Skindred are a band who have been around for 20 years, mixing together genres including  ragga, punk, metal and rap. Since their inception, their lyrics have discussed social issues, including racism and class. 

The majority of Skindred's fan-base are heavy metal fans and they regularly sell-out large venues such as Brixton Academy. However, Skindred still get little airplay on mainstream radio and have not yet played major slots at mainstream festivals such as Glastonbury (despite drawing huge main stage crowds at more rock based festivals such as Reading, Leeds and Download). 

We discuss if modern discourse on social media and beyond (e.g. Black Lives Matter) will change the opportunities presented to a band like Skindred and how they have adapted as a band over 20 years to have a presence in the online world. 

I have been a fan of Dick Valentine (real name Tyler Spencer) and Electric Six since I was around 13 years old. At this point, music was a big part of social media. Who remembers the days of MySpace music pages? 

In 2003, Electric Six became a hot topic of conversation online, with arguably two of the earliest viral music videos, 'Danger! High Voltage' and 'Gay Bar'. They featured in BBC's 'Sound of 2003', had major slots at Reading Festival and Glastonbury, played on Jools Holland's show and sold out Brixton Academy in London. There were also internet rumors that Jack White sung the female vocals on 'Danger! High Voltage'. Electric Six used this momentum to build a loyal following by engaging with their fans online, impressive live performances and consistent album releases (the band now have 14 albums)!

Dick provided some interesting reflections on the bands relationship with social media. As I have known Dick a while, I am friends with him on both his personal and stage name Facebook accounts. I was keen to discuss the difference between his online personas. The band formed in 1996 under the name 'The Wildbunch', so they have seen the birth and development of social media, and its impact on the music industry. 

Dick has always struck me how much he sees being in a band as 'any other job'. He does not seemed too phased about online criticism and by and large, sees social media as a place to 'micro-target' his followers. Although he used to use social media to get his views across (he speaks of being very loud on social media during the George Bush era), now he lets his music do the talking. It seems that social media has mainly been a hugely supportive thing for Electric Six, allowing them to move from being signed to a major label (XL Recordings, home of Adele and others) to a broadly independent band with a solid business model.