Skids, Theatre of Hate

Two artists, Skids and Theatre of Hate, come together this autumn for a UK co-headline tour. They play The Live Rooms, Chester, on 28 November 2026 at 7:00 pm.

Skids

Skids formed in 1977 in their hometown of Dunfermline, Scotland, by Richard Jobson, Stuart Adamson, Bill Simpson and Tom Kellichan. After releasing an independent single, the band were played by John Peel, supported The Clash in concert and were then signed to Virgin Records in 1978. Their first singles were "Sweet Suburbia", "The Saints Are Coming" and "Into the Valley", the latter reaching the UK top ten in early 1979.

The current Skids lineup sees the band stripped back to a four-piece with Richard Jobson, Peter Byrchmore (Membranes), Hernandez (drums) and Connor Whyte (guitar).

Theatre of Hate

In 1980, Kirk Brandon formed Theatre of Hate from the ashes of punk band The Pack. Joining Kirk on vocals were Stan Stammers and Luke Rendall, along with old school friend Steve Guthrie and Canadian-born John "Boy" Lennard, who shaped the band's sound with his saxophone lines.

Theatre of Hate's debut double A-side single, "Legion"/"Original Sin", topped the independent chart in 1980, and "Westworld", their debut album, was produced by Mick Jones from The Clash and released in 1982. The single taken from the album, "Do You Believe in the Westworld?", has been widely played in clubs and on international radio, and has featured on compilation albums.