Skin Côntact LIVE AGAIN: full line-up confirmed

The last two singers who will join the Skin Côntact LIVE AGAIN line-up on stage next month have been revealed.

The Skin Côntact band (L-R): Alex Hunt MW, Ben Smith, Richard Hemming MW, Matt James

Skin Côntact – the UK wine trade’s “best (and only) rock and pop covers band” – is set to take to the stage at Islington Academy on Thursday 12 May to perform a brand new set of crowd-pleasing covers “to rock the wine trade’s socks off” and raise money for Wine Relief.

Olly Smith, Guy Woodward, Leah de Felice Renton, Stephanie Barlow, Anne Serres, Tristan Darby, Sophie McLean and Amelia Singer have already been confirmed as part of the line-up this year. Now the final two places in the wine trade supergroup have been confirmed.

The final two singers of Skin Contact Live Again 2016 will be Mark Andrew and Alistair Cooper.

Mark Andrew worked as head buyer at Roberson Wine before co-founding the Noble Rot magazine and wine bar with Dan Keeling. As one of the few Mancunians in the wine trade, Andrew counts bands like The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Joy Division, The Smiths, Oasis and The Verve as his musical heroes. 

According to hints dropped by Skin Côntact LIVE AGAIN organisers, Andrew will be performing a 1990s Madchester classic at the Islington Academy.

MW student Ali Cooper has set up several wine bars in Oxford and beyond. Cooper bravely admits that his first musical loves were Bros and Jason Donovan. His heroes today are James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Eddie Vedder, Jim Morrison, Paul Rodgers and Marvin Gaye. 

Following Skin Côntact’s performance, “superstar DJs” Neal Martin and Dan Keeling will be “battling it out on the decks” to keep revellers dancing until midnight, organisers said. 

Skin Côntact will also see a special musical performance from Richard Hemming MW.

“Last year, the musical maestro that is Richard Hemming honoured us with his homage ‘God gave Côtes du Rhône to you’,” said Agnès Heller from Skin-Côntact’s partner for the evening, Inter-Rhône. 

“We can’t wait to see what pithy little ditty he’s going to get the wine trade audience singing along to this time!”

Sponsored by Côtes du Rhône, Skin Côntact LIVE AGAIN takes place on 12 May 2016. Tickets are priced at £20 plus a booking fee and are on sale now. Money raised from ticket sales will be donated to Wine Relief.