The Selecter Interview

Despite being absent from the charts for over 30 years, The Selecter have been a hit at festivals since originals, Pauline Black and Gaps Hendrickson, reformed in 2011. With a full band and great new music in the form of new album, ‘Subculture’, The Selecter will be continuing their winning streak at Great Northern Mod & Ska Festival on 29th August. With the festival fast approaching, we speak to Pauline about what’s changed since the 1980s and how it feels to be back.
Hi Pauline, how are you?
I am very well and so is The Selecter.
How have you been spending your summer?
Promoting our new ‘Subculture’ album, which officially charted on 21st June 2015. It was our first chart success since 1981, so obviously we were delighted. We are also doing many festival dates in the UK and in Europe during the summer to continue the album’s success.
You reformed with Gaps Hendrickson in 2011 to bring back The Selecter; how have you approached your return to the stage and studio? Is it just like old times?
The Selecter is proud to have been part of the 2-tone movement and to have actively fought against the twin evils of racism and sexism with our music. But we are now in 2015. The world has moved on and it isn’t enough to live on past musical glories. It is necessary to write new material about what is going on in the world today, because the problems of racism and sexism are just as bad as they ever were and not to say anything about this would be a dereliction of duty on our part. We reformed to write that new music, which has elicited three brand new albums, ‘Made In Britain’, ‘String Theory’ and our latest success ‘Subculture’. We have built our own audience who have embraced the new material as well as enjoying the old. It was necessary for The Selecter to pass beyond “heritage” status. This conscious strategy has worked very well for us and made The Selecter the dynamic band that it is today.
How has the music industry changed in your eyes?
It is now much easier to record and produce musical content for distribution. But it is still just as hard for bands to market that musical content. For that, you need backers with money, who naturally are looking for the best return on their investment. This is why bands of our longevity are pushed towards re-packaging their “heritage” every five minutes, with varying degrees of success. Fortunately, we found a very sympathetic backer at DMFMusic Records who respected our new album, ‘Subculture’, that we had produced and recorded. The record company was prepared to go that extra mile in remixing, re-packaging and promoting it, in order to make it a success. The respect involved in that process was entirely mutual.
What’s your message these days to the people you play to and who listen to your music?
I would like to thank all our fans for standing by us over the years and spreading the word among our grass roots supporters. Our audience has been hard won, but worth all the effort.
You’re spending the final weekend of summer at Great Northern Mod & Ska Festival; what do you want the crowd to do and feel when listening to you?
Enjoy the music, new and old.

How do you enjoy festivals yourself? Do you like to soak up the atmosphere?
It’s always invigorating to meet members of the audience and chat to them before and after the show. And to meet old friends in some of the bands that are on the same bill.
What’s the craziest thing that’s happened during a Selecter gig?
A bare-chested man with Gaps and I tattooed on his chest got up on stage to dance and let everybody know that he keeps us close to his heart. I think he will be in the audience when we play this festival, so look out for him.
You’re heading around the world on tour over the next year; what have been some of your favourite live moments as a Selecter so far?
Playing the mighty Coachella Festival in California in 2013 was a big highlight for the band, but we will be at Byron Bay Festival in Australia in April 2016, which is something that we are very much looking forward to.
Where are you yet to play that you’d most like to?
Mexico. We have a vast amount of fans in Mexico; it is our biggest market after the UK. Hopefully we will get to play for them in 2016. Mexicans like bands who wear their hearts on their sleeves. The Selecter can always guarantee a passionate performance.
What can you tell us about your tour with Jools Holland later this year?
