Skindred

Skindred is a Welsh metal band formed in Newport in 1998 by lead vocalist Benji Webbe, guitarist Mikey Demus, bassist Daniel Pugsley, and drummer Arya Goggin. Their breakthrough came with the 2002 debut album Babylon, which reached Number 1 on the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart and spawned the singles "Nobody" and "Pressure". Subsequent releases-Roots Rock Riot (2007), Shark Bites and Dog Fights (2009), Union Black (2011), Kill the Power (2014), Volume (2015), Big Tings (2018), and Smile (2023)-continued to showcase their “ragga metal” style and led to deals with Earache and Napalm. The band earned the UK Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best Live Band (2011) and the Heavy Music Award for Best UK Live Act (2023); Smile peaked at Number 1 on the UK Rock and Metal Albums chart and number 2 on the UK Albums chart. They have shared stages with Korn, Sevendust, and Disturbed and performed at festivals such as Download, Wacken, and Sonisphere. In 2026, Skindred released their ninth album, You Got This.