Concert Review- The English Beat

The English Beat are one of my favorite all time bands. You don’t probably need a history lesson, but let’s just say they’re a band that I had on cassette, had to update to CD, and in the land of streaming, where things are quantifiable, are among artists I still listen to the most. They were already broken up by the time I got to them, but I have always wanted to see them- a bit of the great ‘big white whale’ for me for 30 years as various descended bands like the Special Beat, the International Beat and even General Public reformed and toured, but I never got the chance to see. . Around 2016, both primary members of the English Beat resurrected versions of the band. Dave Wakeling in the US with a new incarnation that would release a new album Here We Go Love, and Ranking Roger (with his son Ranking Jr and Beat drummer Everett Morton) and release two records. Honestly, I initially dismissed these records. I will say that I never took to Wakeling’s record (despite it being a fine record that got plaudits) the Roger albums are fantastic and I can’t recommend them enough. It has been a long time without concerts and I was shocked when the resumption of normal activity brought the English Beat into my smaller town. The cynic in me will point out that the current iteration of the Beat only has Dave Wakeling from the original band, although his gang has been performing Beat/General Public songs for over a decade. But there also isn’t anyone left. Roger and Morton have since passed. Famously, Andy Cox and David Steele joined Roland Gift to form the Fine Young Cannibals, and for whatever reason, have never came back to any of the Beat reunions. Saxaphonist Lionel “Saxa” Morton was already older than everyone else, already a ska legend before he joined the band, and has also recently passed. So I suppose the English Beat can be whatever Wakeling says they are, and that is fine; and they are pretty good at it. I don’t envy anyone forced to replace Ranking Roger, but Antonee First Class has a great personality and voice for it. (I was curious to how I joined, so I researched and saw where AFC saw Roger’s group in London and asked Dave why his group didn’t have a toaster.) In my minds eye, Wakeling is the photogenic frontman of the 80s General Public sleeves and energetic videos from their 90s Chart run. Like Terry Hall, he is nearly unrecognizable now, though he does resemble a respectable elder statesman of rock (meanwhile Suggs always looked like a middle aged man even when he was 20). But when he puts his head down and strums that famous Teardrop guitar, he looks like he did in 82. I know that he stays very active in the 80s Nostalgia circuit and it shows. At 66, he’s a charismatic frontman. He has great interaction with the crowd and his voice which I love sounds like it did on 40 year old records. The set list as it has been a stable greatest hits with long time band opener Rough Rider and the usual suspects (excluding “I Confess”) including three of the best known General Public songs But the band was acutely aware of the location. Antonee with the ska-friendly patois sound of “Io-wa”. Dave seemingly knowledgeable that Andy Williams was the most famous musician the state has produced (and the only person with a more recognizable version of “Can’t Get Used To Losing You”). Mirror in the Bathroom is the big build up as it should be. A song that somehow taps into everything exciting every single time. The show closes with Antonee toasting from Jackpot and a U-Roy inspired freestyle. (He specifically mentioned U-Roy though as far as I know it wasn’t necessarily a U-Roy tune). Wakeling’s accent was a bit too much to grab all of the one liners but he needled Sting a few times and took the blame for Margaret Thatcher (Paraphrasing: She would have probably only served four years but she heard “Stand Down Margaret” and took umbrage and stayed 20). It feels odd to praise a concert for a band who has only one original member and hasn’t had a significant album in 40 years, but surely it was as fun of a concert as someone a third of the age. I would definitely recommend seeing them if you get the chance. Rough Rider Hands Off She’s Mine Twist and Crawl I’ll Take You There Tenderness Whine and Grind/Stand Down Margaret Save it for Later Can’t Get User to Losing You Too Nice to Talk To Never You Done That Doors of Your Heart Ranking Full Stop Mirror in the Bathroom Jackpot