Darlington ska outfit, The Skapones, are gearing up to release new material so Lee Allcock caught up with frontman, Paul Williams, to find out what we can expect.
It’s your 10th anniversary. That’s some achievement. Tell me a bit about some of your favourite memories…
Paul Willo: So many to recall and not enough mag space. Playing with The Specials/seeing our name up in lights at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles/ USA Tour/Poland/getting good reviews.
Mark Wilson: Sitting on the deck of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California trying to work out how the hell we got there.
What have you learnt along the way?
Paul: Music lovers are great/always meet your heroes (you might strike lucky!)/work hard/be in control of your own destiny/do your own thing.
Mark: How incredibly difficult it is to balance all the personalities in the band and remain harmonious.
And you’ve just sent your new album off to be manufactured too…
Paul: Yes! The CD will be created down south and the vinyl will made in the North East, keeping it local
Mark: Yeah. The vinyl will be made at Press On Vinyl in Middlesbrough.
Tell me a bit about what fans can expect from the new album…
Paul: A dark brooding monster.
Mark: It’s a bit more mature and thoughtful.
Do you have an album release party planned? Tell me more…
Paul: There will be bu we’re currently just trying to find a venue.
And finally, what are your aims for 2023?
Paul: Enjoy the 10 years shows, enjoy pushing the new album and enjoy life.
Mark: Work on the third album and with lockdown no longer an issue, the recording should be a lot easier.
To find out more about their new release and their 10th-anniversary gigs, head to theskapones.co.uk.
