The Skints take aim at Brexit with new video ‘The Island’

THE SKINTS New video ‘The Island’

Watch HERE

‘Swimming Lessons’, out now via Mr Bongo/Easy Star

“Hard-hitting lyrics and sunny, feel good grooves” THE GUARDIAN “Packed with energy and tonnes of soul” CLASH “The Skints are very much a band on the cusp; they are at the top of their game right now” LOUDER THAN WAR

London “tropical punk” four-piece The Skints have followed the release of their highly anticipated fourth album ‘Swimming Lessons’, out late last year via Mr Bongo/Easy Star, with their brand new video for political anthem ‘The Island’, a track that ferociously stands up against Brexit and the Conservative rule. Animated by George Coffey, the satirical cartoon uses the bands biting lyrics to hammer the message home. The band say; “Well here we are. I feel there’s so much that’s been said already, and we’re all sick of it. There’s a million reasons to hate Brexit but to touch a personal note regarding The Skints; as working class musicians who until recently had the freedom to travel, live and work in the European Union as much as we liked, that right has been stripped from us against our will. It feels violating and isolating, so we wrote a song about it. Solidarity to all those whose lives are being negatively impacted much more than ours by this nightmare.”

Drawing on influences as sprawling as Bad Brains, Popcaan, No Doubt, Alton Ellis, Wiley and Weezer, new album ‘Swimming Lessons’ also deals with crushing heartbreak and the current political climate, all the while surviving as independent musicians navigating the weird world of today. Born from the underground London punk scene, The Skints have built up a formidable live reputation in recent years, playing as many as 150 shows a year.

They are described by Clash magazine as “the torchbearers for modern British reggae music”, marking them out as one of the most respected bands in the UK, whilst maintaining independence and a strong connection to their DIY roots. The band have performed at some of the biggest festivals in the world, and recently received plaudits include the likes of BBC 6 Music ‘Album of the Day’ and playlist for single ‘Armageddon’, a Billboard Reggae Charts #1 for the LP as well as in the Independent Albums Breakers Chart and more.

The album grabbed critical attention from the likes of The Independent, Record Collector, Louder Than War, Clash Magazine, Fred Perry Subculture, Mixmag, Gigwise, Vive Le Rock, Large Up and more. They also embarked on a massive UK and EU tour which largely sold out, culminating in a huge homecoming celebration at Electric Brixton in front of almost 2000 people. Lyrically their darkest and most introspective release to date, ‘Swimming Lessons’ takes its inspiration from reggae, soul, dub, punk, hardcore and rap.

The Skints have a knack for fusing different genres of music that strike an accessible chord with a political, personal and philosophical message. From 8 Bit-influenced dancehall to sound system shaking dub, melodic grunge to harmony laden soul, ‘Swimming Lessons’ boasts collaborations with three of Jamaica’s brightest roots stars of today.

Formed while at school in 2007, The Skints hail from the Waltham Forest and Redbridge boroughs of North East London. They cut their teeth in London’s underground punk scene, before venturing out of the M25 to play their first self-booked DIY venture, going on to embark on a heaving touring regime across the nation. Debut album ‘Live, Breathe, Build, Believe’, released at the end of 2009, was championed by BBC Radio 1’s Punk Show, whilst 2012’s ‘Part & Parcel’, the second full-length album by the band, further built their fan base and opened doors to heavy touring, festivals and markets outside of the UK and across Europe.

The follow-up album, the critically-acclaimed ‘FM’, released in 2015, reached number 5 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and number 7 on the Independent Albums Chart in the UK, seeing The Skints tour relentlessly across the USA, Canada and Japan. Since the band’s conception, The Skints have toured extensively across the globe, playing hundreds of shows and festivals including Summerjam (Germany), Dour Festival (Belgium), California Roots (US) and ReggaeSunSka (France). In the UK, The Skints sold-out their most recent UK tour including London’s prestigious Shepherd’s Bush Empire and have performed at Reading and Leeds Festival, Bestival, Glastonbury and Boomtown Festival performing to 15,000 fans.

In addition, the band have supported a number of bands internationally that include NOFX, Less Than Jake, Mariachi El Bronx, Gym Class Heroes, Protoje, You Me At Six, Sublime with Rome, Fat Freddy’s Drop, The Beat, Steel Pulse and Stephen Marley. Supporters of The Skints include BBC Radio 2’s Jonathan Ross, Robert Elms on BBC Radio London, Steve Lamacq and Craig Charles on BBC Radio 6 Music and David Rodigan on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

Mr Bongo is a Brighton based independent record label and home to Hollie Cook, Protoje, Seu Jorge, Prince Fatty, Incredible Bongo Band, Jorge Ben and more.

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