Skunk Anansie

Skunk Anansie

Skunk Anansie is a British rock band formed in 1994. The line-up includes Skin on lead vocals and guitar, Cass on bass, guitar and backing vocals, Ace on guitar and backing vocals, and Mark Richardson on drums and percussion. The band disbands in 2001 and reforms in 2009.

Origins and name

The name Skunk Anansie comes from Akan folk tales about Anansi the spider-man of Ghana, with “Skunk” added to make the name harsher. The group plays its first gig at London’s Splash club in March 1994.

Career in the 1990s

Skunk Anansie records its debut album, Paranoid & Sunburnt, in six weeks with producer Sylvia Massy at a “haunted house” outside the city. The album and its follow-up Stoosh are released by One Little Indian Records. The band later switches to Virgin for its third album, Post Orgasmic Chill, released in 1999. Its singles include “Charity”, “Hedonism”, “Selling Jesus”, “Weak”, “Feed” and “Little Baby Swastikkka”. “Selling Jesus” appears on the soundtrack to the film Strange Days, alongside “Feed”.

The group is often placed within the Britrock movement rather than Britpop because of its heavier sound. In 1995 it is voted Best New British Band by readers of Kerrang!, and in 1996 it is voted Best British Live Act by the magazine. In 1997 it receives MTV Europe Music Award nominations for Best Live Act and Best Group. In 1999 it becomes the last band of the 20th century to headline Glastonbury Festival, closing the Pyramid Stage.

Charts, recognition and sales

In 2004, Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums names Skunk Anansie one of the most successful UK chart acts between 1952 and 2003, placing the band at No. 491 with 142 weeks on the singles and album charts. The band sells 5 million records.

Split and side projects

After the split in April 2001, Skin begins a solo career. Her debut solo album, Fleshwounds, is co-written with Len Arran and released in 2003, followed by Fake Chemical State in 2006. She also provides vocals for other acts. Ace releases Still Hungry under the name Ace Sounds, with collaborations including Shingai Shoniwa of Noisettes and Skye of Morcheeba, and later joins a band called Inner Mantra. Cass records Scars with Gary Moore in 2002, playing bass and backing vocals, and also contributes various instruments to Skin’s first solo album. Outside recording, Cass focuses on photography. Mark Richardson records sessions for various artists including Skin before joining Feeder after the death of drummer Jon Lee, and also tutors at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music, alongside Ace.

Reunion and later releases

Mark Richardson confirms the band’s reforming in 2008. Two shows under the name SCAM — Skin, Cass, Ace and Mark — take place at the Monto Water Rats in London in April 2009 and sell out in 20 minutes. The band then begins a greatest-hits tour across Europe. Smashes and Trashes, a compilation with three new tracks — “Because of You”, “Tear the Place Up” and “Squander” — is released in 2009, along with a digital remixes companion. “Because of You” is the first single from the release.

Wonderlustre follows in 2010, with “My Ugly Boy”, “Over the Love” and “You Saved Me” as singles. The album reaches number one in Italy and places in the top 10 in several European countries. The band supports Rammstein in Berlin in 2010 and appears on the Portuguese talent show Ídolos later that year. In 2011 it performs at Rock on the Volga in Russia, at Sziget Festival in Budapest, and at Pukkelpop in Belgium, where a tornado strikes the venue during its set. Black Traffic follows in 2012, recorded in London and produced by Skunk Anansie and Chris Sheldon, with mixing by Jeremy Wheatley and Adrian Bushby. It is the band’s first independent release, issued through its own label in partnership with 100% Records.

In 2013 the group releases An acoustic Skunk Anansie – Live in London, recorded at Cadogan Hall and also issued as a live DVD. The release includes Len Arran and Erika Footman, Mark Richardson’s wife, on backing vocals and keyboards. Anarchytecture follows in 2016, and the band tours Europe extensively that year.

Recent activity and recognition

In 2017 Skunk Anansie launches a scholarship with the Academy of Contemporary Music, offering funding for one student from ACM Guildford, ACM London or ACM Birmingham. In 2019 the live album 25LIVE@25 is released, drawn from performances on the 2017 tour. The band receives the Hall of Fame Award at the 2019 Kerrang! Awards. Singles released in this period include “What You Do For Love” in 2019, “This Means War” in 2020, and “Piggy” and “Can’t Take You Anywhere” in 2022. Skin receives an OBE from King Charles at Windsor Castle in 2023.