Mad About Rock

  Weds Nov 5th, London: Welsh ragga metal legends Skindred have today released their brand-new single ‘You Got This’ , accompanied by a brilliantly entertaining video .     The title track of their forthcoming ninth album, which has just been announced with a release date of April 17th via the legendary Earache Records, ‘You Got This’ is an instant Skindred classic, with Mikey Demus’s wrecking ball riffs bouncing through your head, as drummer Arya Goggin detonates a characteristically full-throttle rhythm. Meanwhile inimitable frontman Benji Webbe lurches between uncompromising toasting and delivering hooks like a heavyweight champion. The inspiration for the track came when gym-devotee Benji saw a man struggling to complete his exercises as he started his rehabilitation after a stroke. The personal trainer told him, “You got this,” and the mood completely lifted. “I was watching from a distance, and I could see the struggle and the pain, but in that moment, I knew he ...

  Welsh ragga metal legends Skindred have today announced THE DETOUR a series of UK headline dates for autumn 2025. Tickets go on sale Wednesday 11th June at 10am and will be available via https://skindred.net/#live Regarding the tour drummer Arya Goggin says, “We as a band are extremely conscientious about venturing outside of just the major UK cities to spread the Skindred sound. This October the “Detour” is our attempt to do just that. As a band we love to play live, but there are so many amazing towns and cities with fantastic venues across the country that get forgotten and need to be supported. That’s where our “Detour” comes in! We can’t wait to head back out across the UK this October on our “Detour.” See you there!” 2024 was a whirlwind for the rock icons. Having shot straight to No.2 in the Official UK Albums Chart with their eighth album Smile the previous summer, the four piece went on to receive the Best Alternative Music Act Award at the MOBOs, and won Best UK Act a...

  Following the success of the band’s award winning, chart-busting album Smile on Earache Records, which hit the No.2 spot in 2023, Skindred announce an inspired list of supporting artists for their Smile (Again) UK Tour this coming autumn. The news comes hot on the heels of the band winning Best UK Artist at the 2024 Heavy Music Awards last month. Joining the Newport ragga-nu-metallers on the road will be As December Falls, Nonpoint, Graphic Nature, Dream State, Blackgold, Scruffy Bear, North Atlas, Deadwax , Redhook, Torus, Native James, Mother Vulture, Motions & Ward XV1 . Skindred drummer Arya says, “We have been mulling over who best to join us on our UK tour this autumn and as everyone knows we love to shine a light on new and emerging talent. I am sure you will agree we have some amazing bands joining us for these shows including the likes of As December Falls Graphic Nature, Dream State, Torus, Blackgold, Scruffy Bear, North Atlas & many more. It’s all about sup...

  Welsh ragga metal legends Skindred have announced a UK headline tour for autumn 2024. Tickets are on sale now (May 15th), apart from shows in Leicester and Oxford which will be available from 5pm on Friday 17th May. All tickets will be available to purchase via https://skindred.net/#live Regarding the tour frontman Benji Webbe says, “Myself and my Brothers in Skindred are so excited to be heading back out on the road in the UK. We have had nothing but amazing vibes since we dropped our album Smile and due to the amount of messages we have received we head back out to some of our favourite hotspots in the UK to mash it up again in the way only Skindred can. This heavy metal punk rock reggae sound system is about to rock ya all even more. You might of heard the songs but I swear our live show is some next level energy ting brov, so grab your tickets & your helicopter propels & get involved in this Dred extravaganza. To the older Dredites & the new let’s bring the magic...

  Widely recognised as one of the most exciting British rock bands in decades, Skindred have announced their largest headline show to date, which will see the ragga metal titans shake the foundations of London’s Wembley OVO Arena on March 15th 2024. They have also announced additional shows in Manchester (March 14th) and Birmingham (March 16th). Fans who pre-order a copy of the band’s brand new album Smile from earache.com/skindred will receive a link to the exclusive ticket pre-sale on Friday at 10am. Tickets go on general sale at 10am Monday 7th August. Regarding headlining Wembley Arena for the first time, singer Benji Webbe says: “Standing on that stage is a mark of sheer hard work. We have stood upon that stage supporting many truly great acts. Now it’s Skindred’s time to take the headline slot. You may think you’ve seen us, however this is our opportunity to rise, and to step up like never before! My Sound we come to take over and truly come to rock Wembley with a heart fu...

