Skintight Jaguars
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Skintight Jaguars were an English hard rock/punk band from
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England. They are currently on an indefinite hiatus. The last line-up consisted of guitarist/vocalist Ryan Simmonds, bassist Matt Valentine and drummer J Machete. Original singer Kip Legend left the band in 2009 after relocating to
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
, Norway. The band supported
Backyard Babies Backyard Babies are a Swedish rock band originally from Nässjö and currently based in Stockholm. The band was formed in 1989 and over the years they have released seven studio albums and won two Swedish Grammy Awards. They are largely attr ...
on their 2008 tour of the UK. Music journalist
Malcolm Dome Malcolm Dome (1955 – 29 October 2021) was an English music journalist. He wrote about rock and heavy metal from 1979. In addition to writing books, he was a journalist for ''Record Mirror'', ''Kerrang!'', ''Metal Hammer'' and ''Classic Rock ...
described them as "Decadently apocalyptic" in ''Rock Sound'' magazine.


History

The band originally formed in 2002 under the initial guise of Sneaking Fog after meeting while studying at the
Norwich School of Art & Design Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) is a public university in Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom that specialises in art, design and media. It was founded as Norwich School of Design in 1845 and has a long history of arts education. It gained ful ...
. What started off as a joke quickly became an ever-increasing career prospect due to high-profile support slots with The Darkness and
The Quireboys The Quireboys are an English rock band formed in 1984 in London, with strong ties to Newcastle. When the band formed they were originally known as The Queerboys and later as the London Quireboys in the United States and Canada, settling at ...
. In late 2004 the name was changed to Skintight Jaguars, and the first demo under the new name was released - "Black Russian" b/w "Lowdown Downtown". This was swiftly followed up with a single release of an old Sneaking Fog track, "Thunderbone", on the independent
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
based label Wilde Club Records in early 2005. Garnering the band radio play in Italy, Denmark and on
Bruce Dickinson Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who has been the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1993 and 1999–present. He is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stage ...
's
BBC Radio 6 BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...
Rock show in the UK. Guitarist Famus Shamus left the band in early 2005 resulting in a lengthy downtime for the band. After months of auditioning guitarists, the band finally settled on Israeli born guitarist Niro Knox who became the next full-time member of the band. Six new tracks were recorded with guitarist Niro in late 2005, overseen by producer/bassist John McCoy, best known for his work with Gillan,
Mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...
and production duties on the debut album by
UK Subs U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. They were also one of the f ...
. These recordings were never released and Niro quit the band to play with London-based glam rockers King Lizard. Niro was replaced by ex-Plastiques bassist Carl Muskel who took over the vacant guitar slot in early 2006. 2006 saw a brief hiatus for the band in a conscious effort to start something fresh musically. This resulted in a dramatic change in sound with something more akin to the members' punk influences, taking on a preferred 'wall-of-noise' sound and the use of simplistic chord structures in reference to
The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
and
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...
. After months of working on this new sound, the ''Start The Fight'' EP finally surfaced on their own independent label Hustler Squad. During this time the band also recorded a version of
Turbonegro Turbonegro (Turboneger in Norway) is a Norwegian rock band, active from 1989 to 1998 and from 2002 to the present. The band combines glam rock, punk rock, and hard rock into a self-described "deathpunk" musical style. History Early years (1 ...
's " Denim Demon". This track appeared on their Myspace profile, but is officially unreleased. Another line-up change resulted in more delays at the end of 2006 when guitarist Carl Muskel relocated to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. Ryan 'Jean' Simmonds was already on standby and immediately recruited into the band as guitarist. He had previously played in an early formation of the band called Electrobitch in 2003, and was also another ex-graduate of the
Norwich School of Art & Design Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) is a public university in Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom that specialises in art, design and media. It was founded as Norwich School of Design in 1845 and has a long history of arts education. It gained ful ...
. The band then spent the next six months crafting new songs for an album. In 2007, Skintight Jaguars released their debut album, ''The Curse'', on MSKL Records, (later re-released in May 2008 on Zodiac Killer Records), which also featured some remastered/remixed tracks from the ''Start The Fight'' EP. In 2008 they toured the UK with
Backyard Babies Backyard Babies are a Swedish rock band originally from Nässjö and currently based in Stockholm. The band was formed in 1989 and over the years they have released seven studio albums and won two Swedish Grammy Awards. They are largely attr ...
and
Crucified Barbara Crucified Barbara were an all-female Swedish hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Stockholm in 1998. Background Crucified Barbara started out in 1998 as a punk rock band, but soon they changed their primary style to hard rock. They signed ...
, but by early 2009 singer Kip Legend had left the band and relocated to
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
, Norway. After auditioning singers the band finally decided that guitarist Simmonds would take over vocal duties while continuing to play the guitar. From 2009 the band played as a three-piece. In October 2010, Skintight Jaguars were announced as the winners of the Relentless Energy Drink band search, in conjunction with Myspace. This confirmed them as the opening band for the Relentless Energy Drink Sessions Festival on 23 October 2010, supporting headliners
The Damned Things The Damned Things is an American rock supergroup consisting of Fall Out Boy's Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley, Anthrax's Scott Ian, Every Time I Die's Keith Buckley, and Alkaline Trio's Dan Andriano. The band's name is inspired by the lyrics in Ram ...
made up from members of
Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...
,
Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
and
Every Time I Die Every Time I Die was an American metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. For most of the band's career, the line-up was centred on brothers Keith (vocals) and Jordan Buckley (guitar), as well as rhythm guitarist Andy Williams wi ...
. At some point in 2011 the band went on hiatus, they currently have no plans to reform. Since forming they performed alongside many high-profile bands including
Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster (often referred to as Eighties Matchbox, 80s Matchbox, TEMBD, TEMBLD or shortened to just Eighties or 80s) were an English rock band from Brighton, formed in 1999. They released three albums, ''Horse of the ...
, Towers of London,
Vice Squad A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trai ...
, The Dresdens,
The Vibrators The Vibrators are a British punk rock band that formed in 1976. Early career The Vibrators were founded by Ian ' Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice ...
, The Lords of Altamont,
Zodiac Mindwarp Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction are a British hard rock group, which was formed in 1985. Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction play a sleazy style of commercial hard rock featuring big riffs and choruses, as was the trend in the band ...
,
Young Heart Attack Young Heart Attack (YHA) are a high-energy rock band from Austin, Texas, that formed in 2001. Chris "Frenchie" Smith and bassist Steven T. Hall had previously been in the Sixteen Deluxe and Joey Shuffield in Fastball. Lineup Original (2000–2 ...
,
The Damned Things The Damned Things is an American rock supergroup consisting of Fall Out Boy's Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley, Anthrax's Scott Ian, Every Time I Die's Keith Buckley, and Alkaline Trio's Dan Andriano. The band's name is inspired by the lyrics in Ram ...
, and
Backyard Babies Backyard Babies are a Swedish rock band originally from Nässjö and currently based in Stockholm. The band was formed in 1989 and over the years they have released seven studio albums and won two Swedish Grammy Awards. They are largely attr ...
.


