Sun 9/8 @ 4-5PM
While the ska-pop bands that comprised the 2 Tone scene in England made a minor impact here — Madness with 1982’s “Our House,” the Beat (renamed the English Beat for the U.S. because of another band with the same name) with minor hits “Mirror in the Bathroom” (1979) and “I Confess” (1982), the scene was, for a brief moment, huge and influential in England, producing hits and enthusiastic young fans for the two aforementioned bands as well as the Selector, the Specials and the Bodysnatchers. It moved past the nihilism of punk bands such as the Sex Pistols, to bring together Black and white, male and female, ska, pop and reggae, to address issues such as racism, sexism, class divisions, and rightwing extremism while upbeat dance-inducing music and a sense of community. Sadly, it didn’t last as a coherent scene, although it fueled a wave of “ska punk” bands that thrived through the 90s.
Prolific music writer Daniel Rachel from Birmingham, England, has written a new book detailing the birth, rise, success and decline of the scene called Too Much Too Young: Ride Boys, Racism and the Soundtrack of a Generation. (Among his many works is a co-authored autobiography of Ranking Roger from the English Beat and General Public.)
He’ll be at Mac’s Backs in Coventry Village — an odd coincidence since the 2 Tone scene was founded in Coventry, England) where he’ll be in conversation with longtime Cleveland writer/photographer and English Beat fan Anastasia Pantsios, who once drove to Toronto in a blizzard to hear them. It’s free and open to all.
macsbacks.com/event/too-much-too-young
Cleveland Heights, OH 44106