SKINDRED // DEAD PONY // TOWN HALL, MIDDLESBROUGH

Skindred’s Ragga-Metal Riot Shakes the Town Hall

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Skindred @ Middlesbrough Town Hall

Photo Credit: John Hayhurst

Season’s are changing it’s bitterly cold outside, the kind of North East night that nips your ears off, but inside Middlesbrough Town Hall, it’s the opposite — a roaring, sweaty furnace of noise and joy. Skindred’s return to Teesside feels like an important event, not just a gig. But before the Newport ragga-metal veterans hit the stage, it’s Glasgow’s Dead Pony who light the first spark.

Dead Pony @ Middlesbrough Town Hall

Photo Credit: John Hayhurst

Dead Pony open with “Ignore This,” the snarling title track from their brilliant debut album, and within seconds the Town Hall’s gothic arches are trembling. Frontwoman Anna Shields stalks the stage with the confidence of someone who knows she’s got everyone’s attention.

“MK Nothing” follows with Shields pulling out some Karate moves, culminating in her bending double and sticking her tongue out at the front row.“Rainbows” is a slice of perfect danceable punk pop, with an earworm chorus that stays in your head for days and a great message about accepting differences to boot.

Their first time in Middlesbrough but they’re not taking the easy route, — they tear through some new songs “Boom,” “Eat My Dust,” and “Freak Like Me” with sharp, neon-edged energy, blending punk grit with some prodigy dancefloor adrenaline.

By the time they close with “MANA,” Shields and guitarist Blair Crichton have the crowd clapping, stamping, and shouting their name. It’s a tight, electric set that leaves Middlesbrough stunned, hundreds of new fans gained, they will be back I’m sure.

After a selection of halloween singalong songs, like “Ghostbusters” (that this crowd evidently go mad for), the lights drop and AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” blasts through the PA. The crowd’s cheers rise like a siren. Out strides Benji Webbe, red glasses glinting, grinning like he owns the place. “We are Skindred — let’s do this!” he roars, and the opening riff of “Set Fazers” detonates. The room goes wild. The Town Hall feels like it’s got a sprung dancefloor as I swear the whole place is bouncing in rhythm with hundreds of stomping feet.

There’s a family pressed against the front barrier — a couple with their young son perched on the barrier, his dad holding him safe, kid’s eyes are wide, mouth open, taking it all in. Webbe spots them immediately and gives the kid a nod. It’s that kind of night: chaos, warmth, and community all tangled together.

“Pressure” hits early in the set and halfway through, Webbe grins and slides straight into a chunk of AC/DC’s “Back in Black”. The crowd howls in recognition, fists in the air, as the mashup somehow makes perfect Skindred sense. Later, “Jump” similarly morphs into House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” as if the crowd here need anymore encouragement. The hall becomes a friendly pogoing riot.

Mikey Demus’s guitar rips through the mix with razor precision, and although Daniel Pugsley is missing, bass duties are filled by Feeder’s own Tommy Gleeson, who does a very fine job locking the whole mayhem together with Arya Goggin’s drums.

The hits keep coming: “Kill the Power,” and a blistering “Big Tings” all land with unstoppable force. When “Nobody” drops, the entire room becomes a choir. Webbe doesn’t even need to sing — he just stands there, beaming, letting the audience handle it.

After a brief exit, the encore arrives hard and fast. “Gimme That Boom” shakes the rafters, and then comes “Warning.” Everyone knows what’s next. Shirts, hoodies, and jackets fly into the air as the ‘Newport Helicopter’ spins into motion — a sight equal parts ridiculous and beautiful. For a few minutes, it’s utter pandemonium, the kind only Skindred can orchestrate.

As the last notes fade and the lights rise, people stand dazed, grinning, drenched. The young lad on the barrier high-fives his dad. It feels like everyone’s just been part of something gloriously unhinged and yet strangely unifying. Skindred’s Ragga-Metal riot just shook the Town Hall.

Words and Photos - John Hayhurst