Artist News Business News Deals Labels & Publishers Live Business

Skindred members sign new record deal in at-risk music venues

By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 17 March 2021

Skindred have announced that they have signed a new four album deal with Earache Records. Highlighting the precarious situation that many of the UK’s grassroots venues find themselves in because of COVID, each member of the band signed the new deal in an at-risk music venue.

“We could not be more THRILLED to be signing Skindred”, says Earache Records MD Digby Pearson. “They are such a truly unique and much-loved band. We have all been huge fans of them since day one and have followed [frontman] Benji [Webbe]’s career since the very beginning, so to have Skindred sign to Earache is something that we are all extremely excited by. We are delighted to welcome Benji back to the Earache family along with his bandmates Arya, Mikey and Dan, and look forward to working with them for many albums to come”.

Skindred drummer Arya Goggin adds: “We are so excited to announce that we are signing a worldwide deal with Earache Records. I have been a fan of the label since I started listening to heavy music. Their independent attitude and willingness to push the boundaries are something we can identify with in Skindred”.

Goggin signed his contract in The Black Heart in Camden, which is currently on the Music Venue Trust’s ‘red list’ of venues most at risk of closure. “It was great to ink the deal at The Black Heart in Camden and shine a light on all the struggling independent music venues too”, he says. “The Music Venue Trust is something that we feel passionately about and we want these venues to thrive and be part of the future of British music as well as being part of its history”.

With Goggin holing up in The Black Heart, Webbe went to Le Pub in Newport, while Dan Pusley checked in at Louisiana in Bristol and Mikey Demus visited Brighton’s Green Door Store.

Commenting, Beverley Whitrick, the Strategic Director of Music Venue Trust, says: “Music Venue Trust is incredibly grateful to our artist patrons who talk publicly about why grassroots music venues are important to them and their career development. When a band like Skindred do or say something to illustrate how much they value these venues, this resonates with their legion of fans and helps highlight the strong relationship between an artist and the venues and their teams”.

“When we are still asking for donations to the #SaveOurVenues campaign to help secure the survival of the venues most at risk of imminent closure, this is more welcome than ever”, she adds.

MVT is crowdfunding to keep these and other venues in business until pandemic restrictions are lifted. Chip in here.