Skindred, thanks to Oleg L
Skindred are a British band hailing from Newport in Wales. They’ve been around since 1998, after the break-up of Dub War, the vocalist (Benji Webb)‘s previous band. Webb blames Dub War’s break up on pressure from the record label, Earache Records. Skindred’s first record, called Babylon, came out in 2002. It was reissued twice, once in 2003, and then again in 2004, with new cover art, and some new material. The album was a success, hitting the top spot on the Billboard Reggae charts in the US, and enjoyed some moderate success in Europe. They released their second album in 2007, Roots Rock Riot, and a third in 2009, entitled Shark Bites and Dog Fights.
The band’s initial line-up changed in 2002, when Jeff Rose and Ginge Ford (both previously in Dub War) left the band, seemingly both feeling as though despite the change of label, circumstances had remained the same, and the pressure was still too high.
Their single “Nobody” is their most successful, garnering over 16,000 plays in the past six months on last.fm, and neither of their later albums have shown the longevity of Babylon, which accounts for more than half of Skindred’s plays, according to the same statistics.
Musically, Skindred occupy an unusual space. Comparisons to Bad Brains are thrown about by critics, but Benji Webb rejects those completely. They’re a crossover band, metal vs. ska, punk vs. reggae, but it’s a smooth blend, and works incredibly well.
For me personally, Skindred is a reminder of my nights in Subculture in Birmingham, and was a taste of home when after two months in Russia, I walked into a nightclub in St. Petersburg to hear “Selector”, far and away my favourite Skindred song. Definitely one of the bands I’m most looking forward to at Sziget.
The band’s music has also been featured on the soundtrack to Need For Speed Underground: 2, and the film Sky High.
Image used was found here, released under a CC-BY-SA licence by Oleg Lushenkov
Download our free Android app!