Dunfermline Music Scene

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The Skids at The Alhambra Dunfermline News Of The World Review
March 14th 2010 

THE SKIDS, Alhambra, Dunfermline

FIST clenched, standing four- square in the centre of the stage, Richard Jobson is belting out the lung-busting chorus of the classic Into The Valley.

And as Bill Simpson drills out the song's trademark bassline, the sell-out crowd is going MENTAL.

In scenes that'd rival even the mighty Barrowland, this hometown show - in one of Scotland's best venues - sees both fans and band going for it big-time, expending enough energy to power the national grid.

It's a reminder that The Skids, who last reunited in 2007 for their incredible 30th anniversary show on the main stage at T In The Park, have lost none of their power.

 In an action-packed 24-song set - full of pulse-quickening hits like Masquerade, Working For The Yankee Dollar and, of course, The Saints Are Coming - they constantly spring surprises.

Not the least of which are the songs themselves. As they rocket into Charles - originally penned by a teenage Stuart Adamson back in 1977 - it's clear the track hasn't gathered dust at all. Its spiralling guitar riff and lyric about the creeping depersonalisation of corporate culture, still sound radical now.

With Adamson's Big Country bandmate Bruce Watson depping for the much- missed guitar hero, old favourites like Out Of Town and Melancholy Soldiers are delivered with the force of a runaway train.

Drummer Mike Baillie - who joined the Fife band in time for 1980's Absolute Game album - is a revelation too, sticks skipping around the kit as he hammers out the rock solid beat of a blistering Circus Games.

There's a neat moment when those on stage salute original sticksman Tam Kellichan, who's among tonight's crowd.

But while the music (including a rare romp through the much-underrated and never-before-played-live 1981 Fields single) is the undisputed star of the show, Jobson himself runs it a pretty close second.

He's a magnetic presence, leaping into the air one minute, spinning round with a boxer's finesse the next, all the while bellowing out those king-size choruses. As a frontman he's up there with Daltrey, Lydon and Strummer.

That's summed up as they launch into Of One Skin - the 1978 hit that inspired both U2 and The Cult - Jobson sailing through the air like he's 17 again, still striking a blow for the newest of the new wave.

www.the-skids.co.uk 

Article by Dod @ Safe Concerts.com click the link to view the original article, Dod also has some excellent photos of the gig :)
The Skids @ the Alhambra Theatre Dunfermline 06-03-10
 
 So this was to be the last ever Skids gig at the Alhambra theatre in Dunfermline, the band’s home town.

The Band for tonight is Richard Jobson, Bill Simpson, Mike Baillie and Bruce & Jamie Watson.The intro CD comes on, a roar goes up and they are on. Richard Jobson swinging his arms and legs about like a mad man possessed.

The first two songs were over in a flash. As I catch my breath Richard tell us the next song was written in the library and “Working for the Yankee Dollar” is played. The crowd go mad.They then go on to dedicate the next song to Stuart Adamson who was a special guy to them all. The crowd agree and we are played “The Saints are Coming”. Jobson says “too many bands from our era just go through the motions nowadays but we play from the heart,” and this receives a rapturous applause.“Masquerade” is up next and the crowd are getting more excited as each song passes.

They end the evening with “Into the Valley” and this had the building shaking. Everyone in the theatre are on their feet, from the moshpit to all the people up in the balcony seats, all singing along. Jobson holds the mic towards them and it is the loudest and best sing along I have ever heard. The fans are still singing when the band goes off. But that surely cant be it - they come back on to do acoustic versions of “Saints are Coming” and “Into the Valley” which mellows the crowd out before they play “Fields”, which according to Jobson they have never played live before.And finally it is time for “that song that is like a lead weight around our necks all evening and you have been waiting for” says Jobson - “Albert Tatlock” is screamed out! “TV Stars” is played and the roof of the Alhambra is nearly lifted off its hinges.

And that was it - two hours of sheer brilliance and the last ever gig, if so they did their hometown and the fans proud but most of all they did themselves proud.
 
 As they walk off Bruce stands alone and shouts see ya soon.
 
 The end or the beginning…?

The Skids 

Gig review: The Skids
By Fiona Shepherd
ABC, GLASGOW
click here for original article

MANY bands approach the nostalgia ticket with caution, particularly the first wave of punk bands who initially formed to sweep away the old guard and, in choosing to reform, must now reconcile themselves to facing a roomful of balding men of a certain age.
 
 But Scotland's premier punk warhorses The Skids have come back with such passionate, vigorous, infectious spirit and rousing material that the ironies of being an old-age punk have ceased to be an issue and all that mattered was rallying with frontman Richard Jobson in his stated aim to "sing quite out of tune, dance badly and have a blast".
 
 In the course of his reminiscences, Jobson revealed that he became The Skids' singer by intimidating founder members Stuart Adamson and Bill Simpson into giving him the job. These days he is more of a cuddly raconteur, sincerely putting each of the songs plucked from their back catalogue into context.
 
 The entire gig also functioned as an act of remembrance for the late Adamson, whose distinctive guitar sound – as played by his Big Country sideman Bruce Watson in this line-up – has helped to preserve the kick of such muscular chants as The Saints Are Coming, Into The Valley, Masquerade and the prescient Working For The Yankee Dollar.
 
 The set list reached beyond the hits to encompass debut single Charles and requested fan favourites such as The Olympian, while maintaining a balance between what the band wanted to play – including an acoustic encore and the rarely performed single Fields – and what the boisterous audience wanted to hear (the thrashy rant of TV Stars).
 
 This final track was evidently not one of Jobson's proudest musical achievements but the fact that the band played it with such headlong energy anyway is one good reason why this is such a fondly-regarded and raucously received reunion

The Skids