It's a given, Halloween night every year will offer a smorgasbord of options in live rock shows, with bands keen to not miss an opportunity to turn their gigs into costume ridden, theatrical affairs. For Skindred’s ‘Night of the Living Dred’ at the iconic Alexandra Palace, the baseline of quirks, costumes and party vibes that the Welsh reggae-metallers usually bring to their shows was dialled up to maximum.
“We are very much in the Halloween spirit already!” A spookily made-up Jonny Santos declared as he led Spineshank in opening the night. The stage, complete with runway that Santos made good use of, filled with band members with equally spooky attire.
“We are a violent band who play violent music for violent people” Santos decreed. Spineshank do indeed put a lot of welly into their nu metal sound, perfectly demonstrated on ‘Smothered’. Chuggy guitars and frantic drums accompanied Santos’s yearning and sincere vocals.
Asking if anyone in attendance caught their set at Download Festival earlier in the year, Spineshank drove home the importance of the UK in the life of the band. Thanking their new Bassist- James Mills, also the vocalist in UK metal outfit Severance, Santos declared with a smile “Spineshank is part English now”
In the melee of action, a white coated Benji Webbe wandered over the back of the stage, seemingly assessing the proceedings, no explanation was given at this point (or any further point during the evening) Dedicating the next track- the seminal ‘New Disease’ to Skindred, the vast hall of Alexandra Palace experienced a notable surge in energy.
“We are back and we are working on a new album” Santos teased. The LA rockers last album in 2012, ‘Anger Denial Acceptance’ was a chasm of time ago and seeing what could be cooked up by a far more experienced band in a different era of Metalcore is an exciting prospect.
Walking on to the dying notes of 'This is Halloween’ from The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack, Alien Ant Farm became the filling in a somewhat unbelievably legendary line-up sandwich.
With frontman Dryden Mitchell pacing incessantly up and down the runway like a restless ghoul, and looking just as much the part with a continuation of Spineshank’s Halloween make up, the LA alt rockers proved to London they are more than just that cover song.
With these supports, Skindred lent into the nostalgia element hard. Satiating the crowd early on in the set with the massive track ‘Movies’, Alien Ant Farm managed to keep the crowd in the palm of their hands through their entire show.
“Shall we keep going everybody?” Mitchell asked the room in general, with a thankfully enthusiastic response. For many emo kids from the early noughties Alien Ant Farm will be a very familiar name in the Zeitgeist, the importance of their influence on subsequent young bands rippling through the years.
“Give it up for yourselves. Thank you for coming early. It's good to get out once in a while” Mitchell shrugged nonchalantly before launching into a riff about being three years sober from alcohol and drugs as an introduction to hopecore song ‘Storms Over’.
Alien Ant Farm aren't a band to leave the fans hanging, with a cheeky fake-out of leaving before playing the track everyone was waiting for. ‘Smooth Criminal’, the 2004 Michael Jackson cover was introduced with a hype-inducing playback intro.
With AC/DC’s Thunderstruck ringing out to every corner of Ally Pally, Skindred took to the stage one by one to deafening applause, starting off with a track from the new albun- You Got This, ‘My People’, Benji Webbe was in the first of many outfits for the night. Continuing with the new songs, ‘This is the sound’ followed, complete with a thrilling Confetti moment.
With Webbe decreeing himself Choir master for a call and response session, Skindred took it back and album to 2023’s Smile with ‘Set Fazers’.
Latest album You Got This may be front and centre on this tour, but Skindred’s catalogue of favourites is just too extensive and important to ignore. ‘Ratrace’ being a perfect example of this, with every voice in the room, screaming along.
“We don't follow the crowd, we do things our own way” Webbe reminded the room. “This is a celebration of life” he continued. This may be stating the obvious, the Welsh reggae metallers have never been accused of unoriginality in their two decades delighting fans.
In true Skindred fashion, the set was never going to just be banger after banger of their own making- with a compilation breakdown of various massive rock, metal and pop hits that added a perfect hit of Halloween disco to the proceedings. With a Welsh flag being flown for a snippet of Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total Ellipse of the Heart’ and a Keyboard held aloft for Van Halen’s ‘Jump’, the quirks and eccentricities typical of a Skindred show were on full display in this section.
“My Download family, my Bloodstock people. Who loves HEAVY METAL?” Webbe asked. The band having graced both festival line ups multiple times.- indeed with Download, it has become somewhat of a tradition and the band returned for the 2026 addition as the secret set.
With all fists in the air for new album title track ‘You Got This’ Webbe intro’d the song with a reminder that whatever is going on in anyone's life, the song serves as a reminder of resilience and determination.
With the winners of the fancy-dress costume contest getting engaged in the middle of the stage (guys, I think the contest may have been rigged) to a roaring response and the latter half of the set, leaning heavily on the biggest Skindred tracks, Webbe asked, “So, who's got our new album?” before declaring ‘Broke’ one of his particular favourites, this much more mellow track, but catchy as hell.
Dedicating the song ‘Nobody’ to everybody, Skindred’s most legendary track set the room aflame with dancing, screaming and headbanging. Finishing, of course with a round of the Newport Helicopter, shirts went flying along with bodies and Skindred called time on their Halloween party, thanking the gathered and reminding everyone, “Without you guys, we're just four assholes”. If that's true, no one will ever know, as Skindred has the hearts of the metal, rock and reggae communities, now and forever.
Words and photos by Imogen Bird