We catch up with Skunk Anansie Guitarist Ace and FOH engineer Ben Hammond during sound check at the Camden Roundhouse
Skunk Anansie have been bringing their crushing brand of alternative rock to audiences for nearly thirty years. With high-energy live performances a huge part of the band’s identity, it’s no surprise that they take their live sound incredibly seriously.
For their 2025 UK and European tour in support of new album The Painful Truth, Front-of-House Engineer Ben Hammond (Bradley Simpson, The Pretty Reckless) utilised a wide range of Lauten Audio microphones across the drums and guitar rig.
We met up with Ben and guitarist Ace backstage during build-up for the band’s first of two sold-out nights at Camden’s iconic Roundhouse venue in London, where they took us through the Lauten Audio microphones they chose for Ace’s guitar rig, as well as for drummer Mark Richardson’s drum kit.
Inside Skunk Anansie’s Live Sound Setup – Ace & FOH on mic Choices
“We started off with the Lauten Snare Mic,” Ben mentions whilst taking us through the drum mic situation. “We heard a lot about it, wanted to try it and fell in love with it.”
After being impressed by the Snare Mic, Ben set about adding the Lauten Tom Mic to drummer Mark Richardson’s kit, before complementing them with Lauten’s LS-208 on kick and LA-120s on the hi-hats.
“After many, many years, it’s making me do drums differently, I’m hearing things in kits I’ve never heard before” Ben remarks. “They allow you to put all that musical midrange back in.”
“It’s making me do drums differently”
FOH Engineer Ben Hammond
Once we’d had the rundown on the drums, we turned our attention to Ace’s range of amplifiers and vintage cabinets. Ace’s attention to detail when it comes to everything on his rig presented a challenge when it came to upgrading the microphones.
“Changing the mics on Ace’s guitar rig was the most intimidating thing,” FOH engineer Ben Hammond tells us. “He’s got such an insane ear, if a microphone is a millimetre out of place he’ll tell you which one.”
As it turned out, switching to the LS-308 ended up being the ideal choice for someone as involved in the live sound as Ace.
“I’m not actually listening to the stage sound, I actually prefer the sound I’m hearing through my in-ears,” Ace jokes. “The capture of it is just really fat… it’s really juicy.”
Taking their aggressive sound to venues of varying sizes across the UK and Europe presents its own challenges when it came to creating a cohesive, consistent live show – especially with smaller stages, which can be problematic when it comes to creating the best sound for the audience.
“Some days we’re in arenas with room for days, then others we’re in clubs all squashed together,” Ben explains, mentioning past issues with bleed between amplifiers and other on-stage elements.
“With how tight the pick-up pattern is on the Lauten stuff, being able to keep that separation has made everything really, really easy.”
Massive thanks to Ben and Ace for having us down!
Skunk Anansie’s latest album The Painful Truth is out now.
FOH Engineer Ben Hammond during sound check for Skunk Anansie’s gig at the Camden Roundhouse (London)
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