Hard Skin Explained

Hard Skin is an English punk group from Gipsy Hill, London who play in the early UK Oi! style.^[1]

History

Hard Skin is an oi band founded in 1996 and their first album Hard Nuts and Hard Cunts appeared that year. The band were: bassist "Fat Bob" (Sean Forbes of Wat Tyler), guitarist and lead vocalist "Johnny Takeaway" (Ben Corrigan of Thatcher On Acid) and drummer "Nosher" (Chris Acland of indie/Britpop band Lush).^[2] After Acland's death, he was replaced on drums by "Nipper" (Scott Stewart) for second album Same Meat Different Gravy in 2005,^[3] which like its predecessor was received positively in punk and Oi! circles despite (or perhaps partly because of) the band's parodic tendencies.^[4]

Third album proper On The Balls was released in 2013, alongside companion album Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear featuring alternate versions of its songs voiced by female vocalists, including Joanna Newsom, Manda Rin, Miki Berenyi, Beth Jeans Houghton, Debbie Smith, Alela Diane, Alison Mosshart, Beki Bondage, Marion Herbain, Roxanne Clifford, and Liela Moss.^[5] The album also featured an appearance by Gaye Advert.^[6]

Selected Discography

Albums

• Hard Nuts and Hard Cunts, London: Broken Rekids, 1996
• Same Meat Different Gravy, Household Name Records, 2005
• On the Balls, JT Classics, 2013
• Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear, JT Classics, 2013
• Do You Like Hospital Food EP, JT Classics, 2014
• South East Enders EP, JT Classics, 2020

Singles/EPs

• You Won't Get Better Than This, 2024

Compilations and live

• Live & Loud & Skinhead, Damaged Goods Records, 2002
• Greatest Hits Vol. 5, 2007
• Where the Fuckin Mic - live at the Grosvenor 2005, Fat Punks Records (HSKIN01), 2009
• We're the Fucking George, JT Classics, 2011
• We're the Fucking Business, JT Classics, 2015
• Greatest Hits Vol. 7, 2016
• We're the Fucking Mustard, JT Classics, 2018
• Gold, JT Classics, 2024

External links

• • 2013 interview

Notes and References

1. Web site: HARD SKIN - Damaged Goods. Damagedgoods.com.
2. Web site: Hard Skin: A Sly Eulogy to Oi!. Consequence.net. 8 September 2020.
3. Web site: Scanner Zine. Scannerzine.com.
4. Web site: Hard Skin - Same Meat Different Gravy. Punknews.org.
5. Web site: Hard Skin – On The Balls/Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear. Thelineofbestfit.com.
6. Web site: Hard Skin: Oi! meets girl.... 24 January 2013. Louderthanwar.com.