Live Review: Skindred - KK's Steel Mill, Wolverhampton
Support: Dead Pony, Dead Air
31st October 2025
Words: Cat Finch
Photos: Tim Finch
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize your neighbourhood…
It’s Halloween and what better way to celebrate that with a wild live show. Skindred are in the Blackcountry at the legendary KK’s Steel Mill and fans have come out in force to sell out the venue, frightening fancy dress and all…
Opening for Skindred is no small task, but Dead Air wasted no time proving they belonged on that stage. Bursting out with ferocious energy, their mix of heavy grooves and melodic grit instantly grabbed the crowd’s attention. The riffs hit hard, the rhythm section thundered, and the vocals carried a raw intensity that turned curious onlookers into instant fans.
Tight, confident, and brimming with intent, Dead Air delivered a set that felt far bigger than their opening slot. If this performance was any indication, Dead Air are well on their way to being the next band everyone’s talking about.
Dead Pony hit the stage next with explosive intent. From the opening blast of ‘Ignore This’ through to the feral energy of ‘MK Nothing’, the Glasgow quartet wasted no time proving why they’re one of the most exciting names in the UK alt scene right now. Anna Shields’ powerhouse vocals cut through the room with venom and charisma, while the band behind her fired on all.
Mid-set highlights ‘Rainbows’ and ‘Boom!’ had the crowd bouncing, their anthemic choruses impossible to resist. By the time ‘Eat My Dust!’ and ‘Everything Burns’ dropped, Dead Pony had fully ignited the venue, the floor moving as one to their blistering rhythms.
There are live bands and then there’s Skindred! When the Newport ragga-metal titans stormed the Wolverhampton stage, the energy in the room shifted instantly. Opening with ‘Set Fazers’, they didn’t just start a gig; they launched a full-scale party. Frontman Benji Webbe, equal parts showman and ringmaster, had the crowd eating out of his hand before the first chorus even landed. With ‘Stand for Something’ and ‘Rat Race’ following in rapid succession, the band hit with groove, grit, and that trademark Skindred swagger and the whole room was bouncing.
By the time ‘Pressure’ rolled around, seamlessly morphing into AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black’, the audience was roaring. The band’s ability to twist genres mid-song and still keep the energy sky-high is pure magic. ‘That’s My Jam’ turned the venue into a bouncing sea of fists and smiles, while ‘Radio 01633’ (mashed up with Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets’ and Papa Roach’s ‘Last Resort’) proved Skindred can out-fun and out-perform almost anyone in rock today.
Then came the mayhem, ‘Jump’ by Van Halen slammed straight into ‘Jump Around’ by House of Pain, and the crowd lost it. From frenzied pits to singalongs, every person in the room was part of the show. ‘You Got This’ and ‘Kill the Power’ hammered home the band’s message of unity, while ‘Big Tings’ and ‘Nobody’ brought sheer weight and groove.
The encore was inevitable but still electrifying. ‘Gimme That Boom’ dropped like a bomb, bass shaking the walls and the crowd chanting every word back. Then came ‘Warning’, the ultimate Skindred anthem, and of course the “Newport Helicopter”. As hundreds of shirts spun overhead, the band stood grinning, kings of their chaos and one of the UK’s brightest live acts today.
Photo Credits: Tim Finch Photography
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