More Info on Skunk AnansieSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Skunk Anansie| background = group_or_band| image = Skunk Anansie.jpg| caption = Skunk Anansie at the Eska Music Awards in 2011| image_size = 250| landscape = yes| origin = London , England | genre = Alternative metal , http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p165457 allmusic.com - Skunk Anansie Rock music|rock , Britrock , alternative rock | years_active = 1994–2001 2009–present| label = One Little Indian Virgin Records|Virgin Epic Records|Epic (USA)| website = http://www.skunkanansie.net SkunkAnansie.net| current_members = Skin (musician)|Skin Cass (musician)|Cass Ace (musician)|Ace Mark Richardson (musician)|Mark Richardson | past_members = Robbie France Skunk Anansie are an English people|English rock music|rock band whose members include Skin (singer)|Skin (born Deborah Dyer, 3 August 1967, Brixton ), Cass (born Richard Keith Lewis, 1 September 1960, London ), Ace (born Martin Ivor Kent, 30 March 1967, Cheltenham ) and Mark Richardson (musician)|Mark Richardson (born 28 May 1970, Leeds ).
Skunk Anansie formed in March 1994, disbanded in 2001 and reformed in 2009. The name "Skunk Anansie" is taken from the West Africa n folk tale s of Anansi the spider-man,cite book | first=Dave | last=Wilson | title= Rock Formations: Categorical Answers To How Band Names Were Formed | pages=230–1 | isbn=0-9748483-5-2 | url= http://books.google.com/books? hl=en& id=tOpB23GGxAIC& pg=PA230& lpg=PA230& dq=Skunk+Anansie& sig=np-7M5M_G6P5wfasZABEtit9fio with “ Cannabis (drug)|Skunk ” added to "make the name nastier".cite web | title=Biography: Skunk Anansie | work=Allmusic | url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p165457/biography|pure_url=yes | accessdate=22 November 2005 They are often grouped as part of a Britrock movement, running alongside Britpop . The band, in 2004, was named as one of the most successful UK chart acts between 1952 and 2003 by the British Hit Singles & Albums|Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums , with a total of 141 weeks on both the singles and album charts ranking them at #491.cite book|author=Roberts, David (ed.)|year=2004|title= British Hit Singles & Albums|Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and Albums |edition=17th|publisher= HiT Entertainment |location= London, UK |isbn=0-85112-199-3 When the book first published this annual top 500 list in 2000, it only involved weeks spent on the singles chart until 2004's 17th edition, meaning the band's highest ranking has not been notified in any of the past editions. Their longest running release is 1996's Stoosh album with 55 weeks and a peak of #9. The band released their fifth studio album Wonderlustre (their first studio album after their reformation) internationally on 13 September 2010, preceded in August by its first single "My Ugly Boy".
History
1994–2001
The group played its first gig at London 's Splash club in March 1994 (now known as Monto Water Rats Theatre). In 1995 they were voted Best New British Band by the readers of Kerrang! magazine. At the award ceremony that year drummer Mark Richardson met the band who were looking for a permanent replacement for Robbie France (Robbie died 14 January 2012 in Spain. He was 52)cite web|url= http://www.musicradar.com/rhythm/ex-skunk-anansie-drummer-robbie-france-dies-524332|accessdate=16 January 2012 so an audition was set up and the band was reformed. Soon after that, two of their songs, "Feed" and "Selling Jesus", appeared on the soundtrack of the film Strange Days (film)|Strange Days in 1995. "Selling Jesus" became Skunk Anansie's controversial second song to receive radio play, following their first radio release "Little Baby Swastikkka". After hearing this song, radio personality Howard Stern claimed that the band would become a huge hit. Success continued for the band and they were also voted Kerrang! 's Best British Live Act in 1996. In 1997 they were nominated for Best Live Act and Best Group at the MTV Europe Music Awards . Listen|filename=Skunk_Anansie_brazen.ogg |title="Brazen (Weep)" (1996) |description=A sample of " Brazen (Weep) " from the album Stoosh . Their highest charting single to date. Their first two albums, Paranoid and Sunburnt and Stoosh , were released under One Little Indian Records in 1995 and 1996 respectively. After switching to the Virgin Records|Virgin label in 1998, their third and final album, Post Orgasmic Chill , was released in 1999.
