Skindred w/ P.O.D. and As Everything Unfolds, Manchester Academy.

Skindred, the Welsh legends, are in Manchester on their short UK tour. Skindred for me is a band that should’ve been massively popular way earlier on, before the days of TikTok. I’ve seen these guys before at Download Festival with my shirt in hand whipping it around for the Newport Helicopter and I was ready and prepared to do the same again tonight.

But up first was As Everything Unfolds, a British Metal band from High Wycombe. A band that I have never seen or listened to before, now I want to start off by saying that vocalist Charlie Rolfe sounded beyond incredible, her vocals were perfect the entire way through the set. However it would’ve been better If I could see what I was also hearing, the lighting situation for this set was not ideal in the slightest, with many in the crowd struggling to see what was going on as no front lights were on. The black dress that she was wearing really caused her to blend into the background when on the stage, if it wasn’t for the back lights you wouldn’t be able to see her at all, which as a Photographer this made it so insanely hard to photograph. They sounded and played incredible throughout their entire performance. It’s just a shame that we couldn’t see what was going on.

Setlist:

Slow Down
Hiding From Myself
Flip Side
Ultraviolet
Twilight
Felt Like Home
On the Inside

The second supports are a band that doesn’t really need an introduction, because if you’ve been into any alternative night club you would’ve heard at least one of their songs without a doubt. P.O.D are an American Christian nu metal band formed in San Diego, California. These guys are legends to the nu-metal scene without a doubt, and you would honestly think that most of this crowd is only there for them. But when the crowd doesn’t get any less packed at the end of their set you realise this lineup is this crowds version of heaven. The second they came on it was as if this was their headline tour, and it went off within the first few seconds that the band took to the stage.

Vocalist Sonny Sandoval swung his dreads around on that stage and took control of that crowd, everyone had their fists in the air and there was a six year old crowd surfing. It was carnage but in the best way if that makes any sense. It was insane to witness the crowd go nuts and scream back every lyric with force.

Skindred couldn’t have picked a better support for this tour, this was this crowd’s dream tour. The room was filled by this point to the very back doors into the lobby.

Setlist:

Drop
Boom
Rock the Party (Off the Hook)
Satellite
Soundboy Killa
Youth of the Nation
Afraid to Die
Southtown
Alive

And now it’s time for the band of the night. When I give people a brief description of Skindred’s sound and say “It’s Reggae mixed in with metal” I get a very confused and weird outlook because it’s a combination that you wouldn’t think to put together. The lights go down and the intro to Thunderstruck by AC/DC begins to play as each member gathers on the stage. Benji comes out with a Skindred flag in hand swishing it back and forth as the intro to Set Fazers begins to play.

But including snippets of other songs doesn’t happen just for the intro, throughout the performance they have bits from Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’ which makes sense for a Manchester show, and Van Halen’s ‘Jump’. It shows the personality of the fun loving front man, Benji Webbe.

They mix the crowd with some of their favourite hits as well as a few from their latest album, with songs like ‘Gimme That Boom’, ‘If I Could’ and ‘L.O.V.E’. These metal heads are ready for the Newport helicopter as they all start singing along to ‘Warning’ with shirts swinging in the air. Benji being the fabulous rock star that he is, can’t settle for one outfit for the show and changes from Fringed Leather Jackets to big fur coats, the man is a legend in the rock and clearly the fashion scene too.

The crowd really ups their level with classics like ‘Nobody’ and ‘Kill the Power’ which are my personal favourites from the band,

This was one hell of a show, and a tough one to get back into from the lobby into the main room with how packed it was. I’m looking forward to seeing these guys again very soon.

Setlist: