There are things in life that you don’t expect to see and one of them is a new album from The Skids yet here it is and it is entitled “Destination Düsseldorf”. I suppose, therefore, that the key question is whether the passing of time has diminished their ability to impact their music upon your ears.
The answer to that would appear to be no for, with energy levels that exceed that of much younger bands, The Skids bring those halcyon days of 1979 back to life with most of the songs on this album being ignited by lighter fuel and Swan Vesta matches and duly featuring enough in the way of combustible hooks to make them into case studies in chant along festival fun.
Guitars are, of course, everywhere with the current line up featuring some imports from Big Country to provide much of the fine fret abuse that define this band’s sound. The Jobson – for it is He - handles the frontline action like a much younger man and, even in the album’s more artistic moments like “Thing’s We’ve Seen”, he always seems right at home.
I like any album that sounds best with the volume turned right up and “Destination Düsseldorf” is such an album. The verdict? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.