The Skids / Theatre of Hate

The Skids and Theatre of Hate share a bill at Boiler Shop on Friday 6 November, a co-headline night that brings together two very different corners of the post-punk era. Both bands have their roots in the late seventies and early eighties, and both have left a mark on the music that followed, though they came at it from opposite ends of the spectrum.

The Skids formed in Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1977, with Stuart Adamson, Richard Jobson, Tom Kellichan and Willie Simpson. They signed to Virgin and put out Sweet Suburbia and The Saints Are Coming before hitting the top ten with 'Into The Valley', from their debut album Scared To Dance — a song that Dunfermline FC and Charlton FC both adopted as a theme tune. From there they moved towards a mellower sound, scoring top-20 hits 'Masquerade' and 'Working For The Yankee Dollar' from Days in Europa, and released The Absolute Game in 1980. Internal rifts eventually pulled them apart: Adamson went on to form Big Country, while Jobson and Webb recorded the band's final album Joy in 1981 before they split in 1982. Jobson later worked as a poet, songwriter, TV presenter and film director.

Theatre of Hate bring a different energy entirely. They're an 80s post-punk and gothic rock band led by Kirk Brandon, who later formed Spear of Destiny. Their back catalogue includes 'Legion', 'Original Sin' and 'Rebel Without A Brain'. Where The Skids started in the punk wave and drifted towards a softer sound, Theatre of Hate stayed firmly in the darker, more atmospheric territory of the gothic scene. Putting them on the same bill gives you two distinct takes on the same era in one night.

It's a co-headline show, so both get their time on stage. The gig is at Boiler Shop on South Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3PE, starting at 7:00pm on Friday 6 November. Tickets are £33.50, which includes the booking fee.