Touring Their First Album in Nine Years – Skunk Anansie at Glasgow's O2 Academy

★★★★★ (5/5)

SKUNK ANANSIE PERFORMING AT GLASGOW’S O2 ACADEMY
PHOTOCREDIT: CALUM BUCHAN

There are some gigs that don’t just live up to expectations—they blow them wide open. Skunk Anansie’s sold-out show at Glasgow’s O2 Academy was exactly that: a powerful, kinetic, and unforgettable night that reasserted their place as one of the most vital live acts around.

The tour comes in the shadow of some heartbreaking news for the band. Skunk Anansie's drummer Mark Richardson has revealed that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, just months after his bandmate Cass Lewis disclosed his own cancer diagnosis.

Touring behind their first album in nearly a decade, the band came out swinging with This Means War. While the opening track didn’t land as the strongest moment of the set, it was only a brief stumble before things ignited. By the time they tore into the jagged rhythm of Charlie Big Potato and the anthemic Because of You, the band had hit their stride—hard.

Frontwoman Skin remains an unmatched live performer. Like a lightning bolt in motion, she radiated relentless energy, twisting and bounding across the stage with the unpredictability of a firecracker. Her charisma is magnetic, her voice as fierce and commanding as ever, and her presence? Unstoppable.

Newer tracks like An Artist Is an Artist and I Believed in You slotted in seamlessly alongside fan favourites like Love Someone Else, Secretly, and the ever-emotional Weak, which saw the entire venue singing along at full volume. The raw power of I Can Dream and the brooding grind of Twisted (Everyday Hurts) showed off the band’s emotional range, while My Ugly Boy and Animal amped the pace back up.

One of the night’s most jaw-dropping moments came mid-set when Skin leapt off stage and dove straight into the crowd. As she surged into the centre of the pit, a storm of movement followed—an impromptu tidal wave of moshing and chaos. Then she climbed a ledge at the back of the room, arms aloft, before diving into the audience and crowd surfing her way back to the stage. It was pure theatre, but entirely authentic—a frontwoman in total control of the room, driven by the moment.

From the politically-charged Yes It’s Fucking Political to the riotous Tear the Place Up and the explosive Little Baby Swastikkka, the energy never let up. Every track hit hard and fast, with the band in lockstep and the audience riding every wave.

The encore began with the soaring Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good), melting seamlessly into Cheers and a cheeky snippet of Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love, used as a backdrop for band introductions and heartfelt thanks. They closed out with the stomping The Skank Heads (Get Off Me) and the emotionally charged Lost and Found, leaving the crowd buzzing and breathless.

It’s not often you can say a gig feels truly special, but this one did. Whether you were a lifelong fan or a first-timer, this show was a reminder of everything that makes live music unforgettable: passion, power, connection—and one of the most dynamic performers in rock today.

One of the best gigs of my life? No question.