Inside Nokia Music

Part 7:

Skunk Anansie – Smashes and Trashes

So again, another greatest hits compilation that really shouldn’t feature but after 9 long years praying for new Skunk Anansie material, those prayers were finally answered with the 3 new songs that were included on Smashes and Trashes. Songs that were fresh yet retained that sonically dynamic beauty that has secured Skunk Anansie as the best band in the era of my lifetime.

The news of Skunk Anansie’s return superseded all other in my year, something I never anticipated ever happening considering the duration of their time apart, nor could I have foreseen that through a series of acquaintances I’d on occasion come to hang-out with a certain member of the band and find myself in the loop about the potential reunion before it was officially confirmed, a hero of mine that by some bizarre twist of fate would end up in my apartment playing on my drum kit and making a contribution to my doodle sofa… something that I’d never in a million years have dreamed would have come to pass.

Stand out moments on the album:

As I mentioned before, it is a GH compilation so it’s all the new songs, Tear The Place Up, Because Of You and Squander… picking up right where they left off, the tracks are all prime examples of their dynamic reach and though a tease, will hold me off until a new studio album in the new year.

Seen them live this year:

Not once, but twice for my favourite live band of all time… The Electric Ballroom Camden 7th October (reviewed) + Brixton Academy 26th November (reviewed) – with a little backstage action!

Smashes and Trashes is available to download from The Nokia Music Store and is completely free to ‘Comes With Music’ subscribers.

Skunk Anansie wrapped up their Greatest Hits tour in Skin’s home borough at the O2 Academy Brixton to a rowdy crowd of revelers, I figured they must have been rowdy as the minute I entered the venue queue I suffered endless annoyance from overly aggressive security staff right up until show time, which then takes the duration of staple tour opener Selling Jesus for me to overcome and return to high spirits.

Anger averted, my legs take control and throw my body wildly about the immediate area to the possible annoyance of my immediate neighbours, but I selfishly don’t concern myself tonight as I’m celebrating my 5th Skunk Anansie gig with a friend who forfeited 2 of their earlier career gigs.

Tearing through a similar set to the Electric Ballroom gig I reviewed recently, I keep turning to my Skunk’s virgin excitedly repeating: “You do know what’s next don’t you, huh…huh?” especially during my previous gig highlight of On My Hotel TV and The Skank Heads back to back, only this time Tear The Place Up adds a little more meat to this already life-threatening mixed grill sandwich.

Once again the encore slow burns with ballads both old and new before terrifying security with a stage invite to limited audience members for anticipated closer Little Baby Swastikka, culminating in Skin stage diving from Mark’s kick drum to the stage collective.

Hanging around after the lights come up for our backstage passes, the band do a surprise second encore and treat us to a performance of Secretly and praise the attendees for outstanding audience-ship and make their final exit.

Backstage I manage a quick word with my all time drum hero Mark Richardson, and as with Bass player Cass lewis before, I again fail to draft another troop in my battle to convince a future play of personal Skunks favourite Decadence Of Your Starvation, a song that I feel is extremely relevant in the worlds current fashion climate… Mark say’s to me: “Good choice, but keep dreaming”… Sadly Skin isn’t keen on the b-sides.

- Gaz

Wednesday afternoon five o’ clock and I’m feeling bummed at being severely overdrawn when tickets to an intimate Skunk Anansie gig at the Camden Electric Ballroom went on sale, curse those excessive bank charges for stealing opportunity! After several ill fated attempts at trying to wrangle a press pass I decide to brave the first truly miserable rain of the British winter and hit the venue in hope of a box office return ticket on the door, hereby risking further depression should I still be in the rain come show time. Herding my way out Camden Town Underground I pay no mind to the ticket touting purveyors of missed gig misery and head straight to the venue door… and it is a success!

Show time and Skin pulls the popular late entrance as the band play the opening bars of Selling Jesus. Wearing what would appear to be an oversized pom-pom she moves erratically about the stage singing the first verse, ever so often giving the audience a glimpse of her face until completely revealing her unmistakable clean shaved head and we’re reminded of just how beautiful and captivating a woman Skin is.

