23 Feb 2016
When The Specials reformed in 2008 for a one-off surprise performance at the Bestival Festival few would have banked on the band still playing to huge audiences around the world in 2016, but they are with a new tour booked for October and November and plans for the future.
Following the terribly sad loss of drummer and founder member John Bradbury suddenly in December 2015 the band have decided to carry on and continue to fill dancehalls and inspire fans young and old.
With the first tour in 2009 selling out immediately and more dates hurriedly added it was obvious there was a massive demand to see this iconic band who only released two albums in their short career but were one of the most influential groups in UK musical history.
Hailing from the industrial city of Coventry, this multi-racial seven-piece combined the angry, disaffected voice of punk with the wind-your-waist sensibility of ska and reggae to re-define pop music and make Britain dance again.
A mercurial two and a half years later and it was all over, leaving behind seven top ten singles (two of which went to No.1) and two top-five genre-defining albums.
Their first single, ‘Gangsters’, released on their own 2tone label in 1979, was their calling card and ‘Ghost Town’, their swan song, encapsulated the political mood in Britain.
Since they reformed 30 years later, The Specials have performed at over 200 shows worldwide including (deep breath): Coachella / Live on the Letterman Show (US), Summersonic / Fiji Rocks (Japan), Benicassim (Spain), Lalapalooza Festival, (Chile), Montreal Jazz Festival (Canada), Bluesfest Byron Bay (Australia) as well as countless other worldwide events.
In the UK they closed the Olympic Games festival in Hyde Park, played Glastonbury, Isle of Wight Festival amongst others and have had several sold-out tours.