Gut Reactions (post-gig memories and other trips): Skunk Anansie

Tuesday, 30 June 2026

Alanis Morissette 2026, Summer Sessions, Bellahouston Park, Glasgow. Tuesday 30th June, 2026

We arrived just after 5 pm and still managed to snag a brilliant parking space on Corkerhill Road. By the time we'd walked to Bellahouston Park and gone through security, the first band, Lucia & the Best Boys, was already on stage. We listened as we wandered along past the food vendors in search of dinner. My sweet and sour chicken with noodles was vile, the watery sauce more akin to a soup.

Lucia and the Best Boys were down four members, playing acoustic as a duo, having been offered the opportunity to join the bill less than twenty-four hours earlier. Their songs sounded okay. No setlist listed on Setlist.fm.

Skunk Anansie were my main draw to this gig. The Gold Circle wasn't packed, so I had plenty of room to watch them. Skin is a force of nature, a creature of venom and honey. Her speaking voice can be shrill, but when she sings, the music penetrates my psyche and lifts my soul. I could listen to her all day. Today, she's dressed for summer in an outfit akin to that of a radical, old-school teacher, wearing a multi-layered black cape, cycling shorts and knee-length fluorescent pink socks. She's come to teach love and rage, and we are all her pupils.

Excuse the verbiage. The music was good. The music was loud. I was in my element: heavy rock.

Skunk Anansie Setlist:

Charlie Big Potato

Because of You

An Artist Is an Artist

God Loves Only You

Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)

Weak

Twisted (Everyday Hurts)

Lost and Found

I Can Dream

Tear the Place Up

Weak

I Can Dream

Wet Leg are a band I'd never seen live before. I like their offbeat music, with its striking riffs and stylised vocals. Singer Rhian Teadsale is one sexy frontwoman. Today, she's wearing glasses, shorts, a sheer top and a sweet smile. I have to remind myself there are other members in this band. It's difficult to take your eyes off her as she prowls the stage. The only thing more powerful than her is the drumkit's bass drum, which thumps the beat into my chest and vibrates my arm hairs. The band love their smoke machine, so the view is hazy but magnificent when the stage lights blast in full. The performance gets a thumbs up from me.

Wet Leg Setlist:

catch these fists

Oh No

Wet Dream

liquidize

jennifer's body

pond song

Being in Love

Ur Mum

davina mccall

pillow talk

Too Late Now

Angelica

Chaise Longue

CPR

mangetout

catch these fists

Angelica

Alanis Morissette is an unusual performer. Blessed with a strong voice, iconic songs, and a timeless look, she often races back and forth across the stage, rarely looking at or engaging with the audience. At times, my camera struggles to keep up with her because she was moving so fast. It's as if she's afraid to interact with us in case it disrupts the flow of the concert. This leaves the show slick, well-performed and beautifully sung, looking great on the screens, but, to me, it feels like she can't wait to wave goodbye and run offstage.

This lack of engagement leads some in the crowd to believe that it's chatty time - the "We'll get back to you when you sing something we recognise" mentality. And, boy, did they need to chat loudly to be heard over the band. I was in Scowlsville.

(That said, reviewing my photos, Alanis did sing many of the songs centre stage, anchored to a mic stand, so I'm not sure why my lasting impression is of her racing from side to side - maybe it was because she didn't talk to us very much, except to introduce her band at the designated times)

My phone died before the end of the concert, probably due to poor reception. Surprisingly, the rain stayed away, despite heavy, grey clouds overhead.

Overall, I enjoyed the gig. Alanis's hits are still bangers. Maybe next time, I'd enjoy it more if she sang all the songs towards the crowd, not the wings, and talked to us a bit more.

