Live Review: Skunk Anansie - O2 Academy, Birmingham
Support: So Good
5th April 2025
Words & Photos: Tim Finch
After months of gloom, the sun is finally shining in Birmingham and on this warm spring evening we have the now legendary rock act Skunk Anansie to entertain us.
Before Skunk Anansie lit up the stage, the crowd was treated to a chaotic, genre-bending opening set from So Good; a three-piece all-female pop/punk/rap act who are impossible to pigeonhole, and even harder to ignore.
Backed by a live band in bright pink balaclavas (yes, really), So Good launched into their set immediately turning the room into a cocktail of confusion, fascination, and energy. The sound was raw but tight, think Beastie Boys meets The Gossip via Charli XCX on a punk bender.
Tracks like ‘Hot’ and ‘Dick’ were delivered with snarling, tongue-in-cheek confidence. Equal parts bratty and brilliant, the trio danced the line between performance art and pure punk rage, spitting lyrics that were as provocative as they were catchy. ‘Industry Plant’ was a clear standout, calling out the fakeness of the music machine with a mix of rap verses and a crashing pop chorus that wouldn't feel out of place at a riot grrrl rally or a warehouse rave.
They wrapped their set with ‘I Rewrote The F**king Bible’, a blistering, no-holds-barred anthem that had the crowd shouting back in disbelief and delight. It's clear So Good aren't here to play it safe. Their music may still be limited to singles for now, but the attitude, presence, and originality they brought to the stage felt like the early signs of something much bigger.
If you ever need a reminder of what it means to be a truly commanding front person, go see Skunk Anansie. Skin and co. tore through a career-spanning set that was equal parts political fury, emotional depth, and pure rock spectacle.
Taking the stage in a towering black puffer jacket that swallowed her silhouette, Skin looked every bit the mysterious force of nature she’s always been. But by the time ‘This Means War’ reached its searing chorus, she’d shed the outer shell, literally and figuratively, and launched headfirst into ‘Charlie Big Potato’, kicking off a setlist packed with fan favourites, protest anthems, and surprise moments.
The band was razor-sharp throughout. ‘Because of You’ and ‘An Artist Is an Artist’ hit with fresh relevance, while ‘I Believed in You’ and ‘God Loves Only You’ carried a weight that could silence a room if Skin’s voice didn’t already command it. Her presence is electric: climbing into the crowd, staring down the front row, never once letting the energy drop below full throttle.
‘Tear the Place Up’ and ‘Little Baby Swastikkka’ closed the main set with a glorious wall of noise and righteous anger. And then came the encore which was something else entirely.
‘Cheers’ offered a moment of vulnerability, but it was ‘Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)’ that drew the loudest singalong of the night, voices from every corner of the room rising to meet Skin’s. ‘The Skank Heads (Get Off Me)’ pushed the energy into overdrive. They ended on ‘Lost and Found’, a fitting closer that blended all the band’s elements - rage, beauty, power - into one last cathartic scream into the night.
Over 30 years into their career, Skunk Anansie are still a force that refuses to be tamed. On this night in Birmingham, they didn’t just play a show. They reminded us what a band with something to say, and the guts to say it loud, really looks like.
Photo Credits: Tim Finch Photography
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