Review - Skunk Anansie have well and truly returned after an 8 year break. I'm so happy, having last been at their gig way back in 1999. Back in singer Skins' hometown of Brixton, and loving it judging by the way she kept telling us coming back was "the best f***ing idea they ever had", Skin ploughed relentless energy into every hit featured on their current 'best of' album.

The set opened with a rampaging ball of golden tinsel wailing Selling Jesus - Skin was somewhere inside the enormous sparkly costume. Then removing the wrap and whipping the drums like a mad lion tamer, the band surged into Charlie Big Potato, now wearing a gold sequined catsuit Skin whipped the crowd into a frenzy that didn't end until I was halfway to Stockwell tube.

Skin was itching to break the rules, still a rebellious teenager at heart, urging the balcony to all stand up at once and dance so that security couldn't tell them off. Poor security. They tried desperately to prevent crowd surfing, but Skin insisted on diving five or six times, including walking on peoples hands halfway through the pit, without missing a note of Weak. Of course she had her clothes ripped off, which I remember happening ten years ago, but she laughs it off before segueing into heartbreaking soaring melodies on new single Squander.



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We were given another new track, so new it's not on the new best of, but will presumably be on their next studio album. I can't remember what it's called, but I can tell you Skin introduced it by saying "this one's for you (pointing into the crowd) because it's about f***ing". One of the most notable changes from the previous decade is a shift from angsty aggression into self-aware campness, which is not unwanted in a performance as the songs, and that voice, speak for themselves.

And just in case you're wondering if rock is fully deserving of a feature on QS, despite the singer's sexuality, you have only to see the crowd raise their hands in joy to On My Hotel TV as Skin asks - "they, they, they, gay - who the f**k is gay?" (Sorry, there was a lot of effing, but she smiles as she says it!)

The set ended with an encore of Hedonism and Little Baby Swastikkka (complete with audience storming the stage), but they were brought back on for one last tune to prevent another Brixton riot, belting out Secretly as we all hugged and went home exhausted from moshing and emotion.