Skindred‘s Benji Webbe says he meets needs rather than wants with his 18 grandchildren, and corrects the count.
Benji Webbe has explained how he handles being a grandfather many times over, and started by correcting the figure that has been circulating. Asked on the “Everblack” podcast whether he had 19 grandchildren, the Skindred frontman put the number at 18 and made clear he does not run his family life the way some of his contemporaries do.
Webbe answered the question with a joke and then set out his position.
“I think someone’s put one extra on there. I actually have 18 grandchildren. But don’t worry, I don’t f**king see them all on the same day, and I don’t like the ones who don’t talk,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
He continued: “The way I look at it, I had four kids and they done what the f**k they’re gonna do. And it’s cool. But I’m not that… Like, a lot of my friends have got two and three grandkids, and they’re, like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna do this with the grandkids. I’m gonna do that with the grand[kids].’ F**k that. I’m not that granddad, bro. I mean, honestly, I love my grandchildren, but I’m not…”
The distinction Webbe draws is between what a child needs and what a child asks for.
“For me personally, I meet needs, not wants, when it comes to my grandkids,” he explained. “I think that’s more important than just giving them any f**king thing they ask for. If they got a need, I’ll meet it. If they got a want, they can f**k off.”
He put the age range across nearly two decades: “But my oldest grandchild is — bloody hell — 18. And my youngest grandchild is 18 months. I’m cool with them. I’m cool with them. I mean, I think that the most important part is that we keep the relationship healthy and strong and loving.”
Webbe made a similar point to Metal Hammer in April, and traced it back to his own upbringing.
“Just so you know, I’m not a coochie-woochie grandfather. I mean, I love my grandkids [and] they love me. If they want me, they can come and see me, but I’m not gonna go looking for them on their birthday. I’m not coochie-woochie, all proud of my grandkids, looking at pictures of them and all that s**t. Don’t get me wrong: I’ll take them to town, buy them jeans or sneakers or whatever they need. But I’m not that guy. I don’t relate to it. Losing my parents so early, I had to toughen up,” he said at the time.
The interview comes off the back of the biggest commercial result of the band’s career. You Got This, released on 17 April through Earache Records, went to number one on the UK Official Albums Chart and topped the Official Vinyl Albums Chart in the same week, edging out Jessie Ware‘s Superbloom after a close race. It is the band’s first chart-topper. Their previous album, 2023’s Smile, came second by 150 units.
It is also their first record as a three-piece. Founding bassist Dan Pugsley left in 2025, an amicable departure announced alongside the album, leaving Webbe with guitarist Mikey Demus and drummer Arya Goggin.
The ninth Skindred album was produced by Jay Ruston, whose credits run from Desmond Child to Corey Taylor and Mr. Bungle, range that Goggin has cited as the reason they wanted him. The band’s Smile run brought Best Alternative Music Act at the MOBO Awards and Best UK Act at the Heavy Music Awards, and they head out across the UK and Ireland this autumn with Alien Ant Farm, Spineshank and Orgy.