Skin has described Skunk Anansie as a " Clitoris|clit -rock" group, which Allmusic clarifies as "an amalgam of Heavy metal music|heavy metal and black Feminism|feminist rage". Members Skin and Ace have mentioned the Sex Pistols , Blondie (band)|Blondie , Dub music|dub , reggae , electronica , Hip-hop music|hip-hop and world music as significant influences.cite web | title=Interview with Skin and Ace of Skunk Anansie September 1999 | work=NY Rock | url= http://www.nyrock.com/interviews/skunk_int.htm | accessdate=22 November 2005
Throughout the 1990s, the group toured globally with such bands as U2 , Aerosmith , Feeder , Lenny Kravitz , Bad Religion , Rollins Band , Therapy? , Rammstein , Killing Joke , Soulfly , Sevendust , Oomph! , Muse (band)|Muse , Staind , Powerman 5000 , Veruca Salt (band)|Veruca Salt , Marion (band)|Marion and A PerfectCircle .
After their split in 2001, Skin embarked on a solo career. Her debut solo album Fleshwounds , was released in September 2003 and Fake Chemical State was released in March 2006. She has also provided vocals for a number of other acts' songs.
Ace released a low-key album, Still Hungry (Ace album)|Still Hungry under the name Ace Sounds, which featured many collaborations including Shingai Shoniwa from Noisettes and Skye from Morcheeba . He later joined a band called "Inner Mantra". Ace is also a tutor at the BrightonInstitute of Modern Music
In 2002 Cass recorded the album Scars (Scars album)|Scars with Gary Moore , and played bass and performed backing vocals. Cass also played various instruments on Skin's first solo album. When not recording it is thoughtweasel-inline|date=April 2010|reason=Uh, like, BY WHOM, and according to what reliable sources? that he concentrates on photography.
Mark recorded sessions for various artists including Skin before joining Feeder after the death of their original drummer, Jon Lee (drummer)|Jon Lee .cite web|url= http://www.feederweb.com/band|title=Band Biography- Feederweb.com|work=feederweb.com|accessdate=31 July 2007|archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20060530112915/ http://www.feederweb.com/band|archivedate=30 May 2006cite web|url= http://www.bigbadworld.net/littleangels/biography/markrichardson.htm|title=Mark "Rich" Richardson Little Angels Band Profile|publisher=bigbadworld.net|accessdate=8 March 2007 Mark has also been tutoring at the BrightonInstitute with bandmate Ace.
In an interview with UK radio station XFM , Skin announced that their 1997 single "Brazen" will be featured in the upcoming video game Rock Band 2 .Update after|2010|04
2009
Mark Richardson confirmed reports that the band was reforming in an interview with Drummer Magazine (November 2008 issue), and said that the band planned to release a "best of" compilation as well as new material. Ace later set up an official page for the band on MySpace .cite web | title=Skunk Anansie MySpace | work=MySpace.com| url= http://www.myspace.com/skunkanansiemusic |author=Ace| accessdate=13 December 2008
Skin said about the reformation: "Basicially we have never done a greatest hits album. We have been bugged to do it for ages and ages from various places but only now does everyone have time and want to do it. It will have new songs on it and you will start to hear some amazing remixes from rock and rave to dubstep, all very exciting."cite web |title=Skin Forum |work=SkinMusic.net |author=Skin |url= http://forums.skinmusic.net/viewtopic.php? t=3928& highlight= |accessdate=17 March 2009
On 2 and 3 April 2009, two shows took place at the Monto Water Rats (the former venue of the Splash Club) in London, under the alias SCAM (Skin, Cass, Ace, Mark) and sold out in 20 minutes. http://www.skinmusic.net/main246.php? year=2009& month=03 news page on SkinMusic
The band began their "Greatest Hits" tour on Friday, 9 October 2009 at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels , with other dates across Europe.cite web |title=Tickets |work=SkunkAnansie.net |author=Skunk Anansie |url= http://www.skunkanansie.net/tickets/ |year=2009 |accessdate=15 July 2009 It was their first actual tour in eight years.Update after|2010|04A "greatest hits" album, Smashes and Trashes , was released 2 November 2009. It is a 15-track career-embracing album and includes three brand new tracks: "Because of You", "Tear the Place Up" and "Squander". A best-of remixesClarify|date=April 2010|reason=Is that really the title? If not, give the real title. companion album was also released digitally.
