Skinned Teen
Encyclopedia
Skinned Teen were a Riot Grrrl
band from London
, England, active in the early 1990s
. They have been cited as an inspiration by Beth Ditto
, Kathleen Hanna
and Josephine Olaussan of Love Is All
.
, the band were offered their first gig after approaching Kathleen Hanna following a Huggy Bear/Bikini Kill
all-girl show on their 1993 UK tour. They recorded and released their debut Karate Hairdresser EP later in 1993 on Soul Static Sound, and recorded a Peel Session in December of that year. Their early sound has been described as 'reminiscent of both The Slits
and Kleenex'. Layla also contributed to an EP by The Element Of Crime (featuring members of Huggy Bear) and produced riot grrrl zine
s including Drop Babies.
Following appearances on joint/compilation releases with contemporaries such as Comet Gain
and Yummy Fur, Skinned Teen's debut album Bazooka Smooth! (a split with Raoul) was released on Lookout Records in 1994, showcasing a more experimental range of musical styles.
Despite their short lifespan and relative obscurity Skinned Teen can be acclaimed as the first pure UK riot grrrl band, as the other UK bands initially associated with the genre (e.g. Huggy Bear, Voodoo Queens
, Mambo Taxi
, Linus) had previous experience in the indie scene. Their youth and DIY
spirit remain an inspiration to musicians and fans of the genre and echoes of their sound can be heard in bands to the present day.
Following the dissolution of the band and a move to Brighton
Layla produced Chimps zine and released an eponymous EP on Slampt
records as Petty Crime, a trio which included Peter Rojas
on drums. Later based in San Francisco, Layla formed Shady Ladies with the Yao sisters from Emily's Sassy Lime
, and Modern Reveries with Miya Osaki (The Chinkees
) and Vice Cooler
. Modern Reveries released an EP on Bristol
's Local Kid records. Layla now edits Maximumrocknroll magazine.
Skinned Teen made an appearance in It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill In The U.K., a documentary produced by Lucy Thane
in 1993.
Thurston Moore
of Sonic Youth
chose a Skinned Teen song ("Pillowcase Kisser") for the retrospective compilation album Rough Trade 30
in 2006, which was later used on the soundtrack of a Skins
episode in 2009.
Riot grrrl
Riot grrrl was an underground feminist punk movement based in Washington, DC, Olympia, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and the greater Pacific Northwest which existed in the early to mid-1990s, and it is often associated with third-wave feminism...
band from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England, active in the early 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
. They have been cited as an inspiration by Beth Ditto
Beth Ditto
Mary Beth Patterson, known by her stage name Beth Ditto , is an American singer-songwriter, most famous for her work with the indie rock band Gossip.-Personal life:...
, Kathleen Hanna
Kathleen Hanna
Kathleen Hanna is an American musician, feminist activist, and punk zine writer. In the early- to mid-1990s she was the lead singer and songwriter of Bikini Kill, before fronting Le Tigre in the late 1990s and early 2000s...
and Josephine Olaussan of Love Is All
Love is All
Love Is All is a five-piece indie pop band from Gothenburg, Sweden. It releases songs in English. Paste Magazine has stated that it makes "infectiously lo-fi punk rock laced with saxophone and melodic vocals".-Biography:...
.
History
Skinned Teen was formed by teenagers Layla Gibbon, Flossy White and Esme Young in London in 1992. Inspired by US Riot Grrrl, Huggy Bear and The ShaggsThe Shaggs
The Shaggs were an American all-female rock group formed in Fremont, New Hampshire in 1968. The band was composed of sisters Dorothy "Dot" Wiggin , Betty Wiggin , Helen Wiggin , and later Rachel Wiggin ....
, the band were offered their first gig after approaching Kathleen Hanna following a Huggy Bear/Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill was an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington in October 1990. The group consisted of vocalist and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band is widely considered to be the pioneer of the riot grrrl movement,...
all-girl show on their 1993 UK tour. They recorded and released their debut Karate Hairdresser EP later in 1993 on Soul Static Sound, and recorded a Peel Session in December of that year. Their early sound has been described as 'reminiscent of both The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
and Kleenex'. Layla also contributed to an EP by The Element Of Crime (featuring members of Huggy Bear) and produced riot grrrl zine
Zine
A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
s including Drop Babies.
Following appearances on joint/compilation releases with contemporaries such as Comet Gain
Comet Gain
Comet Gain are a British indie pop band, formed by singer-songwriter and guitarist David Bower in 1992, with influences including punk, post-punk and northern soul...
and Yummy Fur, Skinned Teen's debut album Bazooka Smooth! (a split with Raoul) was released on Lookout Records in 1994, showcasing a more experimental range of musical styles.
