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Skunk Anansie Information
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'Skunk Anansie' were an English rock band, notable for having a black, skinhead, female singer, named Skin (Deborah Dyer). Other members included Cass (Richard Lewis) on bass guitar, Ace (Martin Kent) on guitar and Mark Richardson, who replaced the original drummer, Robbie France. The group formed in 1994, and broke up in 2001. They were named after the West Indian folk tales of Anansie the spider-man, with "Skunk" added to "make the name nastier". They were sometimes grouped as part of a Britrock movement, running alongside Britpop.
The group played its first gig at London's Splash club in March 1994 and soon after that two of their songs, "Feed" and "Selling Jesus", appeared on the soundtrack to the movie 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". In 1995 they were voted Best New British Band by the readers of Kerrang! magazine. They were also voted best British Live Act in the same magazine in 1996. In 1997 they were nominated for Best Live Act and Best Group at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
Their first two albums, Paranoid and Sunburnt and Stoosh, were released under One Little Indian Records in 1994 and 1996 respectively. After switching to the Virgin label in 1998, their third and final album, Post Orgasmic Chill, was released in 1999. The single, "Secretly", from this album featured on the soundtrack to the movie Cruel Intentions.
The group has been labelled as a "political" band, but the group has emphasized that they would prefer to be labelled simply as a "rock band". Skin herself, however, has described Skunk Anansie as a "clit-rock" group, which All Music Guide clarifies as "an amalgam of heavy metal and black feminist rage". Members Skin and Ace have mentioned the Sex Pistols, Blondie, dub music, reggae, electronica, hip-hop music and world music as significant influences.
Since the breaking up of the band, Skin has gone on to a solo career - releasing her first album Fleshwounds. Ace has followed a more low-key solo career with Still Hungry, an album with collaborations with many different rock artists. Mark Richardson is now drumming for British band Feeder.
Discography
*All I Want (2 CDs) (One Little Indian) (11/1996)
*Brazen (Weep) (3 CDs) (05/1997)
*Charity (2 CDs) (08/1995)
*Charlie Big Potato (2 CDs) (03/1999)
*Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good) (2 CDs) (01/1997)
*I Can Dream (CD) (09/2005)
*Lately (2 CDs) (07/1999)
*Little Baby Swastikkka
*Paranoid & Sunburnt (CD) (04/1999) (Previously on 1995 LP)
*Post Orgasmic Chill (CD) (08/1999)
*Secretly (2 CDs) (05/1999)
*Strange Days (Feed) (CD)
*Stoosh (CD) (10/1996)
*Twisted (Everyday Hurts) (CD)
*Weak (2 CDs) (01/1996)
*Secretly (Armand Van Helden remix) (LP)
*Secretly (Optical Remixes) (12" LP)
*Selling Jesus (10" LP) (06/2005)
*You'll Follow Me Down (12") (Virgin Records)
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