Renowned for their infectious heavy funk riffage, trail blazing rhymes, and sublime soul-pop melodies, Skunkhour are a unique band in the Australian music landscape. The group’s catalogue is littered with timeless songs that many say were ahead of their time. In the early 90s the golden days of live Australian music had subsided to a burnt out landscape of encroaching pokies and corporate pop. Yet, on the outskirts, change was signalled with the emergence of Grunge, the rise of Rave culture, and the first jolts of Hip Hop beginning to spark. One group that emerged out of this time to forge a unique path in the Australian music annals is Skunkhour. An amalgam of members that fused eclectic influences to form their own brand of rhythmic, indie-soul-pop. A combination of funk, rock, and rap, with elements of new wave, that carved new ground. Formed in 1992, comprised of the thundering rhythm section of brothers Dean and Michael Sutherland, the unique angles of Warwick Scott’s guitar, Aya Larkin’s enervating lead vocals, the trail blazing raps of his brother Del, and spiked with a snapping brass section, the band moved rapidly in the Sydney scene to record their independent debut album. Hitting the Australian radio airwaves for the first time in 1993, “Skunkhour” quickly achieved cult status and catching on with a loving audience around the country. The band toured relentlessly throughout the 1990’s, earning a reputation as one of Australia’s must-see live acts and becoming festival mainstays. Following a hiatus which led to a reunion in 2022, Skunkhour released a 4 track EP “Parts of the Sun”, with lead single “Blue” reaching #1 on the AMRAP charts, and enjoying high rotation across Double J and 2BL. An ensuing national tour and sell out shows rounded out a stellar return to form. From their early conjuring of alchemic grooves in a Kings Cross nightclub, to blitzing the main stage in front of massive festival crowds, Skunkhour pried open a closed door through which acts such as the Hilltop Hoods, the Cat Empire, and the Avalanches followed, and their sound is one that resonates to this day. They garnered a widespread international following, fostered a passionate home fan base, and have left an enduring legacy within Australian music.
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