First to kick off Jägermeister’s 2012 music tour was London based band The Defiled. I actually missed most of their set because I was queuing at the bar, (the queue really was that long!)But from what I could hear they sounded like a guitar driven, jugular attacking metal band with the kind of riffs that would make staunchest metal heads happy. The problem with this band was when I actually saw them... Their on stage theatrics at the end of their set involved smashing up their keyboard and guitars. Now, it’s possible that back in the day when Led Zeppelin threw a TV set out of the window, it might have been deemed rock’n’roll but these guys smashing up perfectly good instruments just seemed pathetic and try hard. Poor show guys.
Next on the bill were Sheffield based Black Spiders, who could be described as the two pints of lager and a packet of crisps of the rock world. Simple, enjoyable and not taking themselves too seriously – how could you when you’ve entitled a song ‘KISS tried to kill me’?! They looked like the stereotypical bearded rocker band that you’d find down your local, sticky-floored boozer, knocking out humongous riffs backed by powerhouse voices. ‘Stay Down’ got the audience fired up and moving and ‘Just like a woman’ encouraged the audience to sing along with its memorable chorus. They kept up camaraderie well and at one point called for the audience to shout “Fuck you Black Spiders” as loudly as possible. In some ways these guys were my favourite band of the evening because they were a new discovery for me. I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes open for when they’re next performing.
The third and final support act was Northern Ireland’s Therapy? an established, alternative rock/grunge band that peaked in the early 90’s. They came on dressed in sharp suits, not quite what I was expecting. They opened up with ‘Teethgrinder’ from their back catalogue, which seemed to go down well with the audience. In fact all the songs from their earlier albums seemed to go down well including ‘Unbeliever’ and ‘Die laughing’. New material from their 2012 album ‘A brief crack of light’ seemed to be swallowed up by the atmosphere and possibly didn’t get the reaction it deserved. Unfortunately though, almost 20 years is a long time ago and by the end of their set they seemed to have lost the vigour and vibrancy that the mosh-hungry audience were craving. Having said that they certainly seemed to have a number of loyal fans in the audience judging by the number of Band T-shirts I saw. I think I’d like to see these guys again in a smaller venue, when they’re not being overshadowed by the almighty presence that is Skindred!
By this time Jäger was flowing through the veins of at least 90% of the audience, and the anticipation for Welsh legends Skindred was increasing by the second. As soon as front man Benji Webbe stepped out on to the stage complete with a top hat the audience erupted with a clamouring and thunderous applause.
When the opening notes of ‘Roots rock riot’ started the audience were on their feet dancing and moshing and didn’t stop for the rest of the night. Skindred’s unique ska/punk/dub infused metal offers something to keep everyone on edge and moving and with samples from Beyoncé, AC/DC, Slipknot and Carly Simon interspersed through out the performance it’s clear these guys fear nobody.
Benji has a great charisma on stage, he manages to say exactly what the audience wants to hear, he made a speech praising the quality of British metal on the stage that night (rightly so) and another about saying a big “Fuck you” to anybody that doesn’t believe in you and stands in the way of your dreams.
And of course, Skindred wouldn’t happen without musos Daniel Pugsley (bass) Michael Fry (Guitar) and Arya Goggin (Drums). ‘Destroy the dance floor’ (which almost did just that!) and ‘Doom Riff’ in particular showcased the talent and cohesion of powerful riffs and savage drums off set by Benji’s impressive vocals. All this combines to make Skindred a force that is second to none.
My favourite song of the evening has to have been encore head-banger ‘warning’ because the energy from the audience and band alike was relentless and electric. They put on a great show, and played all the songs I wanted them to play – my friend did say he wished they’d played ‘State of emergency’ but you know what they say… leave the audience wanting more, and we certainly did! Friday 13th is unlucky for some, but not these guys!
Eleanor Knight
