Crowd surfing kids, a three-piece rock band with scruffy hair and no frills garage rock ‘n roll. We’re either back in the ’90s or it was Wednesday night at Ace of Cups as Aussie rockers Skegss made their Columbus debut.
Formed in Byron Bay, Australia in 2014, the three-piece consists of Toby Cregan, Jonny Lani and Benny Reed who are currently out touring the U.S. in support of their debut album, My Own Mess.
Back home down under the trio have had a a hugely successful couple of years with their number two chart-peaking album, a string of sold out shows and festival appearances, and growing critical acclaim for their high-energy live shows – which on a freezing November night in Ohio didn’t disappoint.
Pulling tracks from their debut album and the string of EPs that preceded it, Skegss are surf-garage rock at its finest, slacker-rock gems made to look effortless, as singer/guitarist Ben Reed belted out simple sing-along songs that the mostly underage crowd lapped up as the Ace of Cups floor became a sea of bouncing kids and the occasional crowd surfer.
Skegss fully justified their reputation as a really fun live band. Sure, the songs often sounded the same and lyrics about beer, skateboards and the beach aren’t exactly groundbreaking, but for people that just want a good time listening to striped-down music from a band that just want to have fun, Skegss might be what you’re looking for.
Fellow Australian’s, Le Shiv opened the evening.
Matt Ellis is a freelance photographer who covers bands that visit the city and the Columbus Crew MLS team. More about Matt can be found on his Instagram.
All photos by Matt Ellis