This year’s Camden Rocks is set to take place on May 30 at over 20 venues around London’s NW1.
The line-up features headliners Bullet For My Valentine, While She Sleeps…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, Ginger Wildheart, Glen Matlock, The Dictators NYC, Heavens Basement, Black Spiders, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Richie Ramone, Feed The Rhino and more.
Skindred vocalist Benji Webbe looks ahead to this weekend’s all-dayer, plus offers some sage advice to the younger bands on the bill…
**Skindred have a well-earned reputation as one of the finest live bands on these shores: what can we expect from you gents at Camden Rocks? **Benji Webbe: “We always bring an energy that not many bands can produce! We’re the original yardcore punk sound system! And we’re leaders in this field; there’s not many bands that you can headbang to and do the dutty wine in the same song. 100% vibes in the place!”
**You recently completed a UK tour supporting the mighty Steel Panther: how messy did that get? **“The Steel Panther boys love a party and it was my birthday during the tour! That was a night messy and I’ve tried to forget it.”
**You’ll have played Camden a number of times over the years: what’s been the most memorable Skindred show in NW1? ** ”The Electric Ballroom in 2009 with our good friends from Australia, Karnivool. It was on our Shark Bites and Dog Fights tour. Some venues you dream about selling out and that was truly one of those events. A tick on the bucket list!”
**You released your fifth album, ‘Kill The Power’, back in January last year: when can we expect to see Skindred album number six? **“We spent eight weeks at the beginning of the year writing and recording the new album, so expect it out by November at the latest.”
You’re one of the most experienced bands on the Camden Rocks bill: if you could pass on one piece of career advice to the younger bands on the bill, what would it be? “Love the music you make, believe in it and do it for the stage high! That’s something they can’t take away from you. Enjoy where you are on the way to where you’re going, because if you never get there, at least you had a good time trying!”
Skindred have a busy summer ahead, with festival shows booked all over Europe: what are you personally looking forward to most about summer 2015? “The release of our new album and killing crowds with the most powerful live set we’ve ever had. The new songs are so solid and it’ll take our live set to another level all together. Playing live is everything to us.”
Describe the current Skindred mind-set in five words. ”We come fe mash you.”
