Typically, the only piece of kit most bands are used to seeing their name on is a drum kit. But not so for Welsh rockers Skindred, who have broken the mould by serving as the lead sponsor on a one-off shirt for football team Newport County (based in the Welsh city of Newport).
And what a kit it is! The limited edition shirt, which was worn by Newport County’s players during their recent clash against Carlisle, has a black base that's offset with a bold geometric pattern of green, yellow and red running down one side.
Along with looking extremely cool (and making it easy for players to spot one another!), the shirt’s style is described by the football club as being “a celebration of the city’s vibrant West Indian/ethnic community through its unique Caribbean-flavoured design”.
The move to sponsor a football shirt seems a bit unusual for a rock band, but Skindred have always done things a little differently. Formed in Newport in 1998, the band fuses the sounds of heavy metal with a variety of genres, particularly reggae. The band’s latest album Smile reached number two in the UK album chart, and was shortlisted for the 2024 edition of the prestigious Welsh Music Prize.
Speaking about the new shirt, Benji Webbe, lead singer of Skindred and Newport native, said, ‘For us to be part of the official strip for my home town club, especially telling the tale it does, is something dreams are made of. Music and football both bring people together and give them the freedom to be themselves and this kit celebrates that.’
‘Whether you’re black or you’re white, the colour of your skin don’t matter, it’s your attitude, that’s what draws Newport together,’ the singer added.
Though this is the highest profile football team Skindred have collaborated with (Newport County currently play in the fourth division of the UK’s football league system), it is actually not the first, with the band having previously sponsored the away kit for semi-professional side Newport Corinthians during the 23/24 season. That kit boasted a similarly striking design, this time consisting of purple, blue and yellow stripes.
Newport County’s Skindred shirt is available to purchase now at the club’s official shop in Friars Walk shopping centre, Newport, as well as online via the club website.
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