Curtis Allen

There’s something deeply satisfying about a good ska punk wedding. It’s loud. It’s joyful. It’s slightly chaotic in the best way. Ali and Jonny’s wedding celebration at Lykke in Sheffield wasn’t just a party—it was a livewire tribute to everything they love: friends, dancing, noise, and a killer playlist that started with Jaya the Cat and ended with Streetlight Manifesto.

They’d already had their legal ceremony in Vegas (as if they couldn’t get cooler), so this was the celebration for everyone back home. No sit-down meal. No awkward first dance. Just a room full of people who got it.

Let’s Talk About the Dancefloor

If you’ve never been to a ska punk wedding, picture this: the bride in glittery trainers skanking to Capdown. The groom in pink leopard-print shoes losing his mind to [Spunge]. A mum and daughter dancing for literally the entire night, the guests with glow bracelets swinging, laughing through “Fat Lip” and “Friend Like Me” like it was church.

Early on, the guests milled around outside, grabbing drinks and catching up. But as soon as the tempo shifted, so did the vibe. “Ska Wars” hit, and the room filled up fast. Suddenly the place was bouncing—shoulders were rolling, knees were lifting, and the crowd was moving like they’d trained for this moment since the early 2000s. There was even some Cossack dancing!

Music That Actually Meant Something

Ali and Jonny had a deep love for their playlist. Soon after they’d booked me through The Best Men, we’d prepped it together in detail, pulling from their shared obsessions—Green Day, Capdown, Fall Out Boy, Gogol Bordello, Foxboro Hot Tubs, and plenty of deeper cuts. They trusted me to weave in the right kind of chaos, and I had the freedom to throw curveballs that made sense: Slipknot into Disney, Avantasia’s metal cover of ABBA’s “Lay All Your Love On Me”, and back out into a skank pit before you could blink.

Watching Ali and Jonny dance together to “Kicking Pigeons,” surrounded by their loved ones, was honestly one of the most quietly romantic moments of the night.

And for the record, yes—we got a full-blown Macarena to “Party Hard” and a couple of sketchy lifts during “Cryin’.” Weddings are weird. That’s the good bit.

The Venue: Lykke Sheffield

I’d never played Lykke before, but I’d go back in a heartbeat. Industrial edges softened by warm lights, Danish inspiration, and bold character. It gave the night a casual elegance—enough space to roam early on, then become a sweaty dancefloor when it mattered. Great staff, too. The kind of place that makes it feel like your space.

If you’re into alternative venues with strong character, it’s worth adding to your list.

Why This Wedding Worked

A ska punk wedding only works when everyone’s all in, and these lot absolutely were. The outfits (leopard print, pink suits, tattoos galore). The attitude (zero pretence, all heart). The soundtrack (custom built to start low, then explode). This was a gig disguised as a wedding party, or maybe the other way around.

You can see the kind of nights I live for over on my blog. This one’s definitely joining the highlight reel.

Looking for Your Own Ska Punk Wedding?

If you’re planning a wedding that doesn’t look or sound like the ones on Pinterest, and you’re hunting for someone who knows their way around Capdown, nu-metal nostalgia, Fall Out Boy deep cuts, and ska that actually bangs, I’d love to be part of it.

You can book me directly here or through The Best Men if you’re after a full team of DJs with shared values and serious music taste.

The Ska Punk Wedding Setlist:

Here Come the Drums – Jaya the Cat
Mary Melody – Mad Caddies
Lean on Sheena – The Bouncing Souls
Mother Mary – Foxboro Hot Tubs
Ska Wars – Capdown
Wonderlust King – Gogol Bordello
A Little Less Sixteen Candles – Fall Out Boy
Private Eye – Alkaline Trio
Time Bomb – Rancid
brutal – Olivia Rodrigo
Slipshod – Enter Shikari
I’m Not Okay (I Promise) – My Chemical Romance
Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner – Fall Out Boy
The ’59 Sound – The Gaslight Anthem
Drinking for 11 – Mad Caddies
I’ve Got a Dark Alley – Fall Out Boy
The Authority Song – Jimmy Eat World
Sound System – Operation Ivy
Red Wine Supernova – Chappell Roan
Hit That – The Offspring
The Bad Touch – Bloodhound Gang
Gay Bar – Electric Six
The Taste of Ink – The Used
Letters to You – Finch
Cute Without the “E” – Taking Back Sunday
Miss Murder – AFI
Dance, Dance – Fall Out Boy
Welcome to the Black Parade – My Chemical Romance
Sugar, We’re Goin Down – Fall Out Boy
I Write Sins Not Tragedies – Panic! At The Disco
MakeDamnSure – Taking Back Sunday
The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
Fat Lip – Sum 41
Helena – My Chemical Romance
Just Lose It – Eminem
Girls Gone Wild – Scene Queen ft. WARGASM
Shut Me Up – Mindless Self Indulgence
Duality – Slipknot
Last Resort – Papa Roach
Boiler – Limp Bizkit
Kiss for the Whole World – Enter Shikari
Teenagers – My Chemical Romance
Still Waiting – Sum 41
The Kids Aren’t Alright – The Offspring
Fall Back Down – Rancid
True Believers – The Bouncing Souls
An A-Political Stand of Reason – Capdown
Sound System – Operation Ivy
Start Wearing Purple – Gogol Bordello
Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard
Cryin’ – Aerosmith
I Believe in a Thing Called Love – The Darkness
Jesus of Suburbia – Green Day
Party Hard – Andrew WK
You’re Welcome – Dwayne Johnson (Moana)
Under the Sea – The Little Mermaid
Friend Like Me – Aladdin
I’ll Make a Man Out of You – Mulan
What’s This – Fall Out Boy
Be Our Guest – Beauty and the Beast
Prince Ali – Aladdin
Pound for the Sound – Capdown
Kicking Pigeons – [Spunge]
Monkeys – Mad Caddies
Keasbey Nights – Streetlight Manifesto