Local sci-fi pirate favourites Skinboat are taking their ‘Lateshow’ to the theatre stage this week when they launch their ‘Continuing Adventures of Timeship’, a self-proclaimed Prequel-Sequel Live Rock Theatre Production.
The current line-up of Skinboat have been together since 2006, but the core of the band have been gigging since the early 90s under various names, including the popular Arkam Asylum – indeed I certainly remember seeing frontman Glen Sutton performing at the Union Bar at the back end of the 90s and then later at the Chunky Festival, the pre-cursor to BOMfest.
I asked him how they got to the point of putting on this big one-off show. He said, ‘we put together our first album in 2008 and we did a sci-fi-piratey concept show at The Archers involving guests and a light saber battle amongst other things. After that we did our fair share of gigs and local festivals where we often rocked out with odd props and magic. Life got in the way for a while as we’ve been recording off and on in our own studio. Two years ago we were the house band for a theatre production of A Clockwork Orange in Sheffield and we’d love to try putting on more than just a gig in Barnsley. Four months ago we were giving the wonderful opportunity by Richard Tolson to do a one-off big show at the Barnsley College Electric Theatre building as a finish to the Atlantic Sessions.’
The official line for the concert is that the show will ‘combine uplifting cheeky songs and an energetic performance that invites you into the bands wild world of unreality and comedy. It’s one-off musical event of epic proportions, that will take you through time and space via a big rock concert. It’s not been done before either… well, once before … but the government had to cover it up.’
For the past few weeks the band have been hard at work producing stage props and putting the final touches to their long awaited album. Skinboat’s concert will act as an album launch. I asked Glen what we can expect from their second full-length.
‘Our new album is ready and we’ve fleshed out a massive story for the stage show with special guests and a whole load of space-piratey fun. The new album is a prequel sequel of plot gaps from the old album and new twists in space and time, and will feature our old nemesis, Evil Trev.’
The band have been an active part of Barnsley’s music community for many years. For the last four years, when they have not been producing their own music, their www.SoundsLikeBarnsley.co.uk platform promotes the ventures of other bands and musicians via a series of brilliant videos. The most recent of which was a look at this year’s Coalfields Festival.
Tickets for the concert are available from www.electrictheatrebarnsley.co.uk and are just £5. Support for the gig comes from The Stray Targets.
You can keep up to date with Skinboat by following www.facebook.com/pages/The-Skinboat-Page/207412089291813
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