, and that came in the form of multiple snippets of covers delivered between songs or mashed together in a longer bass soloing segment, allowing Benji to change wardrobe once again, but also showed off the chops of their bass player Tommy Gleeson. It’s not often that the bass player gets their moment in the spotlight (although incredible showmanship from all three bands’ bass players seemed to be a constant theme for the evening), but it was a welcome interlude in a set so full of dancing, bouncing, a random marriage proposal and Newport Helicopter-ing that it worked with surprising effect. 

Forever the eccentric frontman, Benji Webbe took his usual charisma to another level to charm the Ally Pally crowd, which also gave him license to playfully tear into them when they didn’t behave for him. Benji doesn’t believe in inside thoughts it would seem, and that is one of his greatest strengths. There’s an unhinged authenticity to the man that is essentially endearing, whether he is expressing his genuine thanks or speaking to himself like a madman. Swearing at the audience, telling them to watch him (as if they could miss the man in the massive checkerboard fur coat and brown top hat); but at the heart of it all, was a mutual respect that was palpable. SKINDRED were buoyed by the turn out, the legion of rabid fans that wanted nothing more than to scream their music back to them, and the crowd couldn’t thank the band enough for their years of service. 

And as the evening came to an end, in an unforgettable shower of neon confetti and smoke, SKINDRED left 10,000 people united in the feeling that they’ve been instilling for almost 30 years, that no matter what was to come, as their latest album attested, “you got this.”

Words: Jade du Preez

Photos: Kelsey Tomlinson