Photo: WENN
“Tonight is the last night of our UK tour, so we want to make sure it’s special,” says smiling frontman and guitarist Russell Marsden. Looking out into the crowd of rowdy Friday night gig-goers already hanging on his every move, it looks like the people are more than happy to support this statement.
Southampton hailing Band of Skulls quickly gathered a reputation for bringing BIG sounds to their live shows. But after their third album Himalayan failed to really rock the boat and surpass the incredible Sweet Sour, their UK tour is a chance to prove they still have what it takes to continually elevate their sound to newfangled territories.
Opening with ‘Light of the Morning’ we’re reminded of the bands ability to charismatically lead a rock’n’roll charge of headstrong guitar power and drum breaks that’d give even the likes of Led Zeppelin a run for their money. Newer tracks taken from the Himalayan album are also strongly featured in the set, with ‘Asleep at the Wheel’ charmingly arriving somewhere between the suave stomping beats of The Raconteurs and the dirtier raw wickedness of Queens Of The Stone Age.
Tracks such as ‘Sweet Sour’ and ‘Brothers and Sisters’ gain obvious attention from the crowd, as the easy to sing-along chorus lines give everyone a chance to get involved and drunkenly sway around in unison, well, it is a Friday night after all. Band of Skulls really shine in a live environment, where every song is slotted neatly into a well-crafted setlist to ensure everyone has a really great time; there are certainly no fillers here.
The Hammersmith Apollo also proves a perfect setting for a band with such gigantic sounds, who tonight feel and sound like they’re on the right path towards festival headline status. There’s no reason why Band of Skulls shouldn’t be celebrated as one of the best live acts in the UK right now and, as promised, there really is something “special” about tonight’s performance. It seems Band of Skulls truly keep their promises.
