Rude Boys are Back in Town
Tonight sees the return to Manchester of one of the most anticipated reunion tours this century! Coventry ska revivalists The Specials came and went in a few short years back in the late seventies/early eighties and although various members kept the name alive this is the first time that most of the original line up have toured together in nearly 30 years. Needless to say most of the dates were sold out within a couple of hours of release, making for a packed out Manchester Apollo.
With only two studio albums to draw on it’s no surprise that the set list reads like a greatest hits album but that’s also testament to just how good they were! There’s no filler on display tonight and the crowd are word perfect on every track; it’s a glorious celebration of a band that many thought they’d never get to see although judging by the average age there’s a fair few that will have caught them first time round.
Opening with ‘Do the Dog’ it’s like they’ve never been away, they’re such a tight band and the energy and enthusiasm they put over is nothing but infectious. This despite the fact that vocalist Terry Hall never actually moves that much! The smile that never leaves guitarist Lynval Golding’s face just seems to make everyone else join in and from start to finish the rest of the band look like they’re really enjoying the opportunity to play the old songs to such big crowds. ‘(Dawning of) A New Era’ is swiftly followed by ‘Gangsters’ and ‘It’s Up To You’ and for most of the songs it’s a question of when and not if they will be played. ‘Monkey Man’ and ‘Concrete Jungle’ both get the tightly packed crowd at the front moving and it’s starting to get pretty hot in here. They bring it down a notch with a few tracks from the second album such as the excellent ‘Man at C&A’ and ‘Hey, Little Rich Girl’ falling either side of ‘A Message to you Rudy’ but it’s not long before they bring the tempo right back up with an outstanding rendition of ‘Nite Klub’, the crowd taking over mid way through.
They round off the set with ‘You’re Wondering Now’ and the poignant ‘Ghost Town’ but you just know they’re coming back and they duly oblige with crowd favourite ‘Too Much Too Young’. They could have stopped right there and we would have been happy but there’s room for a couple more before ‘Skinhead Moonstomp’ and ‘Enjoy Yourself’ bring a triumphant return to a close. Alright so Neville Staples vocals were a bit fuzzy but overall the sound was great and just highlighted what great musicians they are with most of the set sounding as fresh and as relevant as it did nearly 30 years ago. It was a long time coming but it was oh so worth it.