Ace - Skunk Anansie — Survival, Sound & Staying Human in the Music Industry

Music doesn’t save you.
It reveals you.
And if you survive long enough, it tells the truth.

In this episode of Raised on Rebellion, I sit down with Ace, guitarist of Skunk Anansie — one of the UK’s most influential, politically charged, and uncompromising bands.

This isn’t a nostalgia trip.
And it’s not a polished press interview.

It’s a raw, honest conversation about longevity, identity, and the emotional cost of building a life in music — and surviving it without losing yourself.

We talk about:

• What it really takes to stay in a band for decades

• The quiet comedown after the noise fades

• Identity beyond the stage

• Ego, burnout, and reinvention

• Why rebellion isn’t about shouting — it’s about endurance

It’s a survival story with guitars in the background.

Raised on Rebellion exists because I’m tired of surface-level success stories — the overnight myths, the sanitised narratives, the trauma repackaged without truth.

This podcast is about what it actually costs to build a creative life — especially if you didn’t come from privilege, safety nets, or industry approval.

Skunk Anansie never asked for permission:

• They were loud when silence was safer

• Political when neutrality was expected

• Unapologetic when compliance was rewarded

That refusal shaped everything — including the price.

Ace is known globally as the guitarist of Skunk Anansie, but what interested me wasn’t the back catalogue or accolades.

It was longevity.

The ability to walk away, return, evolve, and stay grounded in an industry that chews people up and rewards excess.

In this episode, Ace speaks openly about:

• The pressure of relevance

• Life when the band is your identity

• The internal negotiations artists make just to keep going

• What changes when you stop proving yourself

There’s no rockstar posturing here.
Just honesty.

One of the core themes of this conversation is the lie we’re sold about success.

That once you “make it”, you’re safe, fulfilled, complete.

The truth is more complex.

Success doesn’t erase insecurity — it just gives it a bigger stage.

Ace talks candidly about:

• Emotional comedowns after touring

• The weight of expectation

• How easy it is to lose yourself inside the machine

This isn’t bitterness.
It’s clarity.

We’re living in a time where:

• Burnout is normalised

• Authenticity is marketed

• Rebellion is reduced to aesthetics

Raised on Rebellion is about substance, not style.

This conversation is a reminder that:

• You don’t have to destroy yourself to be meaningful

• You don’t have to stay angry to stay relevant

• You don’t have to be loud to be powerful

Sometimes the most radical thing you can do is stay.

Stay curious.Stay honest.Stay human.

Stay Rebellious.

Guest: Ace (Skunk Anansie)
Host: Emma Mann
Podcast: Raised on Rebellion
Theme: Music. Survival. Rebellion. Resilience. Rise.

THIS ISN’T A MUSIC PODCAST MEETING ACE — BEYOND THE STAGE THE MYTH OF “MAKING IT” WHY THIS EPISODE MATTERS — NOW