Skinny Knowledge Talk New Album, Live Shows and More

Who is in Skinny Knowledge and what do they play?

We are Andy Smooth – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Max Harris – Lead Guitar, Vocals, Rab McGowan – Bass, Vocals and Mike Rigler – Drums. We capture the vibrancy of the raw and raucous, early 90’s grunge and pop-punk scenes.

How did you all meet and what was the first song that you performed together?

Max – Andy and I go way back as family friends. I think we’ve known each other for about 23 years! Andy started SK in 2020, and advertised on Facebook for a bassist, and along came Rab. Mike is our most recent recruit! He just reached out to us via Instagram and came along to a couple of shows! The first song we played as our current line-up was actually our new single, ‘I Wanna (Rock N’ Roll)’.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Mike – We’re from Bournemouth on the south UK coast, and in 5 words… “not sunny like people think”.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments/pedals/effects?

Mike – When I rarely get the chance to play my own kit (rather than sharing other peoples!), I love my Tama kit, which I’ve had since I was 16.

Rab – My Fender Meteora which I bought last year. The pickups sound killer, and it looks ace.

Max – Back when I was a kid, I took GCSE Resistant Materials, my Dad and I took the opportunity to make a guitar, so that holds a lot of meaning to me.

Andy – My beloved Gibson Les Paul 1958 Reissue! I only got it last year, but it’s an absolutely stunning guitar, and I’ve always wanted one since I was a kid!

You recently released your latest single ‘I Wanna (Rock N’ Roll)’. What was the inspiration/story behind that track?

Andy – I’d say this song is fairly self-explanatory! It is what it says on the tin… The general concept for this is about the aftermath of a break-up, but instead of sitting and dwelling, it’s about wanting to go out and party, let loose, and forget about it all – “I’m just here because I want to party, I’m just here because I’m broken-hearted”. It’s that simple.

In addition, the single is accompanied by a music video. What was the thought process behind the video? Do you have any funny, interesting, or memorable stories from the video filming?

Andy – The idea for the video was pretty simple. We just wanted to get drunk with our friends in a house party scenario. So we did! We shot about 5 or 6 takes (we were quite drunk by the end haha) and that was it! It was in Classic Rock Tracks of The Week, so that was cool.

 How do you look after your voice/s?

Rab: I smoke a lot of cigarettes, and drink a lot of rum…

Andy: The same, but Jack Daniels instead of rum! Haha… In all seriousness, we don’t really have any warm-up techniques or exercises, though we probably should!

Your new album ‘twentytwo.’ is out now. Was it a difficult album to write?

Andy – I definitely had to delve within myself to write it, but I’ve always written songs that are honest, and come from real experiences, none of this fictional writing, so it wasn’t an unknown territory. It was kind of therapeutic! Every word I sing is a true story, and real feelings that I’ve been through. This album is no exception.I went through quite a traumatic time at the beginning of last year, and kind of lost all willingness to do anything, let alone write songs. After a few months, I randomly came up with a chorus (which isn’t actually on this album!). It was really good, and sparked an excitement in me to get back on the horse and start writing again.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

Max – It was recorded between Andy’s home studio, and the Ranch Production House in Southampton. It was produced by Andy, but mixed by Harrison Perks at HP Music Studios, and mastered by Grant Berry at Fader Mastering.

Does the album title have any specific special meaning/significance?

Andy – I decided to title the album ‘twentytwo.’ because the whole album is basically a journal of everything that I went through in 2022 and the response to it so far has been amazing!

Do you have any live shows planned for 2023/24?

Andy – We’ve got our album release show on 17th November at The Anvil in Bournemouth so get tickets for that, and then next year we’re supporting Jack J Hutchinson in London at O2 Islington on 8th February for his new album launch which we’re stoked for! We’ve recently been announced for Love Rocks Fest too which is actually a local one for us. We’ve got some touring and more festival dates to announce so keep your eyes peeled!

What makes Skinny Knowledge happy and what makes you unhappy?

We’re most happy when we’re on a stage playing our songs in front of you lovely people! And also, when you buy our new album and merch so we can afford a beer, which you can from our website https://www.skinnyknowledge.com/ What we don’t like… Paying more than £5 for a pint. What a joke! 

Photo Credit: James Sheppard Photography

Skinny Knowledge’s latest album ‘twentytwo.” is out now. For more information visit their official website: https://www.skinnyknowledge.com/