#artist: skunk anansie

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

Fall Into Your Arms • Bite Down • bad_news • The Driver • Axe To Grind • Torn Apart • Torn Apart, Pt. II • Weapon • Remains

Spotify ♪ YouTube

[vmbconcert]

[lookninjas]

I've seen people speculating on twitter about who Beyonce should work with if she does a rock album next, and I'm just saying. If she really wants to piss people off, and Manuel from Zeal & Ardor really wants to piss the Cvlt Black Metal crowd off...

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

What song did you personally like the best out of this round? Did a song make an impact right away or did it require the full version? Did the artist reveal change your opinion for better or for worse? Tell me in a reblog! :D

(note: this is not a popularity contest or to vote for a favourite artist out of loyalty 💖 it's still about the song.)

[cheapsweetsrocks]

🏳️‍🌈Queer music for Pride Month🏳️‍🌈

This year I figured I’d mark Pride Month by posting a song by a different queer artist for every day in June; I’ll be collating links to each of the songs/posts into this masterpost as I go along.

This is never going to be comprehensive, but I’ve tried to include as wide a variety as I could, in terms of the artists, genres and eras of music (I’d love to hear of any other favourites, or anything important that I might have missed!)

I mostly stuck to songs where there was an actual, good quality video available, which did unfortunately restrict me in some areas (I would have loved to include something by Tribe 8 for example), but there are a few exceptions where I’ve either picked a visualiser, or just the audio track (where I felt the audio was much better than a live set, or where the only videos had flashing lights, which I've tried to avoid).

Anyhow, happy Pride!

Dope Saint Jude - Alphas

2. Judas Priest - Breaking The Law

3. Rina Sawayama - Frankenstein

4. Water Spirit - Chaos Euphoria

5. Green Day - Bobbysox

6. Hayley Kiyoko - For the Girls

7. George Michael - Outside

8. Vile Creature - Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm!

9. Pansy Division - I Really Wanted You

10. Skunk Anansie - Weak

11. Banshee - Birth of Venus

12. 100 Gecs - Doritos & Fritos

13. Bloc Party - Hunting for Witches

14. Chappel Roan - Pink Pony Club

15. The HIRS Collective feat. Shirley Manson - We're Still Here

16. Janelle Monáe - Water Slide

17. Dusty Springfield - I Only Want To Be With You

18. Backxwash feat. Ada Rook - I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses

19. R.E.M. feat. Patti Smith - E-bow The Letter

20. Faetooth - Echolalia

21. Fever Ray - North

22. Clowns - Formaldehyde

23. Grace Petrie - Northbound

24. KEiiNO - GET UP

25. The Doubleclicks - Dimetrodon

26. Angel Electronics - RETURN TO THE SKY

27. Big Freedia - BDE

28. Sunrot - Gutter

29. The B-52s - Good Stuff

30. Sleater-Kinney - LOVE

[sweetdreamsjeff]

Jeff Buckley March 2, 1995 Wulfrun

Set List:

Dream Brother

So Real

Last Goodbye

Grace

Eternal Life

Kick Out the Jams

What Will You Say

Lilac Wine

All That I Ask

Mojo Pin

Lover, You Should've Come Over

Hallelujah

Vancouver

Kanga Roo

Venue History:

1990s

During the decade an incredible 1,271 performances were given:

On November 6 1991, just 756 people were in the Wulfrun Hall to see Nirvana play what was to be one of their last gigs in the UK.

The Wulfrun Hall was host to the first of Blur's many visits to Wolverhampton. The band played to 483 fans in the October of 1993.

756 Oasis fans came along for the Manchester band in August '94.

There were very few Britpop bands that didn't play in Wolverhampton – just some of the other nineties names included Pulp, The Charlatans, Cast, Shed Seven, Elastica, Space, Dodgy, The Boo Radleys, Kenickie and Sleeper.

Female musicians were also taking centre stage during the decade with acts including Bjork, Hole, Suzanne Vega, Garbage, Sleeper, Tori Amos, Skunk Anansie, Elastica, Echobelly and Babes in Toyland rocking the halls.

American rock acts also travelled to the halls during the nineties, with performances from Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden and Green Day. Former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl returned to Wolverhampton in '95 and '97 when his band Foo Fighters played to sell-out crowds.

