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| Merthyr Rock 2012 |
Merthyr Rock was my first ever festival, it was only a small local one which was set up 10 minutes down the road from where I live. My parents, close family friends and I decided to go because how often does a small Welsh town get it's own festival?. The line up was full of Welsh bands and not so Welsh bands, like The Blackout, Funeral For A Friend, Straight Lines, Reaper In Sicily and of course Skindred, but at that time I didn't know what to expect with them, because I had never heard of them.They blew my mind. They got the entire crowd going, it was unreal, I had never seen a crowd move in such a way, with such energy. I was hooked. No other words could describe the pull they had, not just on me but my entire family. And the thing is, they weren't even the headliners, they were essentially the support for The Blackout.
My dad ended up coming home and buying their CD's at stupid o'clock in the morning after an entire day of consuming alcohol... That could have ended up horribly wrong...
I then ended up seeing them again, for the second time, again at Merthyr Rock 2012, this time they were the headliners. This time I was a lot more prepared for the carnage that they were going to unleash, especially with the Newport Helicopter, which I've mentioned in previous blogs. I sung until my lungs gave out, but that did not stop me, I went absolutely nuts. I loved every minute of it, I came home sweating, bruised and ringing in my ears, because once again I was on the barrier.
They weren't playing Merthyr Rock 2013, so I had to go to go a year without my Skindred fix. I was gutted because I was dying to see them. However, in 2014, they announced that they were playing a home town show, in Newport. I told my mam and she bought five tickets for me, her, my dad, and my aunt and uncle. It was an amazing night, especially to see a band I've loved for years now, develop in to something so mind-blowing, with raw passion and energy, which is something I've never seen done to such an extent.
I've written a blog about the gig which you can see here.
And then months after recovering from that gig, they announced that they were playing again in Cardiff, in a venue which I found out to be absolutely tiny. That alone made me want to go because each time I've seen them they've been in a fairly big venue. So I begged and pleaded with my mother to get tickets but she said 'that she's getting to old for gigs'. Psh mam, you're not that old.
But my aunt and uncle became my saving grace. They told me that they would get me tickets for my 18th birthday. I honestly at the moment could have cried. No joke.
November came around, and a couple of days before the gig, the Doc Martens store in Cardiff announced that they were holding a signing with the band before the concert. I was like YES! This was finally my chance to meet them after wanting to for three years.
I finished college early, because it was a Wednesday and I finish half 12, so me and my aunt, went down to Cardiff so that we could have a bite to eat and do some shopping before the concert and the signing.
We ended up in Spoons having some pre-drinks, just as a way to pass the time, because we still had half an hour to go before they opened the door to the DM store. Once we finished our drinks, we headed towards the store, there was about three people in front of us, so it wasn't too busy, me and my aunt both bought raffle tickets, because there was a very good chance of us winning, the prize was a pair of white DMs signed by the band.
The guys were so down to earth and lovely, they honestly didn't seem like the were in a band, they were just a group of guys. They signed my book with no problem, and asked if we were coming tonight, and we replied excitingly with an 'of course' and I had to mention that this would be my fourth time seeing them, and Benji asked where and when I saw them previously, so I listed them.
We then left after having our photos taken with the band, because we were meeting my uncle, but I felt guilty, my mother wanted so bad to come to the gig, but she couldn't. So we went back to the store, and asked them if they could possibly sign something for my mother, they said yes. Benji asked me what my mothers name is, I was like Natalie, he wrote on the poster '2 Nat' and then signed it, the rest of the guys signed it too. My aunt sent a picture of it to my mam, I think it cheered her up, because she now has two Skindred mementos, first Mikey Ds plectrum, which bounced off four people and landed in her handbag at Merthyr Rock 2012.
We then went to meet my uncle, who then drove us to The Globe, which is a tiny little venue, not in the main city center part of Cardiff, unlike the Motorpoint or the Y Plas (the students union).
We then queued, we again were about third in queue, so we again managed to get on the barrier, which I've noticed is a running theme for Skindred gigs. The supports were okay, I couldn't really hear them, something wasn't right with a the sound system in my opinion, but they rectified it for when Skindred was on. Thank god. I'll post the set list below so you can marvel in the musical genius and how far they have come from the 10 songs they played when I first saw them at 2011, many of those songs are still played, such as Warning, which is the anthem of the Newport Helicopter.
I loved every minute of the gig, nothing will ever compare to seeing them live. Each time, I swear they blow the last time out of the window and some how find a way to better themselves and put on more of a show.
I'm going to be absolutely amazed to see where they go from there, because there was nothing like them playing such a small venue, well other than seeing them play their home town, which gave the gig an atmosphere that can honestly never be replicated, well not unless they play another home town show, which I would honestly love. I more than likely will be at the next four or more gigs that Skindred play in Wales, because it's got to the point where I need to see them otherwise I'd get withdrawalsTo sum up, Skindred have created some of the most amazing memories, not just for me but my entire family. They've made me realise that even if you are from a small Welsh town you can still make it big, which means if they can do it, so can I.
Setlist
Thunderstruck (AC/DC cover)
The Imperial March
Rat Race
Stand for Something
Doom Riff
Ninja
Cut Dem
Proceed with Caution
Destroy the Dancefloor
Kill the Power
Thrift Shop (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis cover)
Sad But True (Metallica cover) (Partial)
Trouble
Pressure
Nobody
Duality (Slipknot cover) (Partial)
Warning (With Newport Helicopter)
The Imperial March
Rat Race
Stand for Something
Doom Riff
Ninja
Cut Dem
Proceed with Caution
Destroy the Dancefloor
Kill the Power
Thrift Shop (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis cover)
Sad But True (Metallica cover) (Partial)
Trouble
Pressure
Nobody
Duality (Slipknot cover) (Partial)
Warning (With Newport Helicopter)
