Originally booked for the larger (and frankly, not as good IMHO) Oran Mor in the west end, the gig had been venue-shunted to the more intimate King Tuts Wah Wah Hut for reasons unbeknown to your scribe. Given the venue is half the size of the original booking, I guess you can make your own assumptions.
The Skints have a long relationship with the city and have forged bonds with local heroes Mungo’s Hi Fi as well as their sister club nights at Walk And Skank- there was actually an aftershow with Josh from the band as guest DJ at the Berkeley Suite but given my vintage years, I left that one to the young team.
The Mungos people have really got a scene going and I for one don’t think they get anything like enough credit.
We unfortunately missed opening band Dopesickfly but from chatting to a few folk, they seem to have went down really well with the audience; one to check out later.
Songs, Charisma, Youth
I’ve seen The Skints a load of times in the last decade; Carlisle, Rebellion Festival twice and a couple of times locally; the one thing I’ve said in reviews and elsewhere, and it stands repeating, is that I am flummoxed as to why this band are not absolutely huge. They have it all; songs, charisma, youth, good-looks, style, musicianship and energy. I’ll repeat the word, songs; they have huge, anthemic songs, gentle Lovers Rock-style songs, rattling ska bangers, calypso pop tunes and strange time-signature rockers. Lily Allen apparently made a mint from a career with material (and talent) a million miles the inferior of this. It just shows you what a well-oiled publicity machine can do, eh?
Anyway, to the show. The old venue is pretty much full; as is the norm for The Skints, it’s a young-ish crowd, (well, certainly younger than me!) with a friendly, happy vibe and much grooving to the pre-gig dub and reggae sounds over the PA. The stage is bedecked in the usual trees and shrubs and garlands that The Skints have been using as props for a while now and it gets me to wondering whether they have a designated flightcase for foliage stashed somewhere backstage.
Pulsing, bass bin destroying
Literally bouncing onstage, The Skints launch immediately into a pulsing “Mindless” and a bass bin -destroying “Rat-A-Tat-Tat” which sees the Tuts crowd turn into a mass of skanking and swaying humanity- smiles all round as livewire frontman Josh does his MC bit and gets the “Thursday night Skints party” underway in style. Marcia on vocals and keys (and melodica, sax, effects pad and flute among others) was always quite a shy and demure part of the band; she’s changed since I last saw them- all swivelling hips and smiles, engaging with those stage front as she absolutely nails her parts to mass whooping and hollering from the crowd as she takes a sax solo.
The bottom end is expertly nailed to the floor by a grinning Jonathan and his short scale mini bass (which is as thunderous as the old Fender Jazz he used to play) and drummer Jamie who looks as nonplussed as ever while giving a percussive masterclass and adding his sweet vocals to much of the set.
The band drop a new song in with apologies from Josh (”no-one wants to hear new songs, sorry….”) but the chirpy, ska-inflected track sees the dancing throng take it up a notch.
With a swinging “Rise Up” taking the mercury up another couple of levels, The Skints, who are clearly having a ball onstage, engage with the crowd and the mutual love is palpable.
Another terrific Skints show; tell me, why aren’t they one of the biggest bands in the world?
All words: Joe Whyte (VLR)