Skunk Anansie
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Fate | Reunited in 2009 |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
| Website | www |
Skunk Anansie is a British rock ensemble consisting of Skin (vocals, guitar), Cass (bass, guitar), Ace (guitar), and Mark Richardson (drums).
Established in 1994, disbanded in 2001, and reunited in 2009, their name is inspired by the Akan folklore figure Anansi, the spider-man from Ghana, with "Skunk" appended to add emphasis.
Their discography includes seven studio albums: Paranoid & Sunburnt (1995), Stoosh (1996), Post Orgasmic Chill (1999), Wonderlustre (2010), Black Traffic (2012), Anarchytecture (2016), and The Painful Truth (2025); a compilation album titled Smashes and Trashes (2009); along with popular singles such as "Charity," "Hedonism," "Selling Jesus," and "Weak."
They are generally linked to the Britrock genre rather than Britpop due to their heavier sound. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, Skunk Anansie ranked among the most successful UK chart acts from 1952 to 2003, spending 142 weeks on singles and album charts and placing at No. 491. Globally, the band has sold five million records.
Formation and early years: 1994–2001
Their debut performance took place at London's Splash club in March 1994. In 1995, readers of Kerrang! magazine named them Best New British Band. Mark Richardson became the drummer after successfully auditioning following Robbie France's exit. Two tracks, "Feed" and "Selling Jesus," appeared on the soundtrack for the 1995 film Strange Days. "Selling Jesus" received radio airplay after their initial single "Little Baby Swastikkka." Radio host Howard Stern predicted significant success for the band. In 1996, they were awarded Kerrang!s Best British Live Act and earned nominations for Best Live Act and Best Group at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 1997.
The album Stoosh was released in 1996 via One Little Indian Records, followed by Post Orgasmic Chill in 1999 after signing with Virgin. The band headlined the 1999 Glastonbury Festival, closing the Pyramid Stage. Throughout the late '90s, they toured internationally alongside prominent artists including U2, Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz, and Rammstein.
Although they experienced limited commercial impact in the U.S., they performed concerts there, with shows in Pittsburgh (2001) and Brooklyn (2016).
Side ventures: 2002–2008
Following their split in April 2001, Skin pursued a solo career releasing albums such as Fleshwounds (2003) and Fake Chemical State (2006), working closely with her longtime collaborator Len Arran. She also provided vocals for various other artists.
Ace released an album titled Still Hungry under Ace Sounds, featuring collaborations with Shingai Shoniwa and Skye from Morcheeba. He later became part of Inner Mantra and serves as an instructor at Brighton Institute of Modern Music.
Cass worked on the album Scars with Gary Moore in 2002, contributed to Skin’s solo projects, and devotes time to photography alongside his music career.
Mark Richardson participated in multiple recording sessions before joining Feeder after drummer Jon Lee passed away. He also teaches at Brighton Institute.
Reunion: 2009–2010
In a November 2008 interview with Drummer Magazine, Mark Richardson announced the band's comeback, revealing intentions to release a greatest hits collection alongside new tracks. Ace also created an official Myspace profile for the group.
The band performed two sold-out concerts on 2 and 3 April 2009 at London's Monto Water Rats, using the name SCAM (Skin, Cass, Ace, Mark). Their "Greatest Hits" tour kicked off on 9 October 2009 at Brussels' Ancienne Belgique and included multiple European dates, marking their first tour in eight years. On 2 November 2009, the compilation Smashes and Trashes was launched, featuring fifteen tracks with three new songs: "Because of You," "Tear the Place Up," and "Squander." A digital remix album accompanied this release.
The music video for "Tear the Place Up" debuted on Myspace on 3 July 2009, followed by the premiere of "Because of You" on Kerrang.com on 10 August. Released in the UK on 14 September, "Because of You" achieved top ten status in Italy; its successor, "Squander," reached the top 75 charts in Flanders.
Their fifth studio album, Wonderlustre, was released internationally on 13 September 2010. It was preceded by the single "My Ugly Boy," which came out across Europe during July and August and in the UK on 16 August. The accompanying video premiered exclusively on Kerrang.com on 23 July. Wonderlustre topped the Italian album charts and secured top ten positions in Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Poland.
In May 2010, Skunk Anansie supported Rammstein during two Berlin shows. The album's second single, "Over the Love," was released worldwide in November. That same month, they performed on Portugal's Ídolos. The third single, "You Saved Me," followed internationally in March 2011.
