On the eve of their biggest headline show in a packed out Wembley Arena, the award winning, Tik Tok trending powerhouse of UK metal that are Skindred are warming up at a sold out Manchester Academy. As always, Skindred promise to bring their usual high energy party vibes to the masses, and as always, the clientele is a fantastical mix of full-on-metallers, wide-eyed ravers and those of us who happily swing both ways.

To get this party started, we have As Everything Unfolds. There’s a lot going on with these guys, and as such it’d be unfair to pigeonhole them into any specific metal genre. There is elements of metal core, there’s synth moments that bring Electric Callboy to mind and there’s clean almost poppy upbeat vocals followed by gutturals that remind one of Otep.

With so much going on within their music, it’s a treat for those of us that crave variety (Check our recent interview). Its a short but sweet set which seems to peak at crowd pleaser ‘Ultraviolent’. A solid opening band with literally something for everyone.

I am extremely excited for the next band P.O.D. One of the first metal bands I remember being enamoured with as a 13 year old with a knock off Slipknot hoodie; in a world where most of the bands on my CD player were thoroughly depressing and angsty (KoRn I’m looking at you). P.O.D. were usually an incredibly uplifting feature in my otherwise gloomy music collection.

P.O.D. have the unmistakable nu metal sound, with rap style vocals and trademark catchy hooks that invoke many ‘hands in the air’ type moments from the audience, many of which were most definitely there first-time round. Nu Metal Nostaliga is a current big thing and the love for P.O.D. is palpable across the entire room, with fists and voices raised in every corner.

We are treated to all the favourites like ‘Boom’, ‘Satellite’, and ‘Youth of the Nation’, as well as the band taking the opportunity to debut some tasty sounding new material in the form of tracks ‘Sound Boy Killa’ and ‘Afraid to Die’, the latter featuring Jinjer front woman Tatiana Shmayluk on (sadly pre-recorded) guest vocals.

The band closed with the anthem ‘Alive’, much to the delight of the audience. They promise to be back in the UK soon, and after tonight’s fantastic performance let’s hope so!

The night was always going to firmly belong to headliners Skindred. From a band I first saw at an early Damnation festival in the legendary Jillys, I’ve delighted in watching them grow and evolve over the many years I’ve been a fan. The room is suddenly packed and unreasonably hot, excitable fans singing Queen at the top of their lungs in anticipation of Skindred taking to the stage.

They explode into action with the blistering ‘Set Fazers’ from their latest album “Smile”. This sets the energy of the performance from the beginning, an energy which Skindred manage to sustain for the full 90 minute set. The set weaves and twists through the extensive back catalogue, and we’re treated to such gems as ‘Ninja’ and ‘Kill The Power’.

However the set reaches an unexpectedly emotional moment with a heartfelt performance of ‘If I Could’. Frontman Benji has said in the past this song was inspired by the Covid 19 pandemic and the difficulties so many of us faced during the lockdown, but tonight hearing it sang so passionately by the entire Manchester Academy I was able to enjoy a moment of stillness and my own feelings around this song. However it is only a brief recess from the chaos as the band ratchet the energy back up by closing the show with ‘Warning’ and the now famous Newport Helicopter.

The highlight of all Skindred gigs has to be watching Benji Webbe, the bands dynamic frontman. In a previous interview with ROCKFLESH, bassist Daniel had acknowledged that the band wouldn’t have had the success they’d had without the unique vocals Webbe brings to them. Skindred’s fusion of metal and reggae have given them a very distinctive sound. Tonight Mr Webbe is on form in an all black outfit with his trademark spiked shades, playfully bantering with the audience between songs, and generally looking like he’s having a lot of fun. He’s a very gifted entertainer and one of the reasons I continue to go to see Skindred every chance I get.

For me, this band is always going to bring the feel good factor into my life, and I believe that to be true for so many people in the room. You’re always guaranteed a lot of fun with them, even if your knees might really hurt at the end of the night.

As we leave the venue to the sounds of Carly Simon, I can’t help but wonder what an arena full of Newport Helicopters will look like.