The Skinner Brothers at Scala, London
The Skinner Brothers / Cheap Thrills live at Scala, London. Thursday May 28 2026
The Skinner Brothers have been kicking around a long time but last year has seen a pretty meteoric rise in popularity. A slew of memorable singles and a five part hook up with the phenomenon that is Ren, coupled with a striking visual look and they’ve been hard to ignore. This was their biggest test yet, a sold out show at Scala in London, a 1000 tickets sold in hours and a feeling of anticipation that something big was about to happen.
A queue around the block is finally let in, everyone’s in good spirits – it’s clear the band are running the show just how they want it. We get two supports – Handsome Rat and Cheap Thrills, both hand picked by SB. Handsome Rat are from Manchester (you can tell as the coat never comes off the masked singer). The vibe is indie with melodic backing vocals and a bit of grit in the guitar but never to the point it really takes over. I hope they get their dream pop sound nailed down in the studio.
Cheap Thrills (surely I’ve seen a band with that name before) up the tempo and really rock out. In fact the vocalist seems to be constantly on the edge of teetering over but it’s all under control. It’s always a good sign when a song is stuck in your head a day after hearing it just once – and ‘Who Am I To Judge’ certainly did that.
The Skinner Brothers kick off ‘XL Bully’, a no fucks given banger that sets the right tempo from the start – something they rarely let slip for the next hour and a half. Live the band’s guitar and drums are more prominent with the electronic parts pre recorded. That mix of everything – rock, pop, pink, electronic, ska, indie – makes the crowd feel they are witnessing something special. No one mashes things up like the Skinner Brothers. From the laid back and funky Ctrl Alt Del to the sample heavy Pie N Mash there’s sing along choruses all the way through. There’s a feeling of euphoria and a common purpose so what better song to end on than the hedonistic Off My Nutt before heading out into the night, head ringing with a set full of absolute classics. This was The Skinner Brothers at their mid 2026 peak, but with the Electric Ballroom gig already selling out fast they aint stopping on this rung but climbing ever upward.
