Gig review: Skeletals are back -- and better
Maybe it was the famous Keighley apathy that lives on, perhaps an over dose of festive frolicking had left people wishing to remain indoors. Whatever the reason, the only disappointing thing about this Skeletal Family gig, at the Victoria Hall, on Saturday was the somewhat sparse audience. No matter, the people who actually managed to tear themselves away from the final ever episode of The Office on television and the ever-more devoured turkey carcass were rewarded with a truly exceptional gig. The three support acts -- Wet Paint, Operator 6 and Nazarites -- were of the highest quality.

Nazarites, with their Steel Pulse style reggae, replaced Bonehead's The Seers at the last minute and came very close to stealing the show.

The headliners put on a truly awesome performance, with a set comprising almost all of their biggest songs from the band's Eighties heyday -- Trees being the only absentee. Two brand new songs were also performed -- All My Best Friends and the brilliant Waiting. Any fears that Claire might struggle to match original singer Anne Marie's stage presence soon evaporated when she entered the stage in a black PVC cat suit that she must have been poured into and began to belt out Hands of the Clock.

I have to admit to being one of the cynical ones following her appointment as vocalist, but she is very much up to the job and just oozes confidence and talent.

Most bizarre moment of the evening was Stan abandoning his guitar half way through Restless, leaving Karl Heinz to play his guitar parts on the sax, in order to relieve himself off stage. With Trotwood faultless on bass and Martin Henderson, who must be the finest drummer in the area, Skeletal Family are back and better than ever. Next time they play their home town they deserve to be playing to a packed house. Their next gig is in Belgium, but surely it won't be too long before they play Keighley again.

Graham Scaife

This Review originally printed in thr Keighley News 02.01.04