๐ฅ SKINDRED โ LIVE AT THE PATTI PAVILION, SWANSEA โ SATURDAY 18TH OCTOBER 2025 ๐ฅโNewportโs finest bring the biggest bounce to the beachfront โ Babylon style!โ ๐ค๐๐ด
๐งจ TL;DR:
Skindred turned the Patti Pavilion into a full-blown Welsh rave. There were circle pits, the worldโs sassiest Newport banter, and yes โ The Newport Helicopter nearly took off the roof. A night of heavy riffs, ragga madness, and proud Cymraeg chaos. Proper job! ๐ด๐ฅ
๐ VENUE VIBES โ THE PATTI PAVILION, SWANSEA
Set against the backdrop of Swansea Bay, this historic old theatre turned live music bunker was bursting at the seams. 900 sweaty rockers packed in tighter than a Greggs queue on match day. The floor was sticky, the ceiling was dripping, and the vibes were lush.
Skindred + Swansea = absolute scenes, butt.
๐ถ THE SETLIST โ A WALL-TO-WALL BANGER BARRAGE
They didnโt come to play nice. Skindred came to melt faces and make hips move. Here’s what they dropped:
- Set Fazers (Intro hype)
- Stand for Something
- Rat Race
- That’s My Jam
- Doom Riff
- L.O.V.E (Smile Please)
- Kill the Power
- Gimme That Boom (๐ฅ Crowd favourite)
- Pressure
- Sound the Siren
- Machine
- Nobody (Mass singalong chaos)
- Warning
Encore:
14. Babylon (with full Newport Helicopter madness)
15. Saying It Now (dedicated to loved ones weโve lost โ powerful stuff)
๐ช THE NEWPORT HELICOPTER โ IT. ACTUALLY. HAPPENED.
Benjiโs shout rang through the venue like a war cry:
โIf youโve never done the Newport Helicopter โ nowโs your f***ing time!โ
Cue: hundreds of T-shirts whipped off and launched overhead, spinning like battle flags. It was sweaty. It was glorious. It was Cymruโs greatest gift to live music.
๐ค BENJI WEBBE โ FRONTMAN, ICON, ABSOLUTE HERO
Between songs, Benji was pure gold. A few of the best bits:
- โSwansea, you sexy beasts โ letโs f***ing bounce!โ
- โI don’t care if youโre wearing Crocs or corpse paint โ Skindred is for everyone.โ
- โThis next oneโs for the woman who crowd-surfed in a wheelchair at Download โ youโre metal as f**!*โ
He got political. He got emotional. He got everyone dancing. The man is a national treasure, innit.
๐ CROWD ENERGY โ SWEATY, ROWDY & BEAUTIFUL
From the front row to the back doors, it was pure carnage. Crowd surfers, mosh pits, hugs, and literal tears during “Saying It Now.” People came out of that show changed, mun.
๐ต Spotted: Local pensioner in a โBabylon Till I Dieโ shirt going harder than the teenagers. Icon.
๐ป FOOD & DRINK โ PINTS & PEANUTS
Itโs a smaller venue so expect:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Lager (Draught) | ยฃ5.00 |
| Cider (Bottle) | ยฃ4.50 |
| Water (500ml) | ยฃ2.00 |
| Mixed Nuts / Crisps | ยฃ1.50 |
| Sausage Roll (cold) | ยฃ3.00 |
No gourmet grub, but plenty of local charm. And no one really came here for the cuisine, did they?
๐งป FACILITIES CHECK
| ๐ป Toilets | โ
Clean-ish but overrun by song #6 |
| ๐ง Water Refill | โ Nope โ buy it or dehydrate |
| ๐ Merch Stand | โ
Packed โ new โBOOM IN YOUR FACEโ tour shirts were lush |
| โฟ Accessibility | โ
Front-side ramp & priority viewing area available |
๐ฃ STAGE SETUP โ BIG SOUND IN A SMALL ROOM
Massive respect to the tech crew โ Skindred sounded HUGE. Guitars roared, the bass thumped like a club night, and Benjiโs voice cut through it all like a sword made of sound.
The light show was mental for a venue this size โ proper strobes, smoke, and even LED backdrops. Not bad for a room that once hosted bingo.
๐ง VIBE CHECK
- Biggest singalong: “Nobody” โ every arm in the air
- Best pit: “Gimme That Boom” โ nearly went through the floor
- Most emotional: “Saying It Now” โ a rare moment of stillness
- Funniest: Bloke screamed โDo Newport Helicopter with ya socks then!โ (and did)
๐ด FINAL VERDICT: 5/5 โ TIDY AS F***
Skindred in Swansea felt like coming home. The energy, the love, the complete madness โ youโll not find this kind of gig anywhere else.
Theyโre not just a band. Theyโre a movement, a party, and a family โ and tonight, that family was Cymraeg, sweaty, and louder than hell.
You missed it? I was tamping for you, mun.
๐ธ WERE YOU THERE?
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@theriffreportuk on Insta, TikTok & Twitter โ show us your best Newport Helicopter, gig selfies, and merch hauls!
