Skin...

venue:   Concorde 2 review date:   Thursday, 17 November 2005 words by:   Claire Wathen photos by:   Amy Goodall & Daniel Regan [ intro | page 1 ]

review

Few artists can claim to have an audience in the palm of their hand, but with her infectious energy and genuine passion Skin  does it naturally. She flirted and bantered with the crowd, leapt across the photography pit to balance along the barrier next to them, stage-dived and had a sea of hands clapping along enthusiastically, right to the back of the venue. There was no separation between the band and the crowd; Skin had broken that barrier down and the atmosphere was intense.

The band played a selection of jaw-droppingly good remixes of Skunk Anansie  songs including a cooled down version of Weak and a chilling acoustic version of Hedonism. The audience buzzed with excitement after just a few chords and exploded into rapturous applause, to which she teased "You're far too easy!".

More rocked-up versions of songs from her debut solo album, Fleshwounds, educed the same response. The adaptations of these songs perhaps brought them closer to her new material which has the heavier, rawer edge of Skunk Anansie's music with the emotionally poignant side of Fleshwounds. Skin also played a sample of songs from the forthcoming album, Fake Chemical State (She obviously has a knack for inventing great album titles) including her catchy new rock single Alone in My Room  and a contrastingly more pensive song, Purple.

She has an incredibly dynamic voice. The contrast of her soft, velvety vocals against her intense power create vocals that can drill right into your core. The hairs on the back of every neck must have been bristling as she sang the acoustic version of Hedonism. If you thought her voice on record was special then it is a must to experience it live.

Unique in voice, appearance and personality, with these talents it was inevitable that Skin would find fame. She is an incredible woman with a unique charm and shameless sense of humour that will win almost anybody over. It's great to have her back in the limelight again.

someone said... A VIP comment randomly selected for your delight: "Yay Julia!!!" Said by amy_bg on Mon, 28th November 2005. click to view the photo

snapped! Click the VIP's name to see where we caught'em! babdyke4000

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about Concorde 2

Okay, so you may have to walk a bit to reach it... but that just makes it that little bit more exclusive doesn't it! Located along Madeira Drive, the Concorde 2 is a sizeable venue with a huge variety of clubnights and bands on each month. Some top names, some great festivals, World Music... you name it. If you can't find something to pique your interest then you might as well pack your bags and head for Eastbourne... The next Concorde 2 date for your diary: Saturday, 6th September FreeBass Click for more info and complete listings for Concorde 2