The Skids & Theatre Of Hate – Friday 1st May 2026
A CO HEADLINE SHOW WITH SKIDS & THEATRE OF HATE
THEATRE OF HATE –
In 1980, Kirk Brandon formed Theatre Of Hate from the ashes of heralded punk band The Pack. Joining Kirk on vocals were notable punk musicians Stan Stammers and Luke Rendall, along with old school friend, Steve Guthrie and Canadian born John “Boy” Lennard, who revolutionised the band’s sound with his haunting sax lines.
Theatre Of Hate’s debut double-A-side single, “Legion”/”Original Sin”, topped the independent chart in 1980, and “Westworld”, their debut album, produced by Mick Jones from The Clash and released in 1982, held the number one position for 21 weeks. The single taken from the album, “Do You Believe In The West- world?” has become an anthem and is still widely played in clubs and on international radio, as well as featuring on numerous compilation albums.
Theatre Of Hate imploded in 1982, with Kirk taking Stan forward to form Spear Of Destiny, but the band has resurfaced over the years to play some very special shows.
Having been asked by John Curd to join The Damned for a massive show at London’s infamous Round- house in December 2014 the band once again joined the fray. A short set of dates around the London Roundhouse anchor show attracted rave reviews.
2015 saw the band play two short jaunts across the UK in April and December both sets of dates wowed large crowds.Whilst touring the band recorded and released, Kinshi funded by a fans pledge campaign – the first new studio album in 30+ years. The 12 track album launched in November 2016 sublimely linked the past and present to great press and fan acclaim leading to further extensive live shows across the UK, Europe and the USA.
With a now settled line up of Kirk Brandon, Stan Stammers, Chris Bell & Clive Osborne (currently deputising for John Lennard) the band released two EP’s I.Sensou (War) & II.Heiwa (Peace) in 2019 which have maintained the ongoing success and paved the way for the bands latest and, appropriately named, studio album, A Thing Of Beauty, again funded by the growing fanbase via very specially packaged releases on CD & Vinyl. Recorded during the 2020 lockdowns and officially released in March 2021 this venture has already become a favourite amongst the loyal fanbase, many shows to support the release followed.
During 2023 TOH joined both The Mission and The Chameleons for a now legendary 39 date coast to coast of the USA, sell out shows with The Mission in Manchester, Whitby and London’s Roundhouse finished the year.
2024 will see TOH release a completely re-recorded and re-worked version of their iconic 1982 ‘Westworld” album, many many live shows are planned across the globe…
LIVE REVIEWS “The setlist is packed with classic Theatre of Hate tracks, from ‘The Wake’, through to ‘Legion’ and ‘Original Sin’, as well as ‘Incinerator’ and ‘My
Own Invention’. ‘Judgment Hymn’ soars, ‘Propaganda’ roars; ‘63’ is flawless, ‘Rebel Without A Brain’ kicks you in the chest. The quality of songs and their performance is relentless.” Alan Neilson – gettothefront.co.uk
“We have seen the Stranglers, SLF, The Damned and Killing Joke go from strength to strength in the past few years and with performances this powerful and this spell binding it won’t be long before Theatre Of hate join them” John Robb – Louder Than War
“ What a fantastic band, playing music that comes from outer space and refuses to be bracketed. Every note conjured by the melding of dark and light energy into a fury of anger, love and power” Juniper Gavin – Vive Le Rock!
EARLY REVIEWS FOR “A Thing of Beauty” “Oozes every ounce of Theatre of Hate, mesmerising sax, haunting bass, rhythmic skins, slight but perfect guitar, and vocals that make the hair at the back of your neck stand up on end…’’
“i’m lovin all the tracks for different reasons. It’s a blinding album and a great way to end this year on a high note! Long live The Hate!”
“Did not expect that – absolutely brilliant from the first note to the last…sounds 2020 fresh but stamped with 1982 at its core…the range and depth of this maspterpiece should not be missed….stick it on, settle back and prepare to be in awe of master craftsmen at work”
THE SKIDS
Skids is a punk band formed in Dunfermline, Scotland by Stuart Adamson (on guitars, vocals, keyboards, percussion), Richard Jobson (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Thomas Kellichan (drums) and William Simpson (bass guitar, vocals) in 1977. They signed to Virgin and issued “Sweet Suburbia” and “The Saints Are Coming” before shooting to popularity with top ten single “Into The Valley“, from their first album “Scared to Dance“. The group has split and reformed on numerous occasions; the original run was 1977–1982, they reformed in 2007 before splitting in 2010. For the third time, they reformed in 2016. They released their fifth album, Burning Cities, in 2018, 36 years after their last release.
The Skids continue to enjoy popularity with two top 20 singles, “Masquerade” and “Working for the Yankee Dollar“, from the album “Days in Europa“, produced by Bill Nelson. The Cover of the album, showing an “aryan”, was seen by some as resembling Nazi propaganda imagery, and was soon replaced with a less controversial sleeve. This sleeve, although conventional, still bore the image of the first release seen through the viewers eyes by a picture on the wall, alongside a picture of ‘Scared to Dance‘, the sleeve portrayed a woman , bare breast showing, in the hands of a man.
The Absolute Game was The Skids’ 1980 third album (not counting the two different mix versions released of their second album 1979’s Days in Europa) and was produced by Mick Glossop. It featured two new band members, Russell Webb (bass guitar, vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion) and Mike Baillie (drums, vocals, percussion).
The album continued the Skids’ progression from a punky sound into a more mellow one – paralleled by many bands of the period. The album has a great deal in common with Days in Europa, but not much with its successor, Joy. Around this time the band were driven by internal rifts and disagreements, leading to various members coming and going. Soon after the release and live concert tour of The Absolute Game, Adamson and Baillie left the band. (Although Adamson did temporarily return to play on one more song from the album Joy, called Iona.) Adamson went on to launch the career of his new band, Big Country, and Baillie moved back to Scotland to live. A great deal of Big Country’s future sound and style can be heard in this album. In particularly on Hurry On Boys, which features bagpipe simulations and real didgeridoo.
The departure of Adamson and Baillie left Jobson and Webb, in 1981, to write and record the band’s fourth and final album Joy, which Russell Webb also produced. The pair played multiple instruments on the album, and also invited a collection of seventeen musical friends to perform on various tracks with them. The Skids dissolved in 1982, with the album Fanfare posthumously issued by Virgin. It was a mixture of greatest hits and unreleased tracks.
Jobson and Webb then went onto form a new band called The Armoury Show. The group only recorded one album called Waiting for the Floods in 1985 before splitting up. Richard Jobson went onto pursue a solo career as a poet, songwriter, television presenter and most recently a film director. He released albums on the Belgian record label Les Disques du Crepuscule, and the UK’s own Parlophone Records.
Sadly, on December 16 2001, Stuart was found dead in Best Western Plaza Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, having committed suicide.
In the year 2007, U2 and Green Day covered “The Saints Are Coming” recorded originally by The Skids for the “Scared to Dance” album. Most fans seen this as a juncture to include new fans to the old punk scene.
In 2007 former members of The Skids – Richard Jobson, William Simpson and Mike Baillie – reunited to play three gigs. Joined by Bruce Watson (guitar/vocals of Big Country), Jamie Watson (guitar), Brian Jobson (vocals) and Jane Button (vocals) – the gigs commemorated the thirtieth anniversary of the group’s formation, and were final tribute to Stuart Adamson. The shows on 4 July and 5 July were at Dunfermline’s Glen Pavilion, where they were supported by Rosyth band The Draymin – outside of which The Skids had previously played only their second gig according to Jobson – and on 7 July, at the T in the Park festival.
Skids returned to the stage on 28 November 2009 as one of the headlining acts in Homecoming Live, a series of gigs held around the SECC complex in Glasgow to celebrate the end of the Year of Homecoming in Scotland. The line-up mirrored the 2007 gigs, with members of The Gospel Truth Choir joining Button on backing vocals for “A Woman in Winter” and “Working for the Yankee Dollar“.
The same lineup performed a concert on 5 March 2010 at the ABC in Glasgow, with support from The Law and Bruce & Jamie Watson, and lastly a concert on 6 March 2010 at the Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, with support from Beatnic Prestige and Bruce & Jamie Watson. This final concert was to conclude a week of events celebrating the works, past and present, of Richard Jobson as part of The Fifer Festival 2010 on 6 March 2010.
In 2016 the band reformed and announced a 40th anniversary tour of the UK with their original singer Richard Jobson. In 2018, Skids released their fifth album, Burning Cities.
Both Dunfermline Athletic FC and Charlton Athletic FC use “Into the Valley” as a theme song.
