Live Review: Skater, Darlia - Oxford Art Factory

It’s hard not to liken Darlia to an early version of Nirvana. Frontman Nathan Day had the grunge aesthetic down, complete with plaid pants, messy blond locks and an arrogant attitude that put all eyes on him as they charged through their set.

Day kicked off every song whilst bassist Dave Williams and drummer Jack Bentham followed his lead as they powered through their gritty, angsty rock anthems, including Dear Diary and Queen Of Hearts.

Staying true to their grunge aesthetic, the music was dirty, the vocals were wailed, feedback soaked and slightly drowned out; but the crowd was ready for Splendour In The Grass rockers Skaters.

There was an air of anticipation in the room as Skaters casually convened on stage. With five men crammed on such a small stage it was either going to be awkward or a lot of fun, thankfully it was the latter.

They kicked off their high energy set with One Of Us, and followed through with the soaring chorus’ in Deadbolt and reggae influenced Band Breaker. Not wasting any time, Skaters gave the crowd what they wanted and hashed out popular songs Miss Teen Massachuetts and I Wanna Dance (But I Don’t Know How) mid set, amping up the party vibe, and with the crowd response seeming to show that they did indeed know how to dance.

Lead singer Michael Ian Cummings was leaning down and into the faces of the front row, both lapping up the attention, with one lucky guy getting to share the limelight with the band for final song Schemers, ending the set on a high.

The crowd was a little bemused when Cummings returned to the stage and practically asked them to cheer for an encore; but the way the audience threw their bodies around and screamed in Skater’s rendition of Territorial Pissings, made it clear that nobody wanted the party to end.