Members

* Lead guitar/vocals: Ryan Simmonds (2006–2011) * Bass/Backing vocals: Matt Valentine (2002–2011) * Drums/Backing vocals: J Machete (2002–2011)


Past members

* Lead vocals: Kip Legend (2002–2009) * Lead guitar: Carl Muskel (2005–2006) * Lead guitar: Niro Knox (2005) * Lead guitar: 'Famus' Shamus (2002–2005)


Discography


Albums

* ''The Curse'' (2007) Re-released in USA (2008).


EPs

* ''The Death of Rock N Roll'' CD (2010) * ''Start The Fight'' CD (2006)


Singles

* "Thunderbone" 7" Vinyl (2005) * "Black Russian" b/w "Lowdown Downtown" CD (2004)


Extra information

* Matt Valentine and Kip Legend can both be seen in the 2005 music video "You’re Speaking My Language" by
Juliette and The Licks Juliette and the Licks is an American rock band led by actress and singer Juliette Lewis. Other band members have included guitarist Craig Fairbaugh and guitarist Emilio Cueto, bassist Jason Womack and drummer Ed Davis. Their popular songs include ...
. * The band are frequently known to cover songs by
Turbonegro Turbonegro (Turboneger in Norway) is a Norwegian rock band, active from 1989 to 1998 and from 2002 to the present. The band combines glam rock, punk rock, and hard rock into a self-described "deathpunk" musical style. History Early years (1 ...
,
Dead Boys The Dead Boys are an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The band was among the first wave of punk, and regarded by many as one of the rowdiest and most violent groups of the era. They were formed by vocalist Stiv B ...
,
The Dwarves The Dwarves are an American punk rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois and based in San Francisco, California as of 2009.Gentile, John (2009)Interview: Blag Dahlia of the Dwarves, ''The A.V. Club'', April 13, 2009, retrieved February 7, 2010 ...
and
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...
at live shows. * Promo only single "Dead From The Face Down" received B-List rotation airplay alongside bands like
Soulfly Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1997, and later based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 199 ...
,
Within Temptation Within Temptation is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded in April 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. They have been classified by critics as gothic metal and symphonic metal, although each album contains other inf ...
and
Alkaline Trio Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, vocals). Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Do ...
on UK radio station Total Rock in February 2006.


References


External links


Skintight Jaguars official blogsiteSkintight Jaguars on Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skintight Jaguars English punk rock groups English alternative rock groups