With Smile having topped the mid-week UK Album chart, Skindred have fallen agonisingly short of the No. 1 spot with “less than 150 chart units separating” them and Irish pop singer/songwriter Cian Ducrot, whose breakthrough was via TikTok.
“We didn’t expect our eighth studio album, Smile, to have such a high entrance in the UK National album charts,” Skindred told us. “If you told me that we would be number two in the UK national album charts a few weeks back, we would never have believed it.”
Smile is such a great album, and even at No. 2, the chart placing is so very well deserved. “Whatever your music taste, genre preference, or good time partiality, Skindreds Smile is just undeniably good,” we wrote in our album review. “It’ll leave nothing but the title on your face.”
“To all who pushed and pushed with us in the last week, I’ve got nothing but love, appreciation and sunshine for you,” said Benji. “What an amazing time to be the mighty Skindred. We are totally celebrating this win.
“Please rejoice with us – thank you to everyone who contributed to our enormous success. This is something we will never forget.”
Smile is top of this week’s Official Vinyl Albums Chart, Rock and Metal Albums Chart and is the UK’s most downloaded album of the past seven days, as well as the biggest independent release of the week.
Skindred previously reached the Top 40 with 2014’s Kill the Power (Number 28 peak), 2015’s Volume (29) and 2018’s Big Tings (26).
Skindred will play their largest headline shows in March 2024. Dates are set for Wembley OVO, Manchester and Birmingham. There are also dates later this year. Tickets are available from here.
