Skids & Theatre of Hate

Skids and Theatre of Hate come together for a UK co-headline date at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, on 11 December 2026 at 7:30 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 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.

Their debut album "Scared to Dance" came out in 1979, followed by the singles "Masquerade" and "Working for the Yankee Dollar", taken from the Bill Nelson-produced second album "Days in Europa". The album also featured new member Rusty Egan of Rich Kids and Visage after the departure of Tom Kellichan. The band released two more albums, "The Absolute Game" (1980) and "Joy" (1981), before splitting.

The current Skids line-up is 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 brought distinctive sax lines. Theatre of Hate's debut double A-side single, "Legion"/"Original Sin", topped the independent chart in 1980, and "Westworld", their debut album, produced by Mick Jones of the Clash and released in 1982, held the number one position for 21 weeks. The single from the album, "Do You Believe in the Westworld?", is still played in clubs and on international radio and features on compilation albums.

Theatre of Hate disbanded in 1982, with Kirk and Stan going on to form Spear of Destiny, but the band has reunited over the years to play shows in the UK, Europe and the USA. The band now has a settled line-up of Kirk Brandon, Stan Stammers, Chris Bell and Clive Osborne, performing new songs and material from their back catalogue.