Skunkhour

Named after Robert Lowell’s poem “The Skunkhour,” the Australian group Skunkhour wove together a broad range of styles that included ska, funk, rock, jazz, hip-hop, and reggae. The band formed in 1991 and quickly established a following in Sydney; after opening for the British act Galliano on their 1993 Australian dates, Skunkhour issued a self-titled debut album. That September the EP Booty Full appeared, and keyboardist Paul Searles was added to the lineup. In 1994 the group delivered two well-received EPs, State in May and McSkunk in October.

Their second full-length, Feed, arrived in April 1995 and yielded the EPs Up to Our Necks In It in April and Sunstone in July. An international agreement with the U.K. label Acid Jazz led to a European release of Feed. Rapper Del Larkin departed in February 1996, after which percussionist Chris Simms augmented the live shows as Skunkhour performed abroad throughout the year.

The third album, Chin Chin, came out in July 1997 and reached number 34 on the national Australian charts, spawning the singles “Breathing Through my Eyes” in May, “Weightlessness” in August, and “Morning Rolls” in November. “Weightlessness” placed at number 93 on Triple J’s 1997 Hottest 100 countdown. Another single, “Tomorrow’s Too Soon for Goodbye,” surfaced in August 1998, while “Stadium” appeared on the soundtrack to the Australian film Two Hands in June 1999. The October 1999 single “Home” later registered at number 82 on that year’s Triple J Hottest 100 list.

Though their final album, The Go, earned strong reviews, the band concluded that Universal Music Australia was not providing adequate support, leading Skunkhour to disband in November 2001.