SKIN Interview

Guitarist Mike Gray tells us about being one of the only bands to play twice at Download 2010 and going it along in the music industry

Download: Welcome back to Download Mike. You were here last year on the Main Stage – how was that?
Mike Gray: That was our reunion show. We hadn’t seen each other for about twelve years, so we got back together for about three days beforehand, did some warm-up shows and it went amazingly well. So to be asked back two years in a row is incredible – a real honour and a privilege.

DL: And now you’re back with a new record and a new single?
MG: Absolutely. It’s just been an amazing year. Initially it was just mean to be a one off for the Download gig last year. But the reaction was so good that we went on to do some shows with Chickenfoot and Mr Big, as well as having a headline tour. We’ve made an acoustic record, spent the rest of the year writing, recording, and the album should be finished in the next couple of weeks.

DL: Cool. How do I get my hands on a copy?
MG: You can order it from www.skinfreak.co.uk now. The website is the only way you can get the album.

DL: Why have you chosen to do this alone, rather than turning to a record company for support?
MG: We’ve all been around for quite some time, and when you’ve been in bands and you actually realize the percentage splits between plays and record labels and things like that, you only get about 10% of an album sale. We didn’t want to hand over control of the record either. To be honest with you, the real catalyst reason behind it is that when we reformed last year , we contacted EMI Records, our old label, and asked them to rerelease the albums. And they said no. So we asked if we could get some copies from them to sell them at gigs. They said that to print 1,000 it would cost us £5 for each, and we were like “you want five grand from us to sell our own records?”. So we thought, fuck this, we’ll just make our own records and take a risk.

DL: Sometimes it’s totally worth taking a risk, isn’t it?
MG: Yeah. I remember this one time, we went to Japan and we were supporting Helloween. We got off the plane, and there wasn’t a single copy of our album in the country. And that was with our label spending £20,000 getting us over there. So we just thought “screw that”, and decided to do it ourselves.

DL: You’re one of the few bands to play twice at Download in one weekend, because you did an acoustic set on the Jägermeister Stage yesterday (Friday), and then you’re over on the Pepsi Max Stage tonight.
MG: That’s right – we’re on at the same time that England are kicking off against USA on the football [laughs].

DL: What’s the difference between the two sets going to be?
MG: We’ll be playing some new songs tonight. Last night was more like a ‘greatest hits’ sort of thing, but tonight it’ll be a very intense, full on rock ‘n roll show. Whenever you play acoustic it tends to be a bit more light-hearted. People sing along and are generally more relaxed. But when you are up there with a full band, it’s different.

DL: Are there any other bands you want to see this weekend?
MG: Absolutely – I grew up listening to Y&T , I love them. Mean Streak, Rescue Me, amazing. So to be playing not only on the same stage, but actually after Y&T doesn’t quite seem right to be honest with you. I bought all their records when I was a kid! But we’re looking forward to it very much.

>Take a look at photos of Skin live at Download in our online Galleries now