In their mid-nineties Brit Rock heyday, Skunk Anansie were providing a counterpart to Oasis’ tepid larger core with confrontational, raw blasts of groove and social commentary which attacked apathy, demanded answers and refused to retreat. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they were criminally underrated at the time, and an unknown entity in a scene which had elected Liam Gallagher as its spokesperson. They were a complete anomaly even within the nineties UK metal landscape, representing a far more righteously furious and funky proposition than the dreary chug of nu-metal knock-offs while maintaining the lavish goatees synonymous with the era. Surviving all trends and fads, Skunk Anansie have just released their new single, “Piggy,” showing that the flame has not dimmed one iota, merely honed into a laser focus. While their influence on the underground is often understated, its hard to understate a double kick drum pedal pummelling you repeatedly in the facial region.
“Piggy” is a less than favourable report on the false promises of an inept UK government, a report which promises to report all findings pertaining to the accusations, as long as key pieces of evidence don’t go missing. The track manages to distil the collective rage of an entire nation over a corrupt Prime Minister’s deadly mismanaging of a pandemic and channel it into a relentless groove, an endlessly cathartic consensual attack on the senses. Singer Skin, the most instantly recognisable figurehead for the band, snarls sarcastically about the life we are sold and the complacency it breeds, while confusion and rage are never simmering far from the surface.
“My dynasty
Papa's gonna feed me with security
My pride and greed
Papa's gonna give me insincerity
My privacy
I'm sucking up futures for figures, figures
For eternity
No one's gonna win till you believe in me”
Skunk Anansie have recently announced their rescheduled 25th anniversary UK tour, to widespread acclaim, and the hope arising from this tour and “Piggy” is that the band have a whole smorgasbord of new music ready to unveil. A band in their 25th year will usually lean almost exclusively on their back catalogue, but Skunk Anansie aren’t ready for that covers karaoke life just yet. There are atrocities happening currently which require the considered approach of an enduring UK rock survivors and the unique sense of perspective they bring. After all, this is a band that lived through the Matrix PVC phase, nothing can kill them now. Buy “Piggy” here.
