🔥 SKINDRED – LIVE AT THE PATTI PAVILION, SWANSEA – SATURDAY 18TH OCTOBER 2025 🔥“Newport’s finest bring the biggest bounce to the beachfront – Babylon style!” 🎤🌊🌴
🧨 TL;DR:
Skindred turned the Patti Pavilion into a full-blown Welsh rave. There were circle pits, the world’s sassiest Newport banter, and yes – The Newport Helicopter nearly took off the roof. A night of heavy riffs, ragga madness, and proud Cymraeg chaos. Proper job! 🏴🔥
📍 VENUE VIBES – 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.
🎶 THE SETLIST – A WALL-TO-WALL BANGER BARRAGE
They didn’t 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 (🔥 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 we’ve lost – powerful stuff)
🪖 THE NEWPORT HELICOPTER – IT. ACTUALLY. HAPPENED.
Benji’s shout rang through the venue like a war cry:
“If you’ve never done the Newport Helicopter – now’s your f***ing time!”
Cue: hundreds of T-shirts whipped off and launched overhead, spinning like battle flags. It was sweaty. It was glorious. It was Cymru’s greatest gift to live music.
🎤 BENJI WEBBE – FRONTMAN, ICON, ABSOLUTE HERO
Between songs, Benji was pure gold. A few of the best bits:
- “Swansea, you sexy beasts – let’s f***ing bounce!”
- “I don’t care if you’re wearing Crocs or corpse paint – Skindred is for everyone.”
- “This next one’s for the woman who crowd-surfed in a wheelchair at Download – you’re metal as f**!*”
He got political. He got emotional. He got everyone dancing. The man is a national treasure, innit.
💃 CROWD ENERGY – 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.
👵 Spotted: Local pensioner in a “Babylon Till I Die” shirt going harder than the teenagers. Icon.
🍻 FOOD & DRINK – PINTS & PEANUTS
It’s a smaller venue so expect:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Lager (Draught) | £5.00 |
| Cider (Bottle) | £4.50 |
| Water (500ml) | £2.00 |
| Mixed Nuts / Crisps | £1.50 |
| Sausage Roll (cold) | £3.00 |
No gourmet grub, but plenty of local charm. And no one really came here for the cuisine, did they?
🧻 FACILITIES CHECK
| 🚻 Toilets | ✅ Clean-ish but overrun by song #6 |
| 💧 Water Refill | ❌ Nope – buy it or dehydrate |
| 👕 Merch Stand | ✅ Packed – new “BOOM IN YOUR FACE” tour shirts were lush |
| ♿ Accessibility | ✅ Front-side ramp & priority viewing area available |
📣 STAGE SETUP – BIG SOUND IN A SMALL ROOM
Massive respect to the tech crew – Skindred sounded HUGE. Guitars roared, the bass thumped like a club night, and Benji’s voice cut through it all like a sword made of sound.
The light show was mental for a venue this size – proper strobes, smoke, and even LED backdrops. Not bad for a room that once hosted bingo.
🎧 VIBE CHECK
- Biggest singalong: “Nobody” – every arm in the air
- Best pit: “Gimme That Boom” – nearly went through the floor
- Most emotional: “Saying It Now” – a rare moment of stillness
- Funniest: Bloke screamed “Do Newport Helicopter with ya socks then!” (and did)
🏴 FINAL VERDICT: 5/5 – TIDY AS F***
Skindred in Swansea felt like coming home. The energy, the love, the complete madness – you’ll not find this kind of gig anywhere else.
They’re not just a band. They’re a movement, a party, and a family – and tonight, that family was Cymraeg, sweaty, and louder than hell.
You missed it? I was tamping for you, mun.
📸 WERE YOU THERE?
Tag us in your pics and videos!
@theriffreportuk on Insta, TikTok & Twitter – show us your best Newport Helicopter, gig selfies, and merch hauls!
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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