  Following their show-stopping performances at Glastonbury, Download and 2000 Trees festivals, and their hugely acclaimed support slots on the recent KISS farewell tour, Skindred release their brand new single ‘Unstoppable’ , ahead of the impending release of their new album Smile. A grooving juggernaut of a song, it attests to the enduring power of a band that delivers a good time, every time. “As a band, we’ve survived the rise and fall of a million genres, trend and fads in this world,” says guitarist Mikey Demus. “People have tried and failed to put us in a box we refuse to live in. Skindred has a determination and a tenacity to stay true to ourselves, and true to our fans. Skindred will not be ignored. We are Unstoppable!” “We keep going and we keep pushing forward,” says frontman Benji Webbe, a man who’s no stranger to being unstoppable, having survived sepsis and having his throat slashed. “In life, it’s about hearing that our music has encouraged people and got them thr...

  Having just blown Takedown Festival’s main-stage audience away with their headline set earlier this month, Skindred have today released a brand-new song taken from their forthcoming new album, Smile. ‘If I Could’ showcases another side of that album, with its singalong chorus delivering stadium rock vibes. Frontman Benji recalls that the track was inspired by lockdown and how much he hated 2020 and the effect it had on the world. “On the other hand, 2023 is a different story,” he says. “We’ve released new music and we’re still to drop another few monsters from our album ‘Smile’. We’ve got the KISS tour coming, and we’ve also got our headline tour supporting the new album. So 2023, to me, looks like a very exciting time to be in Skindred. I’m very optimistic about the future!” ‘If I Could’ follows the recent singles ‘Gimme That Boom’ and ‘Set Fazers’ ; dancefloor bangers which blast out Skindred’s trademark ragga-metal to maximum effect. Listen to 'If I Could' https://earac...

  Skindred have announced a UK & Ireland headline tour for autumn 2023. Fans can get access to pre-sale tickets (10am Wednesday March 29th) with pre-orders of the new album Smile out August 4th via Earache Records earache.com/skindred . General sale commences at 10am Friday March 31st for the 11-date tour running through October and November this year. Regarding the tour drummer Arya Goggin says, “There is a lot to Smile about when it comes to this TOUR! We are taking out an amazing new band called BlackGold too. They are bringing “Nu Metal” back and I think ‘Dred fans will love them. Go check ‘em out!” Skindred are widely recognised as one of the UK’s most exciting live bands and have also been nominated for ‘Best UK Live Act’ at the Heavy Music Awards 2023. Ahead of the autumn shows, Skindred are set to be igniting moshpits and stages in coming months as they headline both Takedown and Dominion Festivals in the UK before heading out on a massive arena run as Special Gues...

"Machine" is the first single from SKINDRED’s upcoming album entitled “Big Tings” – out on April 27th 2018 via Napalm Records. The band has already released a first album appetizer in the form of a teaser for the track “Machine”. Now it’s time to unleash the full music video which features actor and stunt man Neil Chapelhow best known for his work in new films Wonder Woman, Fantastic Beasts and where to find them, The Commuter, King Arthur and many more. The band states: “When we were told we were doing a video with the stunt team thats be behind the marvel films, James Bond and the Bourne films we knew we were in for a good time on the shoot! Throw in Gary from Reef and one of our fav bars in London (Big Red) and you have the ingredients for a really fun video! The idea is don’t judge a book by its cover. Skindred is inclusive. Not Exclusive. So when someone in a rock bar is being teased by some “rockers” for not being the same as them, he hits back! In a big way!...

So for the latest Stencil Mag I was lucky enough to interview Arya Goggin the drummer from the biggest Reggae Metal band going, Skindred ! This interview was done for and first featured in Issue 41 of Stencil Mag which can be seen in the magazine here: https://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue41 Interview can be found here on page:  https://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue41/106 Interview with Arya Goggin - Skindred! When did you first get into playing drums? I think it was probably round about the age of six. I was really drawn to it. My parents were getting me lessons and had to stick with them for a year or so before they brought me a drum kit and that happened and here we are which is great. What drummers have really influenced you over the years, and why? My favourite drummer of all time is probably Roger Taylor from Queen – ‘We Will Rock You’ is one of the first drum things that I remember hearing and it was all drums and vocals and I have never heard anything li...

Reggae metal kings in SKINDRED have just released their brand new single for "Under Attack" from their upcoming album "Volume", set to be released October 30th on Napalm Records. Watch their new video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkJuB656AVc VOLUME - Turn it up to 12! Since 1998 SKINDRED has been responsible for developing their own unique sound blending elements of Metal, Rock, Reggae, Dancehall & Electronica to forge the SKINDRED sound as we know it today. Add to this one of the most charismatic front men in Rock music in Benji Webbe, a man that always knows how to get the party started whether it’s getting Millions of people across the globe to do the now infamous Newport Helicopter or just making them rock harder than they have ever rocked before at any show previously. Volume, the band’s sixth studio album encapsulates everything that is great about SKINDRED. Drawing inspiration from their previous albums such as...