Despite their short lifespan and relative obscurity Skinned Teen can be acclaimed as the first pure UK riot grrrl band, as the other UK bands initially associated with the genre (e.g. Huggy Bear, Voodoo Queens
Voodoo Queens
The Voodoo Queens were a North London-based girl group, who reached number one in the Indie Charts in 1993.-History:The band composed of Anjali Bhatia , Ella Guru , Stefania Lucchesini , Rajni Bhatia and Anjula Bhasker...
, Mambo Taxi
Mambo Taxi
Mambo Taxi were a London based British band that were linked with Riot Grrrl, who formed in 1991 and split up in 1995.-History:Mambo Taxi were inspired by the UK garage rock scene and US punk. Their sound was a mixture of garage, punk, and pop and they also had links to British riot grrrl bands...
, Linus) had previous experience in the indie scene. Their youth and DIY
DIY ethic
The DIY ethic refers to the ethic of self-sufficiency through completing tasks oneself as opposed to having others who are more experienced or able complete them for one's behalf. It promotes the idea that an ordinary person can learn to do more than he or she thought was possible...
spirit remain an inspiration to musicians and fans of the genre and echoes of their sound can be heard in bands to the present day.
Following the dissolution of the band and a move to Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
Layla produced Chimps zine and released an eponymous EP on Slampt
Slampt
Slampt was a record label set up in Newcastle, England in 1992.The label is perhaps best known for releasing Kenickie's early work. Slampt also released the debut single by Yummy Fur, a band who later featured Paul Thomson and Alex Huntley a.k.a. Alex Kapranos...
records as Petty Crime, a trio which included Peter Rojas
Peter Rojas
Peter Rojas is the co-founder of technology blogs Gizmodo and Engadget, as well as the video gaming blog Joystiq . A 2006 article in New York magazine described him as "the best-compensated blogger in history".-Education:...
on drums. Later based in San Francisco, Layla formed Shady Ladies with the Yao sisters from Emily's Sassy Lime
Emily's Sassy Lime
Emilys Sassy Lime was an all-Asian American teenage riot grrrl trio from SoCal, formed in 1993 by Wendy and Amy Yao, and Emily Ryan. According to Experience Music Project, they formed after sneaking out of their homes one night to see a Bikini Kill and Bratmobile show, striking up a...
, and Modern Reveries with Miya Osaki (The Chinkees
The Chinkees
The Chinkees are an American ska punk band fronted by Mike Park . The group debuted with 1998's The Chinkees Are Coming!, and followed with 1999's Peace Through Music and 2002's Searching for a Brighter Future before a greatest hits album was released in 2003...
) and Vice Cooler
Vice Cooler
Vice Cooler is an American musician, photographer, author and visual artist. He is currently the singer and songwriter for Hawnay Troof and Xbxrx....
. Modern Reveries released an EP on Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
's Local Kid records. Layla now edits Maximumrocknroll magazine.
Skinned Teen made an appearance in It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill In The U.K., a documentary produced by Lucy Thane
Lucy Thane
Lucy Thane is a documentary filmmaker.One of her most notable works is It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill In The UK in which she followed the 1990s riot grrrl band Bikini Kill while they were on tour in the UK with Huggy Bear....
in 1993.
Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
of Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
chose a Skinned Teen song ("Pillowcase Kisser") for the retrospective compilation album Rough Trade 30
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
in 2006, which was later used on the soundtrack of a Skins
Skins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
episode in 2009.
Discography
- Karate Hairdresser EP (1993), Soul Static Sound
- Some Hearts Paid To Lie EP (1993), Wiiija (split with Comet Gain, Pussycat Trash, Linus)
- Bazooka Smooth! LP/CD (1994), Lookout Records (split with Raoul)
- Total Tiger Beat Cass (1995), Spazoom
Compilation appearances
- Elastic Jet Mission LP (1994), SlamptSlamptSlampt was a record label set up in Newcastle, England in 1992.The label is perhaps best known for releasing Kenickie's early work. Slampt also released the debut single by Yummy Fur, a band who later featured Paul Thomson and Alex Huntley a.k.a. Alex Kapranos...
(also inc. Yummy Fur, Lungleg, Golden Starlet, Milky Wimpshake, KenickieKenickieKenickie were a four-piece rock band from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. The band were formed in 1994 and consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Lauren Laverne , drummer Johnny X , lead guitarist and occasional vocalist Marie du Santiago and bass guitarist Emmy-Kate Montrose...
) - Battle of the Bands 7" (1998), Super 8 (also inc. The RondellesThe RondellesThe Rondelles are an indiepop band originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The band, which formed in the late 1990s, when the three members were still in high school, consisted of Juliet Swango on guitar and vocals, Yukiko Moynihan on bass, and Oakley Munson on drums and keyboard...
)