The English Beat are Here – Finally!

After thirty years of creating some of the finest ska and reggae-pop, Dave Wakeling and The English Beat finally come to Australia for the first time ever, kicking off their tour in Sydney on August 25th 2012.

Fuelled by the anger of punk and the English winter of discontent, Wakeling’s The English Beat were at the forefront of the British Ska movement. Previously know as simply The Beat, a name clash with an American band meant the group had to make a slight change to The English Beat. Too excited by the music to wait, the Australian record company jumped the gun and dubbed the band The British Beat.

Their sound was a cosmic blend of ska, punk and reggae. Dave Wakeling explained “I liked the exhilaration of punk and the hypnotic quality of reggae, and I was sure you could combine them into something … hypnotic, but rhythmic and danceable too”

The band were given their own Go-Feet lable after releasing a version of Smokey Robinson’s classic “Tears Of A Clown”. This meant the complete freedom and control over their recoded output. What followed was a string of classic hits – “Mirror in the Bathroom”, “Save It for Later”, “Can’t Get Used to Losing You,” “Hands Off She’s Mine” and “Too Nice to Talk To”.

After the initial disintegration of The English Beat, Wakeling formed GENERAL PUBLIC with Ranking Roger and had further hits including “General Public”, “Tenderness” and “I’ll Take You There”. The English Beat have now incorporated these fan-favourites into their set alongside more great tracks from their English Beat albums “I Just Can’t Stop It”, “Wha’ppen” and “Special Beat Service”.

Dave Wakeling reformed The English Beat in 2009, but it was without Ranking Roger, who has toured Australia as The Beat and The Special Beat.

The English Beat have lost none of their live spark prompting rave reviews like: “Dave Wakeling has assembled an incredible band and is playing his hits with the same raucous enthusiasm that made The English Beat one of the biggest acts of the New Wave Era” – SLO New Times.

So dust off your dancing shoes, get your disco moves at the ready and head on down for a guaranteed feel-good vibe.

Find an interview with The English Beat HERE

For tour dates click HERE