On 3 July 2009, the music video for "Tear the Place Up" was presented exclusively on MySpace, before on 10 August 2009, a new video for "Because of You" was presented exclusively on Kerrang.com. It was released 14 September 2009 in the UK and was the first single to be released from Smashes and Trashes . The single was a top 10 hit in Italy, before its follow-up "Squander" was a top 20 success in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium.
2010
Their fourth studio album Wonderlustre was released internationally on 13 September 2010, preceded by the first single "My Ugly Boy", which was released in the UK on 16 August 2010 and in Europe July/August. The video for "My Ugly Boy" was presented exclusively on Kerrang.com on 23 July 2010. Wonderlustre reached number one on the Italian albums chart on 1 October 2010 and placed in the top 10 in charts all over Europe including in Germany, Holland, France and Poland.
In May 2010 they were an supporting act for Rammstein , during two concerts in Berlin.
The second single from Wonderlustre , "Over the Love" was released internationally in November 2010.
In November 2010 the band played on Ídolos Portugal|Ídolos , a Portuguese equivalent to the UK's Pop Idol .
2011–present
"You Saved Me", the third single from Wonderlustre was released internationally in March 2011. The band also covered The Stooges ' song " Search and Destroy (The Stooges song)|Search and Destroy " specifically for the soundtrack of Zack Snyder 's film Sucker Punch (film)|Sucker Punch , released on March 25, 2011 in film|2011 . The soundtrack also includes a Skunk Anansie remix of the song " Army of Me " by Björk .
On 12 June 2011 the band performed at an open air 'Rock over Volga' at Samara, Russia. The performance was exceptionally well accepted. The band also appeared on Friday 12 August at Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary playing a mixed set of hits and newer material. This was their first appearance at Sziget. Sizget's own website reporting "nobody had any doubts who the Queen of this year's Sziget turned out to be".cite web|author=webstation.hu |url= http://www.sziget.hu/festival_english/news/main_stage__report_of_the_third_day.11608.html |title=Main Stage – report of the third day |publisher=Sziget.hu |date= |accessdate=4 April 2012
Skunk Anansie was on stage when the tragedy occurred at Pukkelpop in Belgium on 18 August 2011.fr http://www.lavenir.net/article/detail.aspx? articleid=DMF20110819_292 Skunk Anansie stoppée par la tempête du Pukkelpop: "le moment le plus effrayant de mes 20 ans de carrière"
"Over the Love" / "Talk Too Much"http:/ / www.hmvdigital.com/ artist/ skunk-anansie/ talk-too-much-over-the-love hmvdigital UK - Talk Too Much / Over The Love by Skunk Anansie
8 November 2010
"You Saved Me"
February, 2011
"God Loves Only You"
May, 2011
1 "Little Baby Swastikkka" was released as a limited edition vinyl record.
2 "You'll Follow Me Down" was ineligible to chart due to the length and number of songs on the single. Official chart rules limit single releases to 4 tracks totalling no more than 25 minutes if more than 1 song and its remixes are included. See UK Singles Chart#Criteria for inclusion|Criteria for inclusion in the UK single's chart
3 "Tear the Place Up" was ineligible to chart as it was released as a free download to the band's mailing list.
References
Reflist
External links
commons category|Skunk Anansie
http://www.dailymusicguide.com/Reviews/skunk-anansie-squander-single-review-01102009-0939.aspx Review of 'Squander' on the Daily Music Guide
http://www.skunkanansie.net Official Website
http://www.dailymusicguide.com/Reviews/skunk-anansie-because-of-you-single-review-20092009-2334.aspx Review of 'Because Of You' on the Daily Music Guide
http://www.skinmusic.net Skinmusic.net - Lead singer's official site containing Skunk Anansie content
myspace|skunkanansiemusic
Skunk AnansieUse dmy dates|date=October 2010 Category:Musical groups established in 1994 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2001 Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2009 Category:English rock music groups Category:English punk rock groups Category:One Little Indian Records artists Category:Musical groups from London
