Rock legends Skunk Anansie have concluded their UK and EU tour this April after embarking on exciting, vibrant shows since February, ahead of their new album ‘The Painful Truth’ out on 23 May. As the band commemorated the end of these shows, they hinted at new music which was played exclusively on their tour.
The band encouraged fans to guess what song from their live performances was going to be their next single, which many have suspected as ‘Animal’. Fans are obsessed with the new track already, posting clips of its live debut ahead of the release.
Skunk Anansie are known for their lively, thrashing performances, which fans have thrown themselves into at every live opportunity. Their rock theatrics have known no bounds for upcoming and past tracks including their 2022 single ‘Piggy’, which Skin performed while riding a huge fake pig through the audience.
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Skunk Anansie formed in 1994 with a shocking rock/punk sound that stood out in the scene immediately. The band consists of vocalist Skin, Cass Lewis on bass guitar, guitarist Ace and Mark Richardson on drums. They have spoken about their experience in the rock scene in the 90s, revealing that whilst London was diverse, the bands were not. They share their history on their website, discussing bands at the time as “always four blokes with identical haircuts. We were a band of people who were real. That’s why we were radical.”.
The band disbanded in 2001 and reunited in 2009, though ‘The Painful Truth’ is their first album release in nine years since their 2016 album ‘Anarchytecture’, which was in the Top 100 UK Albums upon its release. They are most well known for other heart breaking singles such as ‘Weak’ from their debut album ‘Paranoid & Sunburnt’.
Skunk Anansie released their latest single ‘An Artist Is An Artist’ this January, a zesty punk anthem which introduces their new sound since their last releases ‘Piggy’ and ‘Can’t Take You Anywhere’ in 2022.
The song earned them criticisms from fans and press surrounding their sonic change and playful lyricism which they dismissed, claiming their artistic freedom to create and change as they wished. They stated in response “we are the creators […] and sometimes you guys need to shut the f*ck up and enjoy or not enjoy it”.
Skunk Anansie will be performing a massive series of tours during and after the release of ‘The Painful Truth’ including their involvement at STHLM Fields on 25 June performing with Rival Sons, Thundermother and Jayler. They will also be joining classic rock band Smashing Pumpkins for their ‘The Aghori Tour’ in August and embarking on their own EU tour in June/July this year.
