By the time The Skints were on to play their set
the o2 had almost reached its capacity. There
was a real sense of cheer in the air, people knew
how tonight was going to end. It seemed that not
many had heard of The Skints before, however,
after a couple of songs hips were swaying and
heads were nodding. Their sound was crisp, and
all three sets of vocals complimented each other
beautifully. The Skints seem a perfect mix of
ska and reggae. Lead singer Marcia Richards’
voice is so full of soul it’s impossible
not to give her your full attention while she’s
on stage. Not only that, she varied playing keyboard,
saxophone, flute and melodica, talk about being
talented! They covered Dawn Penn’s No NoNo
(You Don’t Love Me) and everyone sang along.
This band deserves a lot more credit than they
are getting.
Suburban Legends blasted on stage in a whirlwind
of energy. Each band member had a different character.
Their lead singer donned a navy tracksuit, while
the guitarist sported a shirt and jacket, and
saxophone player and trombone player had matching
waistcoats and white shirts. Their performance
was nothing short of comedic; the sax and trombone
players had rehearsed dance moves, adding even
more fun to this thoroughly enjoyable performance.
Not only were we being entertained by the dance
moves, these guys could play well. This was ska
at its peak. When they cracked out their version
of ‘I just can’t wait to be King’
from Disney’s Lion King everyone knew the
words, it seemed to bring back the sense of wholesome
fun you could only experience as a child. I can
honestly say I’ve never heard a support
band get such a massive cheer as Suburban Legends
did, but the time came for them to leave the stage
and everyone waited in anticipation for Reel Big
Fish to begin…
….And so they did. The audience went mad;
every person from the barrier to the bar was dancing.
There was already a cheery ambience in the venue,
Reel Big Fish came on stage and was lifted it
tenfold.They played for a full hour and a half,
cracking out tune after tune, the energy and atmosphere
did not descend at any point. There was a real
sense of unity in the academy, everyone was out
to have a good time. Reel Big Fish really did
just ooze coolness. There was funny interaction
between the band before ‘She Has A Girlfriend
Now’, lead singer Aaron Barrett said ‘‘this
song is about a girl that left me for another
girl. I should have known because every time we
played rock paper scissors she went straight for
the scissors!’’ He then mimed ‘scissor
sisters’ with his hands. Everyone went wild
for ‘Your Guts’, and things just seemed
to escalate as the evening progressed. Their cover
of Van Morrison’s ‘Brown Eyed Girl’
was brilliant; it sounded absolutely fantastic
with the use of the brass. Ryland Steen played
an ace drum solo; it seemed a welcomed interjection
between the set. ‘The Beer Song’ was
played before they all left the stage, chants
began and they returned to play the en core, a
cover of A-Ha’s ‘Take On Me’,
job done!
Reel Big Fish – 4/5
Suburban Legends – 4/5
The Skints – 4/5
Review By Karlie M
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