Alanis Morissette Setlist:

Hand in My Pocket

Right Through You

Reasons I Drink

A Man (segue)

Hands Clean

Can't Not (segue)

Lens

Sorry to Myself (segue)

Head Over Feet

Everything (segue)

You Learn

Would Not Come (segue)

Smiling

Rest

Mary Jane

Perfect

Ironic

Are You Still Mad (segue)

All I Really Want

Sympathetic Character (segue)

You Oughta Know

Encore:

Uninvited

Thank U

Hand in My Pocket

Ticket Price (presale): Gold Circle £95.00 x2 + Fees £28.92 + Handling Fee £3.25
Total £222.17 from Ticketmaster

Early set for SA, so not a packed crowd

Billy Sloan on photography duty

Thursday, 10 April 2025

Skunk Anansie , UK Tour 2025, O2 Academy, Glasgow. Thursday 10th April, 2025

When I retired, I didn't expect to feel like a pensioner quite so quickly (especially as my pension is not due for another decade). My knees ache, I pull muscles easily, and I sometimes need a nap. My crankiness mid-afternoon today went off the chart when, on the drive home from Mokka Jaks (who mucked up my order twice), a man in an open-top convertible decided he had right of way on the narrow road, contrary to the street signs, because his car was more expensive than mine. The way I felt after he brushed off my expletive-filled overreaction with an eye roll made me realise today needed to be a nap day.

It's just as well I did go back to bed because I ended up out cold for over an hour and felt a great deal better for it afterwards. I don't think I could have coped with this gig without that sleep.

Traffic was a bitch on the way there, with both a four-way temporary traffic light system at the junction of Broomlands Street and Maxwellton Street and heavy Rangers traffic on the M8. I managed to arrive before the doors opened and, once inside, found a great spot to watch the gig behind the accessibility seats in the first seated area. I could have gone down the front, as at this point, it was only one person deep at the barrier, but I remembered my achey bones. Let the young uns claim this space.

The support act So Good was striking. Consisting of three blokes in white boiler suits and pink balaclavas, a lead singer, and two backing singers/dancers, they commanded the stage with their energetic performance. I'd never heard of them before but would search them out again if they were ever to return.

Setlist

Inheritance

Hate

I Hate It Here

Hot

If I Had A

Industry Plant

1994

I Rewrote The F**king Bible

I Will Love You

I Rewrote The F**king Bible

As a prelude to the main act, the PA played New Rose by The Damned, signalling the direction Skunk Anansie are moving in nowadays. Touring again as a four-piece, they present their punk rock credentials firmly to the fore. Prepare to mosh.

The stage is decorated with spikes reminiscent of Skin's costume on the previous tour. Tonight, she's dressed in an oversized bomber jacket and cargo pants. The lighting initially is oppressive, keeping the band in shadow with flashing and pulsating lights. It's a rousing start to the proceedings.

This Means War

The fierce mood continues with Charlie Big Potato and Because of You before moving on to a new song, An Artist is An Artist. By the time we reach God Only Knows You, Skin gets a round of applause for an impassioned speech opposing so-called Christians who spread hate for marginalised groups. The fire is still alive in her heart and soul.

The gig highlight for me was when Skin jumped into the crowd during I Can Dream, making her way to the back of the hall before crowd-surfing her way to the stage again. She's older than me and still behaving like a teenager. What a gal!

They indeed tear the place up with the rest of their set, ending, unusually, with another new number only released two days ago.

For a band that's been around this long, I expected the audience to be older, but this one was mixed in terms of age, gender, and sexuality. The setlist contained tracks from all eras of their career, heavily expressing their punk rock credentials. I hate to admit it, but I think I preferred their last tour, where there was a backing singer who played a larger role in complementing Skin's vocals (I'm not suggesting that Skin's vocals were anything less than perfect). However, the band has moved on from that era, even if I haven't. I was so glad I didn't go down the front, given how lively it got.

Maybe I'm getting too old for this, or I just need more naps. I did enjoy it, though.

Afterwards, it was nice catching up with some old school friends, Colin and Kirsteen. I hope she doesn't mind that I pinched her photo.