Continuing career: 2011–present
On 12 June 2011, Skunk Anansie delivered a well-received performance at Russia’s Rock on the Volga festival. They made their debut at Budapest’s Sziget Festival on 12 August, with Sziget’s official website naming Skin as one of the standout performers of the event.
During their set at Belgium’s Pukkelpop festival on 18 August 2011, a tornado struck causing casualties and injuries; Skin described this incident as the most frightening moment of her career.
Former drummer Robbie France died on 14 January 2012 at age 52.
On 11 June 2012, Skunk Anansie unveiled their fifth studio album titled Black Traffic, recorded in London with production handled by the band alongside Chris Sheldon and mixed by Jeremy Wheatley and Adrian Bushby. Released in September through their own label in partnership with 100% Records, it was supported by a European tour.
The lyric video for "Sad, Sad, Sad" premiered on 29 June 2012; critics lauded its return to heavy rock influences and praised Skin’s vocal delivery.
In September 2013, they issued An acoustic Skunk Anansie – Live in London, recorded earlier that year at Cadogan Hall. This release featured longtime collaborator Len Arran and Mark Richardson’s wife Erika Footman and was also made available as a live DVD.
Skunk Anansie released their sixth studio album, Anarchytecture, on 15 January 2016, followed by an extensive European tour throughout the summer months.
In 2017, they introduced the Skunk Anansie scholarship in collaboration with The Academy of Contemporary Music to support emerging musicians with £27,000 funding per recipient; this initiative has continued annually.
To commemorate their 25th anniversary, the live album 25LIVE@25 was released via Republic of Music on 25 January 2019. It includes live recordings from six studio albums captured during their 2017 tour.
Their anniversary tour took place across Europe during summer 2019 featuring headline festival appearances and standalone concerts. During this period, Skin engaged in interviews with major media outlets discussing political and social matters. On 19 June that year, Skunk Anansie received the Hall of Fame Award at the Kerrang! Awards.
Singles such as "What You Do for Love" (2019) and "This Means War" (2020) were launched accompanied by music videos; early singles from 2022 included "Piggy" and "Can't Take You Anywhere," without announcing a new album.
On 7 February 2023 at Windsor Castle, Skin was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by King Charles III.
The band’s seventh studio album, The Painful Truth, is slated for release on 23 May 2025 via Frontiers Music Srl's FLG imprint.
Style
Skin has labeled Skunk Anansie as a "clit-rock" band, a term described by Allmusic as a fusion of heavy metal and intense feminist anger. Both Skin and Ace acknowledge their inspirations stem from diverse sources such as the Sex Pistols, Blondie, dub, reggae, electronica, hip-hop, and world music genres.
The group’s sound spans multiple styles, including alternative rock, alternative metal, hard rock, post-grunge, grunge, and nu metal.
Other media
Skunk Anansie contributed a cover of The Stooges' track "Search and Destroy" to the soundtrack of Zack Snyder's movie Sucker Punch, which was released on 25 March 2011. Additionally, the soundtrack includes a remix by Skunk Anansie of Björk's "Army of Me".
Band members
- Deborah "Skin" Dyer – lead vocals, guitar, theremin, piano, keyboards, tambourine (1994–2001; 2009–present)
- Martin "Ace" Kent – guitar, backing vocals (1994–2001; 2009–present)
- Richard "Cass" Lewis – bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1994–2001; 2009–present)
- Mark Richardson – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1995–2001; 2009–present)
Former members
- Robbie France – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1994–1995; died 2012)
Touring members
- Erika Footman – keyboards, backing vocals
Discography
Studio albums
- Paranoid & Sunburnt (1995)
- Stoosh (1996)
- Post Orgasmic Chill (1999)
- Wonderlustre (2010)
- Black Traffic (2012)
- Anarchytecture (2016)
- The Painful Truth (2025)
External links
- Articles with short description
- English alternative rock groups
- English hard rock musical groups
- British alternative metal musical groups
- English heavy metal musical groups
- Female-fronted musical groups
- Musical groups disestablished in 2001
- Musical groups established in 1994
- Alternative rock groups from London
- Musical groups reestablished in 2009
- One Little Independent Records artists
- Virgin Records artists
- Epic Records artists
- V2 Records artists
- British musical quartets