More pop acts including Robbie Williams, Boyzone and Backstreet Boys made sure audiences were bopping while artists such as Salt-N-Pepa, Public Enemy, Naughty by Nature, Cypress Hill and Ice-T and Body Count brought rap and hip-hop to The Halls.

---

From: @darrenashton957 On YouTube

769 views? I was at this gig and Jeff and the band were incredible. It is impossible to do it justice with words, he just blew us all away. I knew we were witnessing something very special. Obviously his voice is like no other, but he had an amazing presence on stage and total commitment.

@chrisseventeen Just one of the greatest gigs I ever saw - a treacherous solo drive to Wolverhampton through ridiculous snow made more than worthwhile by the tightest rockingest band i’d Seen in years. Thanks for posting this gem of a show. Snowball fights with Beastie Boys fans after the show......

@frankdonnelly5475 I made this recording. Takes me right back there to that snowy night in Wolverhampton every time I hear it. Jeff in a half full Wulfrun Hall while a sold out Civic Hall next door hosted the Beastie Boys. People who witnessed Jeff's magic surely had the more unforgettable experience. Thanks Jeff - 21 years gone.

[grungeincluded]

Gordon Raphael is an American record producer and musician from Seattle, Washington, currently living in Hebden Bridge, UK. Raphael has worked with The Strokes, Regina Spektor, The Libertines and The Psychelic Furs. He has produced songs with Hinds, Skunk Anansie and Mexico's top band, Fobia. He is known for his work with The Strokes, whom he met while attending an early show at Luna Lounge on Ludlow Street, New York City. He produced The Strokes EP The Modern Age (2001), as well as Is This It (2001) and Room On Fire (2003). He also produced some of the songs on Green River-Dry As a Bone (1987) and they are considered one of the first grunge bands.

He formed two bands in Seattle, synth-driven Mental Mannequin and Colour Twigs. During the grunge revolution he was the keyboardist for the psychedelic band Sky Cries Mary. He released his book : The World Is Going To Love This: Up From The Basement With the Strokes in 2022. You can check out more of his work by visiting his official website or following @gordonraphael on Instagram.

© Grunge Included | @37fotosb

[vampyr-bite]

crazy how people like martin gore get soooo much love from the young lgbts for wearing a skirt but they’re Silent when it comes to groups like erasure, bronski beat/the communards, and even the pet shop boys. and i see them unironically calling blur/damon albarn a gay band/artist when skunk anansie and r.e.m. are right there. like. when will we stop venerating cis straight people as queer icons at the expense of our own people?

[persistent-wallflower]

Music asks! 🎶

1, 19, 28, & 30

1. A song you like with a colour in the title

I went with the first color-titled song that came on shuffle - love Angel Olsen! This is also my fave album of hers probably

19. A song that makes you think about life

This one definitely makes me think about the way our lives go and how our relationships with people can change. You can feel the helplessness, and relate to it if you've been through something like that

28. A song by an artist with a voice that you love

I mean, with Enya you just feel like you're on a cloud ☁️

30. A song that reminds you of yourself

My mom had an album with a dvd of music videos of Skunk Anansie singles, and the vid for Secretly was pretty much the first piece of media where I've seen two guys kissing. It was huge for me, and it'll always be special 🖤

Thank you for the asks!! 🥰💚

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Nightwish's Floor Jansen: 10 records that changed my life

Eurythmics - Touch (1983)

"Growing up, my parents used to listen to Here Comes The Rain Again by Eurythmics, so that’s how I got in touch with it. Of course, Annie Lennox has a very distinctive voice and that was one of the first things I really started singing along to, so in that sense it’s a part of my own musical development.

Throughout the years I’ve started to appreciate her as a songwriter more and more. These are very old songs, and yet everybody still knows them – they’re timeless. They’ve been covered to bits, and unfortunately the covers usually aren’t better, but it says something about how good this song is and how timeless it is."

Alanis Morisette - Jagged Little Pill (1995)

"Like Annie Lennox, Alanis Morissette formed me and my interest in singing. I was about thirteen when I first heard You Oughta Know. She has her heart on her tongue and she always puts it right there as she means it; it’s very to the point.

The funny thing is now she’s been part of a little film about highly sensitive people [Sensitive: The Untold Story]. She’s in there, talking about the combination of being a highly sensitive person and an artist and of course, as an artist and a highly sensitive woman, I could really identify myself in her stories and reconnect with her at a much later age, in a sense. She came back into my life through that."

