Skindred have done it. After a nail-biting chart battle with Jessie Ware that went down to the wire, the Newport ragga metal trio have landed their first ever Official UK Number One album with You Got This.
It’s a moment that’s been a long time coming. The band narrowly missed out on the top spot with 2023’s Smile, which fell short by a mere 150 copies. This time around, they weren’t leaving anything to chance. Both acts spent the week rallying their fanbases on social media, but it was Skindred and the rock and metal community who came through when it mattered.
The band said: “All of us in the band are absolutely blown away by the amazing reaction and support to our new album. We want to say thank you to everyone that came out this week to buy a copy, especially all of those in our extended family in the rock and metal communities.”
Skindred also topped the Official Vinyl Albums Chart, shifting the most copies on wax over the past seven days. You Got This is the band’s ninth studio album, released via Earache Records on April 17.
In true Skindred fashion, they also offered a classy nod to their rival for the top spot: “We would also like to send our congratulations to Jessie Ware on her amazing new album, from all of us in Skindred.”
A headline UK and Ireland tour follows in the autumn, including Nottingham Rock City on October 24, Birmingham O2 Academy on October 30, a Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace on October 31, plus Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow dates in November.
To be the first Welsh ragga metal punk band from Newport to hit Number One really is, as Benji put it, a Fairytale of Newport.
