Left to right - Cass, Skin, Mark, Ace
"Just because you feel good,
It doesn't make you right (oh no),
Just because you feel good,
Still want you here tonight..."
It doesn't make you right (oh no),
Just because you feel good,
Still want you here tonight..."
"Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)"
Skunk Anansie are a British Alternative Rock band formed in 1994. Their heyday was from 1994 to 2001 before they broke up. They reunited in 2009 with a lower profile. They attracted a lot of press at the time for having a singer who was black, female, bald and openly bisexual with a black bass player and white drummer and guitarist in contrast to the normal "four straight white guys" profile of 90s alternative rock bands. Skin, the outspoken lead vocalist often tackled racism and homophobia in both their songs and concerts.
The band is named after "Anansi", a spider-man Trickster God (no relation to the comic book character) from African folk tales and the slang term for a strong version of cannabis.
Members:
- Deborah "Skin" Dyer - lead vocals, guitar, theremin (1994-2001; 2009–present)
- Martin "Ace" Kent - guitar, backing vocals (1994-2001; 2009–present)
- Richard "Cass" Lewis - bass, guitar, backing vocals (1994-2001; 2009–present)
- Mark Richardson - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1995-2001; 2009–present)
Discography:
- Paranoid and Sunburnt (1995)
- Stoosh (1996)
- Post Orgasmic Chill (1999)
- Wonderlustre (2010)
- Black Traffic (2012)
- Anarchytecture (2016)
Tropes applying to the band:
- Epileptic Flashing Lights: These happen throughout the video for "Selling Jesus".
- Funk Rock / Funk Metal: Think a British, female-fronted Rage Against the Machine and you almost get the idea. Almost.
- Genre Mashup: Frequently headed into this territory- while rooted in Alternative Rock and Funk Metal, they also dabbled in acoustic ballads, orchestration, Drum and Bass and Hip-Hop influences and more.
- Male Band, Female Singer: As was common for female-fronted bands in Britain at the time.
- Non-Appearing Title: "Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)"
- Protest Song: Many, of which "Intellectualize My Blackness", "Little Baby Swastikkka" and "Yes It's Fucking Political" are merely the most obvious examples.
- Religion Rant Song: "Selling Jesus" is about how Christianity has been used to get money and votes from people.
- Wants a Prize for Basic Decency: "Intellectualise My Blackness" is a vicious attack on white male liberals whose claims of anti-racism and feminist allyhood are little more than hollow virtue signaling.
- Yarling: Skin's vocals border on being a rare female example, a slight noticeable yarl being particularly noticeable in the chorus of "Weak".