Roxette - It Must Have Been Love (single, 1990)

"It Must Have Been Love by Roxette is great sing-a-long music. It’s pretty uncomplicated, super Swedish, very well-written, very well-performed, and one that I just sang and sang! This was also played a lot in the car – you’d have to ask my mum and dad what those journeys were like, my sister and I sang their ears bloody [laughs]! It’s definitely true that the Swedes are great songwriters. It was hard to choose just one song, but this one is as good as any from that time, I think."

The Gathering - Mandylion (1995)

"I first heard The Gathering on the radio. I was listening to a lot of grunge and rock but not much metal yet; that came with Pantera and Machine Head, bands that I really liked, but nothing with a female voice that could really work for me.

There were some female singers, but they were all high and operatic, and I was missing that power – until I heard The Gathering. Strange Machines  just did it for me. That was the first step for me in thinking, I wanna sing in a metal band too! Anneke [van Giersbergen] is opening a few of my solo shows for me this year."

Skunk Anansie - Paranoid And Sunburnt (1995)

"When Weak by Skunk Anansie came out, everything about them was revolutionary. Skin was Black, bald, and gay, a lot of things that people have issues with, but the way she kicked against that – 'I am the way I am and if you don’t like it, too bad for you' – that in itself was so inspiring for a young girl growing up.

But what she did with her voice, those long howls and the effortless highs, that was right up my alley. Back in the day I played that album, Paranoid & Sunburnt, until it was just threads."

Halestorm - The Strange Case Of... (2012)

"I’m not sure exactly how I stumbled upon I Miss The Misery, but that was the first thing I heard from Halestorm. The first thing Lzzy Hale does in the song is this howl, and she really got me on the first note – that’s rare. I was like, “okay, damn!” It’s very American-produced and that hook of “whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh” is pretty cheesy, but it totally works!

I’ve seen her live and all I can think is, how on Earth does your voice survive? She screams and kicks and grunts and everything she does is super cool. Lzzy is a powerhouse, she stands for being feminine in a man’s world and describing her feelings quite to the point in her lyrics."

Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) (2022)

"Every day on tour in Europe with Nightwish I’ve played Midwinter Calls by Evergrey when I’m putting on make-up. I started listening to them in their early years, when they were still full-on prog.

But what I really appreciate is how every album has something different, how they as a band and Tom [Englund] as a singer-songwriter keep evolving. He has a lot of pop influences in how he sings, and soul and jazz. The common thread throughout this list is singers – you can write great songs, but if the singer doesn’t work for me, I probably won’t last throughout the song just because I can’t get over a voice that I can’t appreciate."

Symphony X - Underworld (2015)

"Without You by Symphony X is a very emotional song, but it’s a great example of what I really appreciate about Russell Allen, which is that he manages to be the glue in a prog song that can otherwise be incredibly complex, by making melodies that are followable and even catchy, and that has made it for me.

That’s why I can listen to Symphony X. He has this full-bodied rocky sound, and his biggest virtue as far as I’m concerned is that he can sing from his heart. You can hear that he means it. I’ve learned a lot from him, he gave me some really wise lessons that I will never forget: that even in stage performance, you can’t always just give everything away. Build it up."

Sam Ryder - There's Nothing But Space, Man! (2022)

"Sam Ryder has an amazing voice, it’s quite diverse: he can go from almost Queen-like singing, to very poppy, to something more like Muse. What inspires me about him is that he’s a self-made man in the modern days, singing his head off on the Internet for God knows how long without anything really happening for him until he was just lifted up and thrown into the world, and seemingly just being the same guy throughout it all, you know?

I hope he can stay himself throughout the whole pressure that’s on his shoulders, as it is right now. I hope he survives the madness of that."

Queen - Innuendo (1991)

"If you make a playlist where singers are your common thread, you can’t really make one without Freddie Mercury. It’s hard to choose one Queen song, but The Show Must Go On is one that we once covered with After Forever.

Speaking about singing from the heart, his vocal interpretation is still one of the best that has ever been. That’s not something you can learn, it’s just something you have – something that he had. This song stands for pushing through even when things are shit, and that sentence often goes through my head when I’m thinking that I don’t know if I can do this: the show must go on.

It’s empowering. It’s so beautiful. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, as music should be. That’s the beauty of writing. If I didn’t have the list I’ve just presented to inspire me, where would I be? I’m very grateful there are so many that went before me.

