Nearly three decades since they set themselves up as the most reliable party-starting collective in UK rock, Skindred’s recorded output still feels a little on the underrated side. Great live band? Sure, you hear it all the time. Creator of great albums? That’s something they don’t get quite get the praise for that they deserve.
Everyone knows that every new ’Dred album is going to be some kind of hook-laden amalgam of metal riffs, arena-rock bounce and ragga-spitting vocals from frontman Benji Webbe. Of course, a bunch of new songs will fit seamlessly into their live set alongside all the classics and the Newport Helicopter. These things are a given. But if you really dive into Skindred’s back catalogue, you’ll discover a group of fantastically talented songwriters, with much more guile and command of songcraft than they’re usually given credit for.
