Skunkhour dished out their take on funk-rap fusion in the ’90s, and no one before or since has done it like them.
30 years on from their acclaimed sophomore album Feed, they’re ready to embark on the Up To Our Necks In It tour, playing some of their biggest tracks and fan favourites.
“That was our most successful album, and there’s a lot of songs that we’re going to be bringing that we might not have played as much in the last few years,” said vocalist Aya Larkin.
Check out our gig guide here.
After the release of their self-titled debut in 1993 through indie label Beast Records, Skunkhour saw rotation on the recently rebranded Triple J and cultivated a dedicated fanbase through opening slots for the likes of Beastie Boys and INXS. When Sony came knocking with a record deal, it gave the band the chance to go big.
“[The first album] was us gelling as a group who all had an underlying love of rare funk and many other influences,” said Aya. “For the second album, it was a conscious decision for us to do stuff that nobody else was doing.”
Enter 1995’s Feed; 11 tracks flying between ravenous grooves, acid jazz jams and touches of hip-hop via Del Larkin’s verses. At a moment in time when rock ruled the airwaves and local dance music was shining bright, Skunkhour arrived with a funk-rap hybrid that was like nothing else on national radio.
“Triple J was important for us. They made [Feed] album of the week and it got played quite a lot,” Aya said. “A couple of people in the industry were pretty into it. We got a lot of respect.”
Songs like the laid-back That’s The Way and the groovy Sunstone showcased the band’s tight rhythms and performances. But the crown jewel of Feed, the track Up To Our Necks In It, revealed itself immediately. The single speaks to the band’s day to day experiences of sharehouses and inner city living around Sydney in the ’90s.
“All of our living circumstances were pretty basic and we were spending a lot of time out on the streets, walking along that edge of the city,” said Aya. “You’re rubbing up against all that stuff. You’re coming in from the suburbs where we’d grown up as kids and being immersed in all those things.
“You had your own preconceptions and views growing up about what hits you and what doesn’t, and what feels good. Some aspects of city living are so great, but this was also just talking about…some of the edgier forces that can make it a bit gritty.”
Beginning life as an assortment of riffs by guitarist Warwick Scott, Up To Our Necks In It features Aya’s strong vocal choruses with Del’s spoken word verses. In comparison to some of the other parts of the album, the song came along surprisingly quickly.
“The thing that took the most time was just me coming up with lyrics, because [Del] was already sitting on some and I just needed a couple of weeks and it was there” said Aya. “[Then it] was ready to head on out and become our most well known song.”
The tour will mark their first set of shows since the passing of former drummer and founding member Michael Sutherland last month. Sutherland performed on the band’s debut album as well as Feed, contributing to some of Skunkhour’s biggest songs.
“Michael’s recent passing has in some way made me reflect on what was going on in those tracks and his input and what we shared together,” said Aya. “I dare say when we come to play this run of shows, there will be an added emotional kind of ballast in the whole thing. We can do our best to honour him and all his input by really being on the top of our game and really in the moment with the songs and the crowd.”
Fans rocking up for the tour can expect to hear many highlights from Feed as well as some deep cuts, including reworked tracks from the self-titled debut.
“When we roll [Up To Our Necks In It] out, those opening guitar notes, you get this great reaction from people if they recognize what it is,” Aya said. “That’s always going to feel really gratifying. The song can still do its thing.”
Skunkhour are playing Pelly Bar on 13 November and the Corner Hotel on 14 November. Find out more here.