[robotpussy]

mx robotpussy, what is the name of the artist/band in the fourth image third row from the first img of ur collageify post? (this one) they look cool also i love ur music taste <3

*edit: i read the question wrong sorry! someone in the replies said you might have been referring to the first image which makes a lot more sense! the album is Stoosh by Skunk Anansie

and thank you 💖

[kaelbermarsch]

disclamer; i mostly listen to rock, punk and metal but here are my recs for the ppl who asked:

punk: dead moon, the gits, todeskommando atomsturm, the runaways, the distillers, bikini kill, L7, 7 year bitch, reatards, x-ray spex, bratmobile, lost world(german anarcho-punk), crass, spitboy, patti smith, lunachicks, maid of ace, bad cop bad cop, the venomous pinks, otoboke beaver, babes in toyland, lost sounds

metal: holy moses, burning witches, warlock, death pill, nightmärr, détente, pest control, znöwhite, plasmatics, marthe, ieschure, worm, girlschool, crypta, ragana, hulder, nature´s grave, këkht aräkh, murderess, gallhammer, sentinel beast, gel, melissa, kreator

rock: joan jett & the blackhearts, hole, alice in chains, the cranberries, the nymphs, 45 grave, david bowie, suzie quatro, t. rex, skunk anansie, bam bam(grunge band from the 90s), the detroit cobras, mudhoney, local h, sonic youth, pixies, soundgarden, mother love bone, mad season, green river, temple of the dog, janis joplin, tampasm

goth/post-punk: malaria!, xmal deutschland, lebanon hanover, sisters of mercy, bauhaus, skeletal family, the cure, siouxsie and the banshees, pink turns blue, fehlfarben

+some folk-y artists i enjoy: joan baez, buffy sainte-marie, sibylle baier, anaïs mitchell, rail yard ghosts

I'm the furthest thing from a music snob but it's imperative that some of you guys start listening to good music because i think you forgot what that sounded like

[omens-and-more]

This is hypothetical and for fun: what other artists from different genres would you want BO collab with

Anson seabra

Aurora

Kyo from dir en Grey

Alice glass

Aimer

yoshiki (not a singer but he is a really amazing musician and it's really supportive of artists in general)

Lana del rey

Kesha

Kerli (she already featured miw another life and Tokio hotel strange)

Skunk anansie

��

[lottithinkingandtanking]

Erika Footman

Creativity with music & connecting with your community.

Erika Footman is an English and Japanese songwriter, performer and session player. She runs her own record label and has been writing music and poetry ever since she was thirteen. She has been part of many bands throughout her career and was a backing vocalist for Mika. She was also an “extra pair of hands” for band Skunk Anansie “They were always explosive on stage, but she has given Skunk an extra dimension live.” (Amundsen, 2022)

Musical creativity is the lifeblood of the industry. For many musicians, their work is an extension of themselves and a way to communicate and express their emotions and creativity through their art. Creativity in music isn’t limited to the music artists compose, their creations are able to come to life through performances. Erika spoke about a performance she did for her song ‘Dot to Dot’, where she wore a dress with a rope that was actually an analog synth she had made with one oscillator. And when the audience all held hands, a small current of electricity passed through everyone. I thought this was such a fun and unique way to connect with her audience, and I haven’t seen any artists do anything similar to this. “Fan engagement fosters a deeper emotional connection between the artist and their audience, resulting in a more meaningful and impactful music experience.” (Dickinson, 2023)

Erika describes herself as fiercely independent. She has been releasing her music through her own label since 2009. She likes to find different ways to fund things, like with crowd funders or Patreon’s.

She spoke about how important connecting with your community is and how that is a big part of her ethos. “As social media continues to create opportunities to interact directly with fans, it is important to be proactive on each of your channels to make sure you’re aggregating every potential listener.” (Nardo, 2019). She spoke about one way she connects with her community is asking them on her social media where they would like her to perform. And once some people have suggested different places and cities, she routes her own tour, like a tour manager. I think this is a great idea as your fans will feel heard and more connected to you. This will make them feel genuinely excited about your up and coming performances and tours.

Erika talked about how being curious as an artist is so important. That it isn’t so much about what training you have had, but mostly about exploring. She expressed her love for multiple different music genres and said “I think it’s just about listening to different textures, and knowing that as humans we’re not 2D, we’re not meant to love just one thing, and actually exploring loads of different things to me is really interesting”.

