REVIEW: The Skints at The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea
As it was the last night of the tour there was a party atmosphere and the crowd were up for it even on a Sunday, with support band New Kingston laying down a groove which The Skints quickly took up. Sometimes a band can be defined by the occasional cover they throw into the set. Tonight we had an imperious version of The Specials’ Ghost Town and Black Flag’s War Cry shows the band clearly have a diverse set of influences.
While Rudge is the obvious frontman, quickly establishing a rapport with the audience, the biggest surprise tonight is drummer Jamie Kyriakides. Often having a singing drummer doesn’t work, but he takes on a large slice of the lead vocals, backed up by some gorgeous harmonies from the rest of the band, and his sweet soulful vocals are a joy.
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Hide AdHowever the biggest star for me was vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Marcia Richards. Not only has she got a wonderful voice but plays keyboards, percussion, saxophone, vocoder and the flute – quite extraordinary.
It was great to see the Wedgewood Rooms jumping again and The Skints are perfect band with a soulful blend of ska and reggae, who I would love to see them at Victorious next year. Let’s hope so.