Primordial Radio is proud to announce that Newport ragga-punk-metallers SKINDRED will be taking part in the next Radio Residency.
Hosted by presenter Adam Whalley, the Radio Residency will air every Wednesday with Benji Webbe joining Adam to play tracks from their new album Smile set for release on August 4th via Earache alongside some of his all-time favourite songs.
Listen To The Skindred Residency
If you miss any of the shows you can listen back on-demand below.
Speaking about the writing process for Smile and their love of live music, Benji Webbe states:
We do this 24/7 and we’re not doing it to get a couple of quid in the bank. It’s our story too, about how long we’ve been doing this, and how it’s been a struggle over the years, having doors slammed in our faces on the road to where we are now.
I remember Arya’s van in the early 2000s, being paid £50 and having to wait for the promoter to go to the cashpoint to get it. And we’re still here today, doing what we do because we love it.
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Tapping firmly into their ragga-reggae-sunshine roots, Skindred bounce into the summer with their brand new single ‘L.O.V.E (Smile Please)’, a slice of uplifting positivity designed to get your feet moving and your face beaming with the biggest smile of the year!
A pop-rock smash featuring a skankin’ beat, parping horns, a singalong chorus and Caribbean-by-way-of-Newport vibes from irrepressible frontman Benji Webbe, ‘L.O.V.E (Smile Please)’ is the PERFECT soundtrack for party-lovers, festival-goers, gym-bunnies, beach-bums, tree-huggers, and all round feel-good-people having celebrations across the nations.
The video – directed by Steve Clarke – is a vibrant, puppet-filled extravaganza, with technicolour cartoon vibes, championing the diversity and inclusivity that sees EVERYONE as welcome and part of Skindred’s tribe.
Taken from the band’s forthcoming album Smile, ‘L.O.V.E (Smile Please)’ got its first public airing last summer via Skindred’s incredible main stage performance at 2022’s Download Festival. There, 60,000 rabid fans turned Donington’s metal fest into one big, happy dancefloor. “What a way for us to bring that song to the world for the first time,” beams Benji, “on a big stage, in front of a field of maniacs, doing what we do.”
And what Skindred have been doing for the past 25 years is make music unlike anyone else. The four-piece – completed by guitarist Mikey Demus, bassist Daniel Pugsley, and drummer Arya Goggin – channel a huge range of styles from reggae to metal, rock to pop, dub to electro, and on Smile have created the most mind-expanding and potent collection of songs they have delivered yet, designed to melt stereos around the world.
Recorded in the midst of the pandemic, Skindred worked with producer Julian Emery, whose work with Nothing But Thieves illustrated his adeptness with dynamics and melodies.
It had to be a British producer because we’re a British band, explains Arya, mindful of the logistics of travelling to the US, or the possible challenges of having an American producer decamp to the UK in the age of COVID-19. “We also wanted someone with songwriting chops, to slot in with the melodic sound that we have, who didn’t just have an ear for the melodies, but could contribute suggestions too. Julian has all those skills.
Skindred New Album
August 2023
Smile is set for release on August 4th via Earache Records.
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