Skindred

August 2023 saw UK ragga-metal legends Skindred fight a closely contested chart race for the UK Number 1 Album spot with their colossal eighth album Smile. Thanks to incredible support from the rock and metal community, including messages from Metallica, Rage Against the Machine and Disturbed, plus coverage in Kerrang!, NME and Metal Hammer, the band achieved a career-best Number 2 on the UK Albums Chart, and went on to top the Official UK Rock & Metal, Independent, Downloads and Vinyl charts, outselling many of the country’s biggest rock artists.

That success capped a career-defining 12 months: Skindred were crowned Best UK Live Act at the Heavy Music Awards, joined rock icons KISS as special guests on the legends’ final UK tour, graced the cover of Kerrang! for the first time, and performed their single “Gimme That Boom” on BBC Two’s Later… With Jools Holland. Front-man Benji Webbe also appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, while the whole band popped up on BBC Breakfast.

Meanwhile, their 2000s hit “Nobody” exploded back into pop culture when a TikTok dance trend sent the #Skindred tag soaring past 14 million views in just a few weeks. By the tail-end of 2024, a single Instagram reel of someone dancing to the song had clocked over 32 million views.

Smile itself captures the enduring power of a band intent on spreading joy. “When I look out into the crowd … the one thing I notice above all else is the smiles,” says Benji. For him, guitarist Mikey Demus, bassist Daniel Pugsley and drummer Arya Goggin, it’s about legacy: “Even when we’re done and gone, people will still be listening to this music. That thought makes me smile.”

The band rounded off 2023 with a sold-out 16-date UK & Ireland tour, followed by an equally packed European run where they again sold out almost every show.

In 2024 Skindred celebrated their momentum rather than merely anticipating it: 15 March 2024 saw Skindred their biggest headline London show to date at Wembley’s OVO Arena, joined by San Diego nu-metallers P.O.D. and rising British metal outfit As Everything Unfolds.

Their other UK headline dates Manchester Academy (14 March) and Birmingham Academy (16 March) were both sold out months in advance.

The group were nominated for Best Alternative Act at the 2024 MOBO Awards, underlining their cross-genre impact.

With a catalogue that continues to inspire new fans and a live reputation that only grows, Skindred closed 2024 with more than enough reasons to smile, and they show no sign of slowing down in 2025.