SKINDRED - KK's Steel Mill Wolverhampton - 30th October 2025

Wolverhampton’s KK’s Steel Mill was packed to warehouse beams this Halloween, a sea of costumes (including one giant inflatable male member) and beer cups primed for the chaos ahead. And chaos is exactly what they got, courtesy of Newport’s finest, Skindred,  a band who have turned genre-bending, crowd-moving mayhem into an art form.

Dead Air kicked things off with a strong set of hard-edged rock, full of grit and groove that got the crowd primed and ready. Next up was Glasgow's Dead Pony, who embraced the Halloween theme by dressing as the School of Rock, wearing ties and school shirts scribbled with biro, and playing bold riffs. Their energy was contagious, and the crowd loved it, setting the bar for the night ahead.

When Skindred took the stage to 'Set Fazers', the whole room erupted. Frontman Benji Webbe, as charismatic as always, had everyone’s attention from the start. 'Stand for Something' and 'Rat Race' came next, with the band’s mix of reggae, metal, and party energy shaking the venue.

The show was a perfect mix of heavy riffs, humour, and crowd involvement. At one point we took a break from the music for the band to host a sandwich-eating contest with a trip to Vegas as the prize. One contestant gave it a try but the Countdown music mixed with the size of the slice was just too much, and Benji of course teased her in good fun.

Moments of absurdity continued through the night, including a random blast of the viral “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday” jingle somewhere between 'Radio 01633' and a cover of Van Halen's 'Jump' (that of course consisted of a roadie with a toy synthesiser) , which had the entire crowd laughing and singing along. It’s that mix of comedy, chaos, and catharsis that makes a Skindred show unlike any other.

By the time 'Kill the Power' and 'Big Tings' rolled around, the crowd was a sweaty, unified organism, bouncing and shouting on command. 'Nobody' closed the main set with sheer force, before the encore of 'Gimme That Boom' (I also want to give a special shout out to the Basil Brush tee they had on sale referencing this song that gave me a massive chuckle) and the inevitable 'Warning' brought out the famous Newport Helicopter,  hundreds of shirts whirling above heads in a storm of fabric and fury.

Skindred throw the ultimate party, regardless of the time of year, fuelled by joy, defiance, and more hooks than most bands manage in a lifetime. Skindred showed once again why no one else can do what they do.