REVIEW: The Skints at The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea

It's not often a band will put out a request on social media for a pair of crutches, but guitarist Joshua Rudge badly sprained his ankle the night before in Falmouth. Thankfully Portsmouth fans Cameron Windsor and Tom Swinson came to the rescue and the sold out show could go ahead.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Oct 2017, 16:49 BST
Updated 11th Dec 2017, 23:26 BST
The Skints live at The Wedgewood Rooms, October 8, 2017. Picture by Paul WindsorThe Skints live at The Wedgewood Rooms, October 8, 2017. Picture by Paul Windsor
The Skints live at The Wedgewood Rooms, October 8, 2017. Picture by Paul Windsor

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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However 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.

Related topics:SouthseaPortsmouth