The Interrupters - Live Review

THE INTERRUPTERS / BIRMINGHAM INSTITUTE/ 2.9.22

As we walk into the main room of Birmingham’s O2 Institute on an early September evening, we are hit by a wall of heat and people, people who are gently swaying and grooving to the sound of The Skints. Too often these days (sometimes because of security) people seem to be missing support acts, with rooms only ending up half full, so it’s great to see that The Skints showing that they can draw a crowd and that arguably, they could themselves be filling a room of this size. 

They are here to support The Interrupters, as they have been doing across Europe and the US for most of the year. They are the perfect accompaniment to the show, sitting nicely within the Ska and Two-Tone wheelhouse, whilst bringing a chilled and mellow vibe to wet the audience’s appetite.
The Interrupters are a powerhouse, and with recent slots of shows like Jimmy Kimmel in America it is clear that they are not just carrying the torch of Ska they are reigniting it, stepping out of the shadows of that last major Ska resurgence in the 90’s and pushing on to create their own booming Ska scene. The energy they bring to the stage could power a Coldplay concert, with bodies flying and jumping all over the stage, this is a band that plays like a family in togetherness. The crowd feed off this energy with people coming over the barrier on nearly every song.
The intensity of the crowd surfing and moshing in the middle of the crowd, is matched by the dancing and jiving of those who are on then outside of the main crush of fans. Such is The Interrupters sound, that it caters for all those differing waves of Ska music with the band having the potential to slow it down where possible or make the crowd bounce.
It is great to see that there is a future for Ska under the stewardship of The Interrupters and the band’s that they will undoubtedly influence. The future is bright, the future is Ska.