Sticking with debut album Paranoid and Sunburnt they play I Can Dream, one of the many songs that showcase bassist Cass Lewis’ incredible knack for writing timeless bass lines. Briefly veering from the chronological set list approach they play soaring new single Because Of You and return with ultimate Skunks classic Charity and the (in my opinion) oddly chosen 100 Ways To Be  A Good Girl.

Having up till now been desperately trying to remember the best shooting mode for my point n’ click, I’m forced to relent as the drum n’ bass intro segue to Charlie Big Potato drones through the room, this is the beginning of the end for me… and indeed again the beginning, as it’s followed by an unnamed new song, Twisted (Everday Hurts) and Brazen (Weep) from personal discovery era Stoosh.

Cheap Honesty leads the Post Orgasmic Chill run of the play list, and though such a perfect all-round album with many excellent choices, christmas comes early for me with On My Hotel TV and The Skank Heads back to back… encore break.

The encore here is reserved for the ‘lighter’ songs. Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good) and recently announced follow-up single Squander are wonderfully placed reflective moments that slow burn the audience energy before taking it back to hard rockin’ roots and closing with debut radio release Little Baby Swastikkka.

Live bands don’t get better than this!

Okay so I can’t leave the Skunk Anansie thing along, but what can I say, these are exciting times. Nothing like an acoustic strip-down to showcase a bands true song-writing abilities.

Here are 2 beautiful high quality videos live from Dutch radio show Giel Beelen 3FM. The first is ‘Paranoid And Sunburnt’ single ‘Weak’ followed by the soaring new single ‘Because Of You’

Skunk Anansie is available to download from the Nokia Music Store

Another new Skunk Anansie video and not even 2 weeks after the release of the forthcoming Greatest Hits’ first official single ‘Because Of You’.

Like the 2 videos before, ‘Squander’ showcases one of the many different dynamics of the band and is released 26th October.

‘Smashes and Trashes’ is released 2nd November and will also include ‘Tear The Place Up’ to complete the 3 new tracks featured among choice cuts from their 5 million selling career.

‘Because Of You’ is available to download now at the Nokia Music Store

It was 1997 and growing up in a 3rd world country I only discovered Skunk Anansie with the release of their second album Stoosh. Never since and doubtfully will there ever be a band to impact me as much as they did then.

In the recent years before, we’d only just begun to receive big gun stadium acts such as U2 and Def Leppard. These were so few and far between that we’d attend gigs of artists we’d never even had a prior interest in just for the sake of seeing an international live act. Then came Skunk Anansie… One of if not the first Indie band to hit our shores, and I wept.

I was coming of age at the height of their success and this immortalized Skunk Anansie for me. They became the band in my life that I wouldn’t even mention when asked about my favourite bands because I set them apart, they were my Hall-Of-Famers, a band that couldn’t be contenders because they were already the undisputed champions.

I moved to London in 2001 with my foremost thought being about seeing Skunk Anansie play live more often… within two weeks of my arrival the band split and again, I wept!

Fast forward eight or so years and I end up at Madame Jo Jo’s in London Soho watching a performance of the controversially named SpearChukka. I soon realize the Bass player is Cass Lewis of Skunk Anansie, and he’s a friend of a friend!!! Remaining composed I eventually muster the courage to engage him in conversation and learn of a possible Skunk Anansie reunion and once again, I wept!

Obviously, by now the reunion is official, they’ve recorded several sessions, begun a warm up tour, given us a trick-bag-droppin’ re-entry song in the form of ‘Tear The Place Up’ and now finally, the first official single ‘Because Of You’ from their forthcoming Greatest Hits compilation ‘Smashes and Trashes’ is out!!!

Here’s ‘Tear The Place Up’ first. I love that Skin drops her entire arsenal of idiosyncratic quirks in this song.

Now check out the vocal pitch shifting in the second chorus bar after the middle eight of ‘Because Of You’ @3:08 it’s a beautiful thing!