My old school punk rock intro to the 2026 gig year continues, with a return to the boards of my first punk rock loves The Skids! This, the 10th time of asking but the first for just over a year (December 2024, gig 1,362) sees these veteran Scottish anthemic punkers – now down to the one original member in vocalist, lyricist and “face” of the band, the irrepressible Richard Jobson – go out on tour in celebration of their final “first time round” album, 1980’s “The Absolute Game”. Said album, the third in a shade over 18 months, saw a further progression from their savage yet hooky punk beginnings to a more stylish and expansive Berlin-era Bowie-esque soundscape, infused with a sheen as marbled and epic as its cover, and almost bridging the gap between punk and the imminent 80s New Romantic sound. “Gloss pop,” as Jobbo termed it at the time… Anyway, this tour promised an emphasis on this album and a chance to hear some lesser-played classics (one in particular which I’d been hoping to hear since The Skids returned in 2017), so bring it on…
An
added bonus was the addition to the bill of fellow veteran post punkers Au
Pairs, a band who’d passed me by back in the day but whom I’d latterly come to
appreciate more, so I was aiming for an early arrival. I set off at 5.45 for a
chilly drive and wander along from the Podium car park, arriving just after
doors and grabbing a barrier spot, house left, next to a lovely couple in
fellow veteran gig-goers Nat and Mark, Nat having apparently seen The Skids
first time round! The arrival of the support interrupted our gig chat, however;
The Au Pairs – like the headliners tonight – are effectively the original
frontperson plus a backing line-up of hired hands, but said frontperson Lesley
Woods was a stylish, black clad visual focus, with the passing years imbuing
her old barked, atonal vocals with a gravelly gravitas befitting their tense,
often eerie and claustrophobic austere cold war post-punk material. Opener “Come
Again” was a hectic, robust Gang of Four-esque chant-along, with the follow-up “Love
Song” more off-kilter and rhythmic, with a haunting Patti Smith-esque mid-song
break. Also, like Lydon last time out (and indeed, Jobson later this evening),
Woods has surrounded herself with excellent players for this ersatz Au
Pairs line up; the slow burn, sprawling menace of “Diet” and a later creepy “Headache”
featured some excellent bass, and my set highlight, the funky yet prescient “Armagh”
was propelled by some fine militaristic drum rolls. The urgent alarm blare and
still relevant hook of “It’s Obvious” rounded out a fine support set from Woods
and co; a welcome return!
A long queue for the gents (the clientele being about 95% male tonight!) before I was back in place for The Skids’ arrival at 8.30, the band plunging into strident, fist pumping opener “Happy To Be With You”, initiating the first of many terrace chant singalongs tonight. “Is this the first time The Skids have played in Bath? It was always a bit posh for us!” announced the gregarious vocalist before maintaining momentum with the slashing and undulating riffery of “Out Of Town”. “ “The Absolute Game” was [fellow Skids founder and original guitarist, the late, lamented Stuart Adamson]’s finest work with the Skids,” reflected Jobbo, spotlighting current guitarist Connor Whyte with a throwaway, “so no pressure on this guy…!”
Jobbo
was as ever his usual effusive self, regaling us with stories from those late
70’s times touring and promoting “TAG”, throwing himself around with his usual shadow-boxing
abandon, and quipping, “we seem to be attracting a younger audience; that guy
over there is only 57!” But for me tonight young Mr. Whyte was the MVP; the
only guitarist in the current 4-piece line-up, and with obvious big boots to
fill, he delivered a masterclass in intricate rock riffery, brilliantly
embellishing the likes of the siren cry of “One Decree” and the stately
singalong “Woman In Winter”. But it was “Goodbye Civilian”, my hoped-for number,
that was my highlight, the squashy synth pulse being replaced brilliantly by Whyte’s
grandiose and glorious picking.
The epic “Arena” rounded off the “TAG” homage, building to a huge crescendo outro, with Jobbo delivering his best and most commanding vocal of the night. Then a few old faves in “that U2 song!”, namely a savage “The Saints Are Coming”, the inevitable but still welcome “Into The Valley”, an uncomfortably relevant “Working For The Yankee Dollar” (Jobbo commenting “[this] means more today than when we wrote it at 16 years old”) and an unexpected encore of a pacey and ragged “Olympian” (delivered as folk were milling off following the anticipated set closer “Charles”) rounded off another fine Skids set. My promotor friend Kieran (whom I’d bumped into earlier) was roadie-ing tonight and sorted me with Jobbo’s list (hooray!), before I headed off for an early home arrival just before 11, catching up with “The Traitors” final over a late kebab tea. No treachery tonight from Jobbo and his boys, however; powered by a stellar performance from the virtuoso Whyte, they were entirely faithful to the superb “Absolute Game” album material tonight!
