Skin takes to the stage with the ease that most of us have with breathing. Kicking off with ‘She’s On’ from the hotly anticipated new album Fake Chemical State, Skin leaps around the stage, leaning over the edge into the faces of the crowd, wielding her mic stand, like Xena the Warrior Princess and even breaking them at one point.  

The set list is a wonderful mix of Skunk Anansie tracks, new songs and material from her first solo album, Fleshwounds. Each song is tender and intimate in almost a painful way while the Skunk Anansie songs are wonderfully textured rock songs. The new stuff has a raw edge, think the Strokes with real passion, louder guitars and lyrics that make sense.

Skin flirts with the crowd, standing on the monitors spanking herself, flicking her tongue in a seductive way to the very appreciative and predominately female audience. She talks openly to the crowd, even responding to some very open/naughty offers. 

We are treated to a few more classic Skunk Anansie tracks – ‘Charlie Big Potato’ rocks the room, shifting between a hard dark riff and a tender vocals and an acoustic version of ‘Hedonism – Just Because It Hurts’, which is beautiful and sends the crowd into an instant sing-along.

She closes the set with ‘Trashed’ from Fleshwounds and then an absolutely rocking version ‘I Can Dream’ from Skunk Anansie’s Paranoid & Sunburnt. 

It’s a great show but let down by a poor turnout (although those who turned up more than made up for it).  I, like everyone else, am looking forward to getting into a Fake Chemical State.

(4/5)

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