OFF THE GRID WITH THE SKINS
The Skins (credit: @els.picz)
INTERVIEW | THE SKINS by Anne Kelly
Last week, Glasgow‘s most exciting new music spectacle Off The Grid kicked off its mission to take the city by storm. The B12 Entertainment live series, which takes place between 27th August and 25th September, will bring 50 rising bands from across the Central Belt to some of Glasgow’s most iconic grassroots venues.
With the second week of Off The Grid in full swing, the spotlight shifts to Lucky Strike Basement. Sharing the stage with Cupid Stunts, Start From Scratch and Civil Hands on Saturday night are Inverclyde’s The Skins. We caught up with the band about change, growth, gigs and hints of new music to come.
First of all, introduce yourself. Who makes up The Skins, where are you based and how long have you been together?
We started playing as The Skins in 2019 and have had differing iterations, but currently we’re made up of Ciaran on vocals, Kai on bass, Kian on drums and Cammy on guitar. We’re primarily based in Inverclyde, but most of our gigging takes place in Glasgow. This is actually Cammy’s last gig with the band, but he has been an integral part of our sound over the last 4 years.
If you were to describe the band’s sound using only 3 influences, who would make up The Skins DNA?
IDLES, Fontaines D.C. and Rage Against the Machine
You released your latest single ‘TOMB’ last year; would you say that this track still reflects the direction of the band’s sound, or has it evolved?
‘TOMB’ is probably an example of our newer sound that we embraced when Cammy joined the band in 2022. Before then, we had toed the line between punk and indie music. Leaving the latter behind to focus on a heavier, more traditional punk sound.
And on that note, can we expect to hear anything new at Lucky Strike this weekend?
Yes! There will be multiple new songs that we’ve yet to play, including one that we recently recorded – but we’ll keep that to ourselves for now.
In terms of playing live though, what’s the most gruelling side that the average gig-goer doesn’t see?
Spending the whole day in a venue just to play for 30 mins
When it’s time for band practice, who is the most likely to:
- Lead the group chat and decide on day/times? Kian
- Bring the drinks/snacks? Ciaran
- Spend 40 minutes tweaking pedals and tone before playing a single note? Kai
- Show up 30mins? He won’t admit it, but it’s Kian.
Shows like Off The Grid from B12 Entertainment are all about discovery. Can you remember a time you have gone in blind to a gig and came away with a new favourite band?
In 2023 I went to see The Mary Wallopers at the Barrowlands, whom I was familiar with. However, Gurriers were supporting them, and I left enjoying their set just as much, having never heard of them before. It’s been so cool to see how much they’ve grown since then.
Looking across the wider Off The Grid lineup, if you were to buy a ticket to check out any other show on the bill, who are you going to see?
The full line-up looks amazing, but if I had to pick one, it’d have to be the show on the 11th September at Lucky Strike Basement.
The Skins will perform at Lucky Strike Basement (for the final time with Cammy on guitar!) on Saturday 5th September alongside Start From Scratch, Civil Hands and Cupid Stunts. Tickets are on sale now for a mere £12 (+ £1 booking fee) from B12 Entertainment.
