Skindred at The Wedgewood Rooms, review: '˜Nobody does it better? Cheeky, but true' Â

Alone on the stage, frontman Benji Webbe tells the story of how his friend died of cancer before he got to see him one last time. He's joined by guitarist Mikey Demus on an acoustic guitar for a stripped down and touching rendition of Saying It Now. Perhaps it's because of its incongruous nature that it stands out so much. The rest of the set cleaves more to the band's usual type - massive riffs from Mikey, hip-hop influenced drums from Arya Goggin, while bassist Daniel Pugsley deftly holds it all together, stage right.  And of course there's Benji, the '˜ringmaster of disaster.' The charismatic frontman is their not-so-secret weapon. Slipping from metal barking, to ragga-toasting, with the occasional croon, he's got the pipes, but he's also got the patter '“ working the crowd from the moment the band comes on stage and launches into the raucous new album title track Big Tings.