Skinflint leaves for a 15-day tour of America
African heavy metal rock band Skinflint, is going on a tour of the United States where they’re scheduled to perform for 15 straight days, at 15 different venues.
The magnificent trio of Kebonye Nkoloso (bass), Cosmos Modisaemang (drums) and Giuseppe Sbrana (vocals, lead) will be making a return to the States after a successful tour in 2020, where they performed six shows.
The Gaborone band founded in 2006 have successfully fused African elements into heavy metal to come up with a unique brand of rock and roll that has now got the attention of the international audience.
The three head bangers are part of Brazilian-American band Soulfly’s Totem United States Tour 2023 from 16th February till March 5th.
Soulfly is a Phoenix based group led by Brazilian vocalist and rhythm guitarist Max Cavalera known for their death metal albums such as Prophecy, Dark ages, Enslaved, Ritual and Archangel.
Skinflint are expected back in the country on 8th March.
Before their Valentines Day departure to the USA, where they are scheduled to rock the crowd this Friday at Dingbatz, a goth-themed watering hole in the city of Clifton in New Jersey, the group’s front man Sbrana fielded questions from Voice reporter Kabelo Dipholo.
Q. You’re leaving for your second tour of the USA today. Tell me, how do you keep getting these gigs?
These are results of many years of hard work.
We finally got recognition abroad and got signed down, and our management then put us forward for the tour, and got accepted.
Q. Wow! Amazing. How did your first US tour go?
The previous tour was only six shows and it went very well.
We made a positive impact.
If we did not, I doubt we would be returning to the US.
But this this time we are doing 15 shows and the band is much stronger than before, with a better set list and improved stage show.
Our latest album Hate Spell is launching worldwide on the 17th February 2023 with a month’s worth of tour dates in the states and also in support of Soulfly.
We hope to raise the flag up high.
Q. Brilliant. You also have a new album. Tell us more about this project, how’s it different from you previous productions?
Hate Spell is a 12 track album that sounds very different to anything Skinflint has done before.
We wanted to retain the rawness and African inspired mythology that has come to define Skinflint, but at the same time breathe new life and energy into the band.
The result is an album that sounds both familiar and new, it is heavier and more aggressive, and most importantly it is honest and sincere, what you hear here is exactly how the band sounds live.
I think we can be proud of this work.
Q. Skinflint has a cult following in Botswana. How has the international market responded to your Afro heavy metal?
The response has been phenomenal.
It has allowed us the opportunity to tour internationally and release our music worldwide.
But no matter where we go, we always think of our fans here, we may be smaller in number but Botswana has some of the most passionate metal fans in the world.
Q. Rock music is not getting much airplay in Botswana, how do you take your music to the people?
We are limited here.
Live shows, online and word of mouth.
But this creates a problem in the sense that it is hard to branch out into newer audiences, many venues don’t want Metal, and it is very rarely that you see new faces at local gigs, because the reach is always the same.
I hope to see this change because the Botswana Metal scene is making waves internationally and it would be a positive thing to see it get the respect it deserves locally too.
I feel there are many who don’t know about it, but would be pleasantly surprised if they gave it a chance or were exposed to it.
I would like to take this closing opportunity to thank all the fans out there for their continued support.
Keep the fire burning!
Skinflint’s USA Gig Guide
