At the age of 18, Zac Skinner left home for the bright city lights of London with only his guitar for company. Inspired by the likes of The Jam and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, he grinded away, called on some favours, and did everything he could to make the band a reality. Although operating entirely independently, the band gained early traction with support from new music champions This Feeling, an early tour supporting The Libertines, and three self-released albums.
The band’s line-up changed over time, but with the final line up of Joe Fisher (guitar), Perry Meadowcroft (bass) and Alfie Clayton (drums), the band started to rise to the next level with an array of tastemaker tips and airplay across the likes of 6 Music and Radio X. Their shows with Kasabian and The Streets saw The Skinner Brothers raise their profile from an underground tip to show that they have everything themselves that it takes to become the UK’s next essential guitar band. Although headline shows have been limited due to obvious restrictions, they sold-out two London shows at the 100 Club as gigs returned in late 2021.
With swaggering indie anthems such as ‘Iconic’ and ‘Put Me Down As A Maybe’ plus huge reactions supporting Kasabian and The Streets, The Skinner Brothers spent 2021 establishing themselves as an essential new hope for British rock ‘n’ roll. Highlighted at #5 in The Sun’s Artists to Watch in 2022, the band capitalise on their rising status as they today (17 Jan) announce that their new album ‘Soul Boy II’ will be released on February 18th.
Collectively, ‘Soul Boy II’ provides a sonic snapshot of young culture in contemporary Britain. The album features numerous of the fan favourites and live staples that the band have established their reputation with, including ‘Low’, ‘Culture Non-Stop’, ‘Mountain High’ and an acoustic take on ‘Away Days’. But there’s plenty of essential new music for fans to discover too, whether it’s with the baggy, indie-dance grooves of ‘Way Too Far’, the power-pop bounce of ‘1000 Reasons Why’ or the groove and grit of ‘Give It All To Me’.