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The Mid 1990’s was a bad time to be a rock band. Rock was facing a backlash from the overindulgence of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. With stalwarts that defined an era self-imploding (Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue) and Grunge rising to fill the void of the disaffected youth, it was a tough time to launch a rock band with a classic blues sound.

SKIN were one band that emerged during this turbulent time.

Daring to write classic feel-good rock tracks, Skin stood out from the crowd and committed that cardinal sin of putting a live show on where the band were clearly enjoying themselves.

With a lack of support from the record industry, the band called it a day in 1998 and bowed out with a farewell tour that left many a good memory in SKIN fans minds.

When an opportunity to play the Download festival 2009 arrived, the band were convinced to talk to each other and actually do it.

The first I heard about the fact that they were playing one of three warm-up gigs in Wolverhampton was when I noticed a billboard advertising the show. I assumed it was actually going to be a comeback gig from the lead singer of Skunk Anansi, such was my scepticism that the band would ever reform. Then I saw an article in Classic Rock magazine confirming that Neville MacDonald, Myke Gray, Andy Robbins, Dicki Fliszar and keyboardist Colin McLeod were actually going to play Download and that I could actually see the guys play in Wolverhampton once again.

So after 11 years of obscurity, did they still have the magic, or would it be the remnants of a truly great band reminiscing former glories?

Typically for SKIN at Wolverhampton, they started late. With what seemed like an eternity of the road crew testing, tuning and miming along to the likes of AC/DC and KISS playing on the PA, things did look a little worrying.

Opening with a slew of tracks from Experience Electric, any fears of a disappointment quickly evaporated as the band blasted through a 90 minute set

The guys looked and sounded great. Neville jokingly asking ‘What the f*** is this all about?’ when referring to the fact that his once huge hair was now closer cropped, and Myke showing what the last few years as a ‘Life Coach’ can do to a man’s body.

The only one who looked completely unchanged was bass player Andy Robbins, who could easily have been in cryogenic storage for the last 11 years.

The hair may be shorter, but the songs and sound were as big as they ever were. I really had forgotten how loud SKIN were. It was almost as if they were testing the volume levels for Download as well as warming up for the gig itself.

After an opening salvo of later-years tracks, the band launched from one classic SKIN track to another. The tempo only dropping briefly for the big ballad ‘Which Are The Tears?’ from their eponymous debut album before picking up again.

The band were clearly having the time of their lives and once again, SKIN were unashamedly enjoying themselves.

Despite my initial fears, Neville’s voice still had it and he was visibly touched that even after 11 years, there was still a lot of love for the band and their music.

There was a real party atmosphere all the way through the gig, despite a couple of technical hitches and the roof of the Wulfrun Hall was blown off by a singalong ‘Look, But Don’t Touch’. A very emotional ‘Tower of Strength’ followed with ‘Unbelieveable’ to close off the main set.

It was obvious that an encore would soon follow, with the band blasting through another 4 classic tracks from the first album and ‘Lucky’ before bringing the house down with ‘Shine Your Light’.

I was initially intending to make a note of the setlist, but to be honest, I was having too much of a good time Highlights included:

• Money
• Shine your Light
• House of Love
• Colourblind
• Which are the Tears
• Look, But Don’t Touch
• Tower of Strength
• Unbelievable
• Take me down to the River
• How Lucky You Are
• Perfect Day

The Wulfrun Hall is a nice venue for this sort of gig, the Download stage won’t be as intimate. However, if anyone is attending Download, they should take the time to see SKIN, you are in for a treat. If you missed the gig and can’t make Download, the band were videoing the whole of the Wulfrun event, so we may see a DVD release of the concert…

So what’s next for the band? There are rumours circulating on the Internet that a support slot for Sammy Hagar’s Chickenfoot is in the offering. Nev refused to be drawn, simply stating they ‘never say never’ but that it had already been a long, hard road to get them this far.

Clearly there is a strong desire from the fans for a permanent reformation, but even if there isn’t, the chance to see one of my favourite bands of all time and hear those songs live for one last time is a memory to cherish. If this is to be their final swansong – they are going out on a high.

A few pics taken on my iPhone below, but for some much better pics, check out BeeExcellent’s web album