LIVE FROM THE PIT: Skunk Anansie and So Good

“If you find yourself having to stick out for people and support them, it's not about politics, it’s about basic, decent human empathy.” Skunk Anansie’s Skin preaches to the crowd before playing their hit song, ‘God Only Loves You’. The vocalist, clad in an oversized shirt and a thick black line of paint rolling towards her forehead in an S-shape, continues her monologue, determined to uplift the crowd at Manchester’s O2 Arena. She speaks quickly and concisely, making sure every word matters. ‘It’s not left or right. It’s just right or wrong.’

Supporting Skunk Anansie were London-based So Good, a ‘brat-pop’ band that blends hip-hop and pop, but uses punk vocals to make the issues that matter to them heard. A Delilah Bon for the Glastonbury dads, the musicians in the band sport pink balaclavas and matching boiler suits, whilst the vocalist tears the stage apart with her two back-up dancers. Hilarious and oozing sexuality, the band runs through their hits with ease. It is clear why Skunk have picked them for this monumental task. As they also support Queens of the Stone Age summer tour, they are a breakthrough force to be reckoned with heading to the mainstream.

Within half an hour of So Good’s final song, Skunk Anansie made their Manchester debut on this tour. A giant spider pushes its way up the back of the stage. Originally, a reminder of their namesake, ’Anansi’, a trickster figure originating from Ghanaian folklore, which has now taken on a life of its own. There is a captivating unpredictability during the band's performance, which makes them electrifying to watch. Vocalist Skin takes these wild moments to unnerve the crowd, between hollow whispers and loud exclamations of ‘Is there something wrong, officer?’

Amongst the inflatable spikes, which have also become a part of the Skunk Anansie experience, they make a grand entrance with ‘This Means War’. The band take the opportunity to push their sound to the limits, making sure that Skin’s impressive soprano vocals take centre stage of the evening's proceedings. The enthusiasm and energy felt by the whole band shine as they pick up the pace with ‘Charlie Big Potato’. The rich guitar tones, reminiscent of the bassy undertones Royal Blood championed during their debut album, make their performance rich and current, despite the song's release in 1999.

The tour polishes their signature punk sound -if punk can be polished in any way- to sound refreshingly current. Great care has been taken in the arrangement and sound design, as the sound fills the domed ceiling of the Apollo. ‘Because of You’ was the moment that Skin could sustain some strikingly beautiful final notes, before switching gear into the new track ‘An Artist Is An Artist. Skunk Anansie have always taken a stand against hardship, for championing LGBTQIA+ rights and representing the outsider. Their upcoming album ‘The Painful Truth’ is the band at their most powerful- if their singles are anything to go by.

Whilst the set takes a turn to push their fan-favourite classics ‘God Only Loves You’, ‘Secretly’ and ‘Weak’, the crowd revel in nostalgia. This is Skunk Anansie at their best, rebellious and unapologetic. The riff-heavy ‘I Can Dream’ leaves the audience swaying in unison. There is more of a stillness to this part of the set. Perhaps to keep the energy of the audience up right until the end of their 21-song set, but there was a need for movement at that point.

‘Animal’, another new track, is the latest push of the Skunk Anansie sound- and they had breakdowns! Whilst the crowd may not have taken to it as much as the band would have liked, we certainly did. Splicing electronica with loud textured riffs, this daring song made the most of the bands' impressive light rig. Rather than a call to action, it was a change in the tide, bringing the energy to the second part of the set.

‘Yes It’s Fucking Political’ started the first pit of the evening. The band matched the energy greatly as Skin pushed her way around the stage with ease. She joined the anarchy dads that resided in the center of the pit (and us) for a mosh with ‘Tear The Place Up’, before getting loud with ‘Little Baby Swastikkka’.

After a brief encore, the band played their victory lap, starting with the first single from this new era ‘Cheers’, before playing ‘Hedonism’. A moment of euphoria for the band, they made themselves known with ‘Lost and Found’ before trying out a cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’. Stripped back, but with incredible room to let Skin’s vocals be heard, it was an elatory moment for both band and audience, before finishing with ‘The Skank Heads’.

Skunk Anansie prove that they’ve still got it. They are one of the most enigmatic voices in British rock. As a captivating Glastonbury headliner, to their fiery latest tour, the band have always been pushing the provocative, even twenty years on. Sounding great, there is very little stopping this band. We just hope the youth of today are listening to their impressive back catalogue and taking a stand for the issues that do matter.

Words: Amber Brooks

Photos: Kieran Atkinson