Skinned Teen was formed by teenagers Layla Gibbon, Flossy White and Esme Young in London in 1992. Inspired by
US Riot Grrrl,
Huggy Bear and
The Shaggs, the band were offered their first gig after approaching Kathleen Hanna following a Huggy Bear/
Bikini Kill all-girl show on their 1993 UK tour. They recorded and released their debut
Karate Hairdresser EP later in 1993 on Soul Static Sound, and recorded a
Peel Session in December of that year. Their early sound has been described as 'reminiscent of both
The Slits and
Kleenex'. Layla Gibbon also contributed to an EP by The Element Of Crime (featuring members of Huggy Bear and Linus) and produced riot grrrl
zines including
Drop Babies. Following appearances on joint/compilation releases with contemporaries such as
Comet Gain and
Yummy Fur, Skinned Teen's debut album
Bazooka Smooth! (a split with Raooul) was released on
Lookout Records in 1994, showcasing a more experimental range of musical styles. and echoes of their sound can be heard in bands to the present day. According to Sam Knee, Skinned Teen was "a rare UK adopter of the primitive punk assault of the DC/Olympia scenes" and together with Huggy Bear "represented a brief return to true DIY youth culture during the early '90s." Following the dissolution of the band and a move to
Brighton, Gibbon produced
Chimps zine and released an eponymous EP on
Slampt records as Petty Crime, a trio which included
Peter Rojas on drums. Later based in
San Francisco, Gibbon formed Shady Ladies with the Yao sisters from
Emily's Sassy Lime, and Modern Reveries with Miya Osaki (
The Chinkees) and
Vice Cooler. Modern Reveries released an EP on
Bristol's Local Kid records. Gibbon went on to edit
Maximumrocknroll magazine and as of 2017 was playing in and recording with girlSperm (a.k.a. gSp) with
Tobi Vail and Marissa Magic. Skinned Teen made an appearance in
It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill In The U.K., a documentary produced by
Lucy Thane in 1993.
Thurston Moore of
Sonic Youth chose a Skinned Teen song ("Pillowcase Kisser") for the retrospective compilation album
Rough Trade 30 in 2006, which was later used on the soundtrack of a
Skins episode in 2009. ==Discography==