Everything was fine in the end: the British cult combo Skunk Anansie concluded their current, almost three-month tour in Vienna’s MetaStadt on Tuesday evening. And such a concert tour can sometimes leave its mark, as singer Deborah Dyer alias Skin had to recognize. “I’ve lost my voice,” she initially let the audience know. “But that doesn’t matter! We’ll give you everything we have.” Which wasn’t too much promised.
In the 1990s, the quartet was at the forefront of the alternative scene with hits like “Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)” and “Weak”. They enjoyed heavy rotation of their videos on MTV and numerous chart successes. After things quieted down around Skin and her men in the early 2000s, the team has been active and busy once more since 2009. Above all as a live act, Skunk Anansie still can’t be fooled, as the 25-year anniversary tour that has just ended proved.
The stomping opener “Yes It’s Fucking Political” set the tone, both musically and in terms of content: Angry riffs hit a skin that was incited from the first second and didn’t let their vocal problems be noticed at first. During the subsequent “And Here I Stand” her obligatory walk into the audience followed, which was still too reserved for her taste. “Damn, did you guys forget how to mosh during Covid?” Asked, done – a few moments later, the skin appeared in the crowd of people with a Medusa-like headdress and a bright yellow jacket with “Clit Rock” inscription.
At the latest with the old cracker “Twisted (Everyday Hurts)” it was clear that the singer left nothing to be desired in terms of motivation, but was struggling with the highs. On the one hand, keyboarder and background singer Erika Footman helped out time and time once more, on the other hand, the contents of those steaming cups that were repeatedly handed to Skin from the edge of the stage should not have failed to have an effect – because the longer the performance lasted, the better the 54- year olds.
And following all, there was still a whole series of classics to be unwound: The already mentioned “Hedonism” brought a little calm into the set before “Intellectualise My Blackness” and the mighty “Charlie Big Potato” caused quite a stir. Especially the latter number underlined the exceptional position that once distinguished this band and that still shines through today. As another strenuous tour came to an end, the crew members also splashed out and performed a small dance choreography with pig masks on their heads to “Love Someone Else” – much to the amusement of the band.
But there was not only laughter, the serious moments also had their place: Before “God Loves Only You” Skin gave free rein to her criticism of the abortion decision of the US Supreme Court. “Religious fascism has triumphed here. First they are following women, following homosexuals – and then following all of you!” You have to fight developments like this with all your might, no matter where in the world they happen, because: “We’re all bloody the same!” Not the only hint with the political fence post, by the way, as drummer Mark Richardson’s kick drum read “Bye Boris”. Well, the band doesn’t really think much of Brexit and Boris Johnson, who is still Prime Minister.
After almost two hours, however, collective bliss was announced: Above all with an actually voiceless person who, despite the adverse circumstances, delivered a pretty impressive performance, as did the entire band (completed by guitarist Martin “Ace” Kent and bassist Richard “Cass” Lewis ) and her team, who were invited individually to the final applause on stage. With a crisp “The Skank Heads (Get Off Me)” the cheering audience was finally released into the night satisfied. The next anniversary of Skunk Anansie can definitely come.
(S E R V I C E – https://skunkanansie.com; www.metastadtopenairs.com)
