Smiling Ivy

Smiling Ivy is a group from the United Kingdom that plays a mix of reggae, ska, rock and ska punk. The five-piece forms around a long-standing line-up, with the same five members remaining together over time.

The group’s history begins in childhood, with the members knowing each other since the playschool sandpit. They later start playing instruments in a carpet warehouse and begin developing their sound there, working through funk-ska rhythms and a loose, high-energy approach to performance.

The act’s name is associated with a sense of instability and survival, with the group described as constantly close to breakdown but never crossing that point. Their identity centres on that ongoing tension, together with an unruly, unpredictable style.