Street Voice UK

It’s been a while since I saw Skindred and despite a two hour journey to this Welsh Metal outfit I’m so glad I never gave up on the train journey!

From the Moment Skindred hit the stage with Set Fazers I knew Benji and co were going to deliver in style and they did just that!

Benji Webbe really connects with his audience and they were lapping it up and who can blame them. I wanted to jump in the audience myself to crowd surf.

So many recognise Benji and being Mr Skindred but christ you have to give credit to Mikey Demus who played his heart out throughout the evening. Mr Demus is a powerhouse on his guitar.

Skindred’s metal sound fusing reggae, electronica and other genres of music really does work and there were three thousand people in the audience who would agree with me. Proof of that lays with the blinding set list that included Rat Race, That’s My Jam and Kill The Power!

I just loved seeing Dan Pugsley strut his stuff. This guy is a master of his art!

Going back to Skindred’s set and they played Love (Smile Please), Life That’s Free and Gimme That Boom from their recent album Smile whgich certainly went down well with their fanbase.

Smile not only went down a storm in the charts but it was one of the best albums I’d heard in 2023. Not one filler and every track delivered with sincerity.

Sadly I had to miss the encore due to rail problems but last night was a blinding show from Benji and the lads. I couldn’t have wished for a better show!

Opening up for Skindred were UK metallers As Everything Unfolds who I never heard until tonight and they blew me away with their set. Hailing from High Wycombe Charlie Rolfe and Co delivered a 30 minute set that really grabbed me in!

Fusing alternative rock, post-hardcore and metal thsi band really did deliver and I can’t wait to check out their back catalogue. The crowd who saw them enjoyed every minute of their set and for those that missed them you really did miss out on a great act!

Main support for the night were Payable On Death and American Nu Metal band who really tore Birmingham a new one!

P.O.D. from the moment they hit the stage I knew these guys meant business and they just got better!

I was in awe!

Sonny Sandoval the vocalist really connected with the audience and it wasn’t long before her was over the security barriers singing along with the crowd who were loving it!

Even Benji from Skindred jumped on stage for a song with them.

Its been a long time since I saw this P.O.D. and I promise I wont leave it as long next time!

What a brillliant night and so many happy faces to be seen after watching one of the best gigs that’s happened in Birmingham for a while.

Thanks to Seven at 7PM Management and William at Wilful Publicity for sorting out the passes – Thank You!

Words / Photos – Kat Riot