IN THE late 1970s and early 1980s, punk and new wave were not the only choices for those who wanted music that was alternative to the mainstream - there was also British ska.
British ska’s mix of Jamaican ska, music hall, sly wit, political awareness, and an aggression inspired by punk lit up the charts and the big three of that era were The Specials, Madness, and The Beat.
The Beat return to the Róisín Dubh to play Strange Brew on Thursday April 7 at 9pm and fans can expect to hear such favourites like ‘Twist & Crawl’ and the classic ‘Mirror In The Bathroom’.
Some years ago I interviewed the band’s lead singer Rankin Roger and he told me how The Special’s Jerry Dammers who gave the band an important leg up.
“Jerry offered us a tour opening for The Selector for two or three weeks,” Roger recalled. “After the final show he asked us if we would like to do the next 2-Tone single. We were 30 per cent expecting it but it was ‘Woah! This could change everything!’ The Beat would have been successful but it brought us to that mass audience.”
While The Specials had the mascot of Walt Jabsco - a cartoon character with suit, shades, and pork pie hat - The Beat had The Beat Girl - a teenybopper with a short skirt and hairband. How did she come about?
“She came from a picture of Prince Buster dancing with a woman in a Jamaican club in the 1960s,” says Roger. “We gave it to Hunt Emerson who was a cartoon artist and he changed her to what she became and made her more European.
“The crowds for The Selector were Rude Boys and Skinheads but it was more women coming to our show. Eventually it was mostly women and The Beat Girl had a lot to do with that.”
The Beat were, and remain, a multi-racial band, something Roger feels is important in ska.
“Ska bands need the rhythm and vibes within their sounds that Black people can bring to the music,” he says. “It’s one of those things. It’s like football. The best team is the one that is both black and white. That’s the way I look at music.”
Tickets are available from the Róisín Dubh and www.roisindubh.net
