Skin Côntact Live Again singers announced

The first five lead singers who will take to the Islington Academy stage as part of this year’s Skin Côntact Live have been announced.

Olly Smith takes to the Skin Contact stage having sung as a chorister with the choir of King’s College, Cambridge

The UK wine trade’s “best (and only) rock and pop covers band” will be fronted by broadcaster and writer Olly Smith – a former chorister as King’s College, Cambridge – and former Decanter editor Guy Woodward.

In addition, three singers have been recruited as part of a ‘Sing With Skin Côntact’ competition designed to find the best ‘unsung’ vocal talent in the wine trade.

Olly Smith, best known for his appearances as a wine expert on BBC 1’s Saturday Kitchen and for his Daily Mail wine , will bring his “heavenly tones” to the stage to perform “two absolute belters” with Skin Côntact, a statement said.

Guy Woodward, who is the acting deputy editor of Harrod’s magazine and associate editor of wine lifestyle magazine Le Pan, has a distinguished musical past having studied music at Manchester University. As well as singing he will also be playing the trumpet.

The three unsung vocal talents who will be joining Smith and Woodward on stage will be Tristan Darby, founder of the Bristol Wine School, Anne Serres, a journalist and wine educator, and Stephanie Barlow, manager of Berry Brothers’ warehouse shop in Basingstoke.

Darby used to be an actor and singer before moving into the wine trade and is a fan of 90s indie band Gene – whose drummer, Matt James, now performs with Skin Côntact.

Paris-born Serres lists Dave Grohl, Linda Ronstadt, Freddie Mercury and Florence Welch among her musical heroes. Barlow ‘s tastes are reported to range from Royal Blood to The Rolling Stones to Michael Bolton.

Skin Côntact Live Again takes place on Thursday 12 May at Islington Academy. Tickets are on sale now. 

The event will start with an exclusive Côtes du Rhône tasting, with all proceeds from ticket sales going to Comic Relief.