Skin Deep / Band (Babyshambles)

Info

Skin Deep (not to be confused with the Strangler's song of the same name) was a Yorkshire band formed in the mid 1980’s. A traditional "Skin-Head Ska" band, they were based in and around Doncaster and Gawthorpe. The band was originally formed by Wayne Kenyon (vocals) and Mik Whitnall (guitar) in 1986 with Andy State (percussion/drums) and Shaun Parkin (bass guitar). Shaun was later replaced by Dean (Jud) Jordan. After only a handful of gigs they were approached by Link records and recorded the song "Self Respect" for the compilation record "Oi The Resurrection!". In 1987, they were asked again to provide a song for another Oi compilation, this time contributing the track "My Life's Fine".

The following year the band started recording their debut album "Much More Than Skin-Deep". The album was recorded early in the year at The Billiard Room Studio’s in Leeds and the LP was released in July. The Band had little input as far as the mixing went as all the band members fell ill during the recording sessions. The LP included the instrumental "Baddie's Boogie" (different from the later Babyshambles' song of the same name, although the title of the song did originate from it). The name of the song came from a banner band member Kenyon saw while watching a Liverpool FC European away game on TV which read "Huyton Baddies". State was replaced after the recording of the album by Mathew (Stig) Welch, a friend of the band already.

Soon after the band's debut was released they received a number of negative and critical reviews. Their fans were labeled "Hooligans" and the band were slated by The Sun newspaper. In December of that same year the band split. They played their final gig in Brixton, London. After the split, Kenyon went on to front "The Ferrymen," a Doncaster band formed in the early 1990's. Whitnall and Welch went on to form another ska band 100 Men in the early 1990's.

The band's line up was as follows
1985
Wayne Kenyon - vocals
Mik Whitnall - guitar
Andy State - drums
Shaun Parkin - bass guitar

1986
Wayne Kenyon - vocals
Mik Whitnall - guitar
Andy State - drums
Dean (Jud) Jordan - bass guitar

1988 (post album)
Wayne Kenyon - vocals
Mik Whitnall - guitar
Dean (Jud) Jordan - bass guitar
Mathew (Stig) Welch - drums

Media
Two of Skin Deep's unedited home videos can be found here: Our Own Way and The Sycamores. The intro sequence of the first includes excerpts from the instrumental track "Baddie's Boogie". They were both filmed in 1989 after the band split in their hometowns of Doncaster and Scawthorpe.