Episode 182 - Paranoid and Sunburnt by Skunk Anansie (Side A)

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Skunk Anansie have sold millions of albums. Paranoid and Sunburnt, their debut, was released to wide acclaim and arrived in the post-grunge period where the UK was in the thrall of Britpop, but what is the band’s legacy?

Many of the bands that came out around about this time that didn’t fall into the Britpop category were loosely termed Britrock, and Skunk Anansie were one of the biggest, and most interesting of the lot. Sonically, they had more in common with bands like RATM and Faith No More than anything this side of the Atlantic, but they were a breath of fresh air when they arrived, bringing the politics of race, class and sexuality to the forefront of their music and their message.

They released 3 albums in the 90s before vanishing, resurfacing in the late 00s. Their output since then hasn’t quite reached the heights of this interesting (if now dated) debut, but there’s still a few songs to love throughout their more recent 3 albums.

On this episode we talk about the band’s history and what they mean in the wider lexicon of British rock music. We also talk a little about how, despite being huge at the time, they seem to be a little “forgotten” by many people. As ever, we talk about the band’s back a catalogue too.

Next week, we’ll talk more about Skin and the album itself.