Been a ****ing horrible year…and a reminder that age is creeping up on us. It’s our generation of heroes going now…
I didn't see Terry Hall coming mate. I didn't see John Bradbury aged 62, their drummer who died a few years ago either.
First saw them at the Mayfair in Newcastle late 1979, on the 2 Tone tour with Madness and the Selecter. Mayhem, fighting, nearly all the audience on the stage at the end, as Jerry Dammers demanded. Last saw them with the whole family September last year at the Ricoh in Coventry, first real gig post lockdown.
Totally mate….I’ve always thought it’s weird how we will probably see all that generation of music icons go…..lost a few already like Ranking Roger. Reminds me of my own mortality
Unbelievably, I never got to see them. I had open access to the Hammersmith Odeon as well. My mate's brother ran their security and got to see so many acts but sadly The Specials was not one of them ... at least on the the nights when we used to bunk in.
They had a pretty short lifespan first time round , about 1978 to 81, split up after Ghost Town, didn’t tour again until about 10 years ago I think. You’d have been pretty young to see them in the early days.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/dec/19/terry-hall-the-self-assured-eye-of-the-specials-storm A great article that captures the brilliance
My first gig was there, I think I was fifteen, it was when Embarrassment was near enough top of the charts. Maybe 81 or 82?
Ffs another hugely influential icon taken too soon. Loved 2 tone and ska growing up as I've mentioned before on the music thread. Can't believe this one, gutted !
I was playing in a band back in those days. and I was playing drums to a cover version of ' Our lips are sealed ' which I can't remember who it was by ... Bananarama or The Fun Boy Free?
I thought the same but seems Bananarama weren’t involved in that one (though they were on Ain’t what you do I think). As a footnote, Belinda Carlisle looks so ****ing good in the video when the Go-Go’s did the song
