Fri 4/7 @ 7PM
In November 1982 my friend Linda Woods and I set out on a road trip to Toronto to see the English Beat at Masonic Concert Hall. We both loved this charming, unassuming band and their upbeat ska/soul/reggae rock, part of a small, short-lived (but as it turned out, very influential in the long run) British movement called two-tone music (because the bands were a mix of black and white musicians). A very early, very rough version of the Bangles opened, and we caught a blizzard outside Buffalo on the way home — a very long trip but worth it.
The Specials, the Selector and the English Beat (just the Beat in England, but there was an American band called the Beat) were the best known of the two-tone groups, and all have regrouped in some fashion in recent years to take advantage of the sound’s influence on several later generations of bands and fans (Sublime, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Mephiskapheles, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake and countless others). These days, lead vocalist/guitarist David Wakeling leads the group; the other original members are good, and sadly, toaster Ranking Roger died in 2019.
Wakeling will again be leading that group back to the Kent Stage to play such favorites as “Save it for Later,” “Mirror in the Bathroom” and “I Confess.” Legendary Kent ska/punk ensemble the Twistoffs reunites to open the show.
Go here for tickets.