In Valhalla With Skegss At The Fillmore

Skegss came to the Fillmore in San Francisco last Wednesday night, stopping in the Bay Area on their tour of the United States. A line formed outside the venue before doors were opened, where fans waited in excitement, ready to mosh to some classic surf garage rock. Hailing from Byron Bay, Australia, this group was excited to be back in the United States playing at such an iconic venue. As the Fillmore began to fill up the opener, Yot Club took the stage. Frontman Ryan Kaiser, a Nashville based artist had never played in the Bay before, and everyone welcomed him warmly. Although most people were there to see Skegss, fans were visibly singing along as he played through his set. Songs such as “YKWIM,” and “japan,” each with millions of streams, were immediately recognized by the audience. He primed the audience well for Skegss after debuting his latest single “saturday.” Yot Club left the stage and the last stragglers entered the ballroom and found their spot on the floor.

Anticipation grew as the lights dimmed, and “The Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” started blaring through the speakers. People were swaying and singing along as Skegss took the stage. They went right into their first song of the night “Valhalla,” a gnarly anthem about their own personal Valhalla: heaven in norse mythology. Instantly fans were screaming along the lyrics, stomping along to intense guitar growls and beginning to mosh to some of their favorite music. This show was already set to be a great one.

Although it was a Wednesday night show, no one saved anything for the weekend when they moved onto their next song, “Save It For The Weekend.” The energy didn’t drop at all. They moved through all of their familiar favorites, sipping on margaritas before playing “Margaritas,” and the crowd loved every second of it. It was a great time. Song lyrics echoed from the audience as frontmen, Ben Reed and Toby Cregan moved through their set. It was an undeniably good energy.

Midway through the show, Reed and Cregan had a brief conversation which was shortly followed by the pit being opened up before moving further into their set. People were ready to mosh, and there was no shortage of this energy as Skegss played through all of their fan favorites, like “L.S.D.,”“Stranger Days,” and “Up in The Clouds.” With their songs chock full of lyrics about the summer, going to the beach and hanging out with your friends, it was almost impossible to not have a good time. For everyone who had come to be entertained, mosh, dance, and enjoy themselves, Skegss delivered this and more.