Think of Skunk Anansie and you think of Skin, their eternally
sprightly and youthful frontwoman. Without her charisma and her voice,
the band would have probably just been another Britpop also-ran. But
she connected with the listeners and made this band special and
worth remembering.
Eight years since they split up, it was great to see Skin and
the boys back together for this, the final date of their European
tour. As the band took their places and began the opening to Selling
Jesus, Skin arrived in the shape of a glittery, silver bouncing
pom-pom. Lyrics were bellowed out from within and everyone was
immediately reminded how spectacular she can be.
When she eventually threw away the shackles of her pom-pom to reveal
herself in a matching silver glittery suit, she looked exactly as she
did over a decade ago. Can she really be in her 40s now?
She
always was a stylish pop star, with her unashamed blend of masculinity
and femininity ensuring her place on the roll call of important
lesbian role models to a whole generation. Always willing to play the
game, she seemed equally happy and at home doing Saturday morning
children's telly alongside high fashion shows.
Seeing her back, having apparently been cryogenically
frozen since those days, was a treat for a lot of excitable fans
at their homecoming Brixton gig. Having
recently released a greatest hits album, Smashes And Trashes, they
made their way through the bulk of their singles. Their releases could always be broadly divided into epic rock ballads (Weak, Brazen
(Weep) and tonight's final encore of Secretly) and over-the-top pop
metal (Twisted, All I Want).
As they did back in the day, they pulled off the
ballads more effectively. The sweeping tales of love lost tended to
complement Skin's operatic vocal ability, while she could be a bit
shrill on the heavier stuff. While their material was always a bit
hit and miss, the fans needed both and obliged by headbanging or
swaying depending on what was appropriate.
Attention waned as some of the weaker tracks were trotted
out, but a set list largely devoid of padding ensured that it
didn't wane for long. Even the newer tracks Because Of You and
Squander stood up well. While they stay safe to the Skunk Anansie
formula, breaking no new ground, they could have sat quite
happily on any of the old albums.
So ultimately this reunion is a welcome piece of nostalgia. Whether or not there
could be more than just that is open to debate. They could find a new, younger audience,
but as Skin repeatedly stage-dived and
even walked above her fans during Weak, it's clear that either way,
Skunk Anansie have enough loyalty to support themselves by singing to the converted.
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