A celebration of both a city and a culture is how Richard Jobson views The Skids’ latest opus.
The Fife veterans are set to unleash their eighth album Destination Düsseldorf later this month, with the frontman saying it marks a return to the sort of anthemic fare that earned them a reputation as one of punk’s leading lights in the late 70s.
Pre-release, its title track has already followed in the footsteps of Skids classics Into The Valley and The Saints Are Coming by being adopted by the supporters of a football team – in this case, sleeping giants Fortuna Düsseldorf.
The Skids invited to play in Düsseldorf celebration
“To see clips of 50,000 people – even though the club’s in the second tier – all singing along to your song, it’s quite something,” says Jobson, 62.
“There’s such a buzz around the track over there I think it’s going to be adopted by their tourist agency.
“We’ve been invited to go over in October to play and be a part of a celebration of the city.
“As a young kid on the east coast of Scotland I always felt closer to Europe, even though it was over the water, than I did to England in a funny kind of way.
“I felt closer to Dutch, German and Belgian culture.
“My heritage is people coming over the water from northern Germany – my dad’s family have got tremendous links to that region.”
Parallels with 1979 second album
Destination is the latest in a string of releases since The Skids resumed recording activities in 2017, and parallels with their 1979 second album are obvious.
“Everybody’s got their favourite Skids record and mine’s been, most of the time, Days In Europa,” Richard explains.
“The new one connects with it because of the title alone.
“It points towards Europe and in terms of years I’ve probably lived longer in Germany than I have in Scotland.
“I feel, in a way, like a bit of a German citizen.
“I’ve got a great love for the place and the people, and Dusseldorf is probably one of the most exciting cities in Europe for music.
“Incredible bands came out of there – Kraftwerk, Neu! and Die Toten Hosen – as did Joseph Beuys, my favourite artist in the world and the guy who pointed me towards being creative.”
Admiration for Joseph Beuys
Underlining his admiration for the performance maverick, an image of Beuys adorns the LP’s front cover.
“When I was 10 or 11 my older brother Francis took me to see an exhibition of his at Richard Demarco’s gallery in Edinburgh,” says the singer.
“He was in a cage with a coyote and it made a massive impression on me.
“But it’s not the first time we’ve put a German artist on the sleeve.
“Animation had the great Weimar artist George Grosz on that cover.
“To me it’s like I’ve come full circle back to my favourite period of The Skids when we were particularly experimental and going in a new direction.”
Guest guitar contributions
Produced by Killing Joke bassist Youth, the album features trademark formidable guitar work from Bruce and Jamie Watson, plus guest contributions from Filthy Tongues songsmith Martin Metcalfe and ex-Strangler, Hugh Cornwell.
The band’s UK tour kicked off in Barnsley last night (June 9) and hits Dundee’s Beat Generator on Wednesday (June 14), with a unique show at Dunfermline Abbey and two nights at their home city’s PJ Molloys to follow.
“There’s something about Dundee when you cross that bridge at night,” adds Jobson.
“Looking at it going up the hill it’s like a science-fiction city.
“I’ve always had a lot of affection for the place – I always discover something new there.”
History-making at Dunfermline Abbey
Playing the sacred Fife site on June 30, meanwhile, represents a notable first.
“I wanted to do something special, so we made a gentle enquiry to Dunfermline Abbey, expecting them to tell us to get lost,” he quips.
“We said we’d do it acoustically, and after they’d looked into it they came back and said yes.
“No one’s done a gig there ever before so it’s kind of a historical event in some ways.
“Also, Dunfermline Abbey’s one of Scotland’s most precious and ancient buildings, so the idea that they’re letting a bunch of old punks come in for a singsong is pretty remarkable!”
Destination Düsseldorf is released on Last Night From Glasgow on June 30, with tour details on the band’s website the-skids.com
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