I think Erika touched on some really interesting topics and I found all the things she has created and been a part of, and her journey in the music industry really inspirational. 

[cheapsweetsrocks]

Day 10: Skunk Anansie - Weak

[I'm posting a music video my a different queer artist each day of Pride Month - Queer music for Pride Month masterpost here]

[tomhenryyy]

Mark Richardson- Mental health and Sobriety

Mark Richardson has toured internationally with the multi-platinum band Skunk Anansie, the band has played Glastonbury multiple times and each time coming back to show the progression since the last performance. The year 1999 was a huge year for the English festival as well as the Indie Rock band, in 1999 Skunk Anansie was set to play the main stage at Gransbury making Skin (lead singer) the first person of colour to headline Glastonbury.  

An article from ‘Far Out Magazine’ speaks about the low representation of people of colour at the festival, stating that ‘Skin, the first British black woman to headline Glastonbury in 99, something that was not repeated for another 20 years until rapper Stormzy headlined in 2019’ (Starkey, 2021)

Mark co-founded the charity Music Support, the charity is to help people in the music and live events industry who have been affected by mental health and or addiction. Richarson started this charity after a series of events in his touring career, he states ‘I didn’t like the person I was when I drank, I was cocky and arrogant and that is far from my true self’ 

Mark is in no way alone in this, many artists find the use of alcohol and drugs can kill time quickly whilst on tour, an article from ‘Addiction Centre’ in 2023 listed the top ten jobs with the highest addiction rates, the arts and entertainment industry made the top five on this list. 

The post states that ‘More than 14% of the arts and entertainment industry reported drug use in the past 30 days, and 12% reported alcohol abuse’  (Ficek, 2024)

‘Addiction Centre’ gives an opinion about this thinking: ‘It’s the thought that part of the reason why workers in this profession suffer from higher-than-average drug and alcohol abuse is due to the creative freedom and working hours these professions offer.’  (Pottle. 2023) 

Whilst I agree with some of the article's points, there are some I personally would have to disagree with. For example, the point about ‘creative freedom’ is pointless - whilst the stats are high, I would personally say that the reason for the stats being so high is due to artists chasing perfection and numbers. In our industry essentially it is extremely easy to get caught up in what others around you are writing, recording, and releasing. This sets a very public standard for other artists to meet, and when artists don’t see the numbers themselves that others have, they turn to alcohol and drug abuse as a coping mechanism. 

A blog post from Adam Fiek from ‘Tonic Music’ states that ‘51% of emotionally struggling musicians have used drink or drugs to self-medicate’ (Ficek, 2024)

The same article highlights the increased vulnerability to substance use in the UK music scene resulting in substance and alcohol-related deaths.  Adam Fiek (author of the article) gives his insight into the topic saying, ‘the availability of substances, drinks, and other hedonistic pursuits does make the working world more problematic for musicians.’ 

I also agree with Fiek, that encountering drink and substances in. this day of age is incredibly easy, especially for musicians who have the money to spend, and the time to kill when on tour and not doing much in their free time. According to the UK Parliament government website, in the past year (end of March 2023-24) there was a ‘1% increase’ of drug cases in England and Wales, compared to the year prior (188,929 cases).  (Ficek, 2024)

This statistic alone shows the increase in drug use and the accessibility of them,  

However, a counterargument was brought to life in the article, saying that, ‘people are attracted to the lifestyle of rebellion and excitement’   

 In conclusion, Mark’s journey in the industry has been a rollercoaster, to say the least, his honesty about his struggles with addiction was very vulnerable and insightful, and his charity work is honestly what I think is the next step we should take not only in our industry as a society. 

Starkey, A. (24 June 2022) The importance of Skunk Anasie headlining Glastonbury Available at:https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/vital-importance-skunk-anansie-headlining-glastonbury-1999/ (23rd May 2024).

Ficek, A. (20th February 2024) Touring, substance use and the impact of mental health. Available at: https://www.tonicmusic.co.uk/post/afbl32 (23rd May 2024).

Pottle, Z. (7th November 2023) Top 10 Jobs With Highest Addiction Rates  Available at: https://www.addictioncenter.com/community/jobs-highest-addiction-rates/#:~:text=1.,alcohol%20abuse%20of%20any%20profession. (23rd May 2024).