Skin

I braved the cold tonight and headed to Rock City to see Skin, no not the lady from Skunk Anansie, the rock band who made a come back at Download Festival this year after 15 years in hibernation.

After Download Festival the boys didn't have a clue as to what their next move would be so it was great to see them out on tour. Myke Gray the guitarist and song writer for the band had clearly been a busy bunny in the last few months as not only did we have a tour we had new songs too.

Tonight wasn't going to be one of those gigs that was a pure promotion machine, it was a chance for Skin to see they still had fans and they could still fit into today's music scene, the army of 'Skin Freaks' as the fans are known were clearly up for a good night. Their dedication hasn't gone unnoticed as one of the new songs showcased tonight was 'Re-United'. A some what emotional Neville MacDonald spoke to the audience and said this song was for them, it's times like this the smoking ban is obvious as no longer are cigarette lighters waved but mobile phones... just not the same effect in my opinion.




All the feel good tracks were in tonight, 'Look But Don't Touch' was probably the track that got Skin their recognition in the first place, and MacDonald's vocals tonight were spot on, it makes you question why these guys didn't get back on the tour bus sooner. 'House of Love', 'Money' and 'Tower of Strength' all got a great reaction from the crowd. After every song the look of surprise on MacDonald's face was a picture in itself. A wait of 15 years proves that the fans thing they are worth waiting for and it didn't disappoint.

An observation I made that made me smile was the audience looked like they'd trawled their wardrobes for their denim and leather to take them properly back to Skin glory days, where as the band had T-Shirts and Converse... Where had all the hair gone? Andy Robbins the Bass player does look identical to 15 years ago though, he obviously knows a secret we'd all like to be in on.

The banter between Skin and the crowd was great all night. Gray's bare chested presence was a plus for some of us as he effortlessly ripped through the set. The new tracks including the fore mentioned 'Re-united' and 'Redemption' slipped very nicely into the set, and the night was round off with 'Unbelievable' the EMF cover, and 'Shine Your Light'.

MacDonald launched himself off stage after a cry of "It's great to be back" well Nev it's good to have you back. This mini tour will hopefully prove that the fans want this band back on stage where they belong, we may have all gained a few pounds and lost a few inches of hair but there was no mistake that Rock City definitely Rocked tonight.

FUTURE GIGS

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