Live Review: Skindred – Smile World Tour 2024 – OVO Wembley Arena, London

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a night of electrifying music and unforgettable performances! At Skindred’s biggest headline show to date, we dove into the heart of the live music scene, where genre boundaries blurred, nostalgia reigned supreme, and new legends were born. We embarked on a journey through the dynamic sounds and captivating energy of As Everything Unfolds, P.O.D., and the unstoppable force known as Skindred. It was a night filled with passion, power, and pure rock ‘n’ roll magic. So, without further ado, let’s relive the show!

To get the party started, we had As Everything Unfolds. There was a lot going on with these guys, and as such it’d be unfair to pigeonhole them into any specific metal genre. There were elements of metalcore, synth moments that brought Electric Callboy to mind, and clean, almost poppy upbeat vocals followed by gutturals that reminded one of Otep. With so much going on within their music, it was a treat for those of us that craved variety. It was a short but sweet set which seemed to peak at crowd pleaser ‘Ultraviolet’. A solid opening band with literally something for everyone.

As Everything Unfolds

Next up were the legendary nu-metal titans P.O.D., whose thunderous arrival provoked a roar of nostalgia that spread throughout the arena. Vocalist Sonny Sandoval’s boundless energy proved infectious as the band played anthems that defined the era, such as ‘Alive’ and the ubiquitous ‘Youth of the Nation’. But a rousing rendition of the new hit ‘Afraid to Die’ showed that these pioneers weren’t finished adding to their already impressive legacy.

But make no mistake, this historic night belonged to the unstoppable steamroller known as Skindred. The second the unmistakable presence of lead singer Benji Webbe entered the stage, clad in a shimmering black ensemble, the arena was in his hands. After an entrance with Imperial March and blasting through the 90 minutes with the pulverizing reggae-metal grooves of ‘Set Fazers’, they instantly stirred up the crowd for what was to come.

P.O.D

Classic anthems such as ‘Pressure’ and the feverish ‘Rat Race’ were sprinkled with ingenious flourishes and skilful interpolations, such as a scorching snippet of AC/DC’s ‘Back In Black’. Skindred’s talent for creating instant fan favourites was also on full display, with the thunderous, blaring ‘That’s My Jam’, which had everyone shouting the words.

Webbe’s masterful command and the cheeky banter between songs kept the energy off the charts, as did the many props and production elements, such as confetti cannons and beach ball bombings. But the deep sense of unity, empowerment, and resilience that guided their music and message had always elevated Skindred above the status of a mere party band. While the reggae jam ‘L.O.V.E. (Smile Please)’ happily preached inclusion with its hook “We want the right vibe, no negative vibe. Everyone in this place, you know we’re the same tribe”, poignant moments such as Webbe’s deeply personal speech detailing his perseverance amidst the immense adversity of losing both parents at a devastatingly young age strengthened that unbreakable spiritual bond with the audience.

The explosive and incendiary set came to its rapturous climax with the iconic ‘Warning’, when the Wembley faithful answered the call – taking off their shirts and spinning them over their heads in a dizzying sea of fabric to the legendary ‘Newport Helicopter’. This marked Skindred’s official arrival as new arena conquerors – a monumental and hard-won triumph, achieved with decades of effort by the band and the subculture of fans who never stopped believing.