Prior to leaving for the gig, my wife berated me for my lack of dedication to my diet, noting my weight was experiencing compound inflation. Indeed, it is true I have put on about 25% more weight in the last twenty-five years, which is nothing to be proud of. I also have sore feet, tinnitus and lumbago and am feeling my fifty-plus years.
This gig was postponed twice due to the Covid regulations, originally scheduled for December 2020, then June 2021. It was supposed to celebrate 25 years but it's now more like 28.5 years. I'd missed their last tour due to illness, selling my ticket to an old school pal, so I was really looking forward to seeing the band live again. I wasn't disappointed.
Arriving early, on my own, I was able to pick my spot in the crowd and for once no tall idiot stood in front of me. Sorted.
The first support act were a band called Holocene, not a period for the existence of future dinosaurs but a two-piece fronted by a young woman (on vocals, guitar and keyboards) and a male drummer. They were rather good, her vocals particularly strong.
The second act, Gen and the Degenerates, were something else. Gen comes across like the love child of Siouxsie Sioux and Buster Bloodvessel, with her portly frame thinly veiled by a gossamer dress. She totally owns the stage with bundles of personality and attitude, pulling loads of RuPaul poses as she sings. The music was often raucous, and not always to my taste, but they won me over. Totally flabulous, darling.
Skunk Anansie were simply immense. From the moment they took the stage, Skin claimed the audience as her own. They wheeled through nearly two hours of their repertoire, plus a cover of AC/DC's Highway to Hell, to much adulation from the crowd. Since I saw them last, the band have added another member on percussion and vocals and it added another dynamic to the performance and sound. Indeed, I was impressed by both the sound and lighting tonight, the O2 not usually famous for either.
The crowd were well behaved, not too drunk but very bouncy, possibly due to many of them being quite short, though the band had added a walkway platform at the front of the stage, improving everyone's view of them.
A lovely touch came at the end after the encore when the lights went up. My Hero by Foo Fighters started playing over the PA and the band remained on the stage conducting the audience in a singalong in dedication to the recently deceased Taylor Hawkins.
I enjoyed tonight so much, jumping about and getting sweaty. Who knows I may even have lost a few pounds, which will please my wife. An excellent gig which reminded me of the good old days but even better.
Ticket Price £33.20 (including booking fee)
Transaction fee £2.50
Setlist:
Yes It's Fucking Political
And Here I Stand
Because of You
I Can Dream
Weak
Twisted (Everyday Hurts)
My Ugly Boy
Can't Take You Anywhere
Love Someone Else
I Believed in You
God Loves Only You
Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)
Without You
This Means War
Intellectualise My Blackness
Tear the Place Up
Charlie Big Potato
Encore
Piggy
Brazen (Weep)
The Skank Heads (Get Off Me) (Up to End of 1st Chorus)
Highway to Hell (AC/DC cover with Band introductions)
Little Baby Swastikkka
The Skank Heads (Get Off Me) (reprise)
Best of You (Foo Fighters song - played from tape)
![]() |
Lifted from the band's FB page |
![]() |
Lifted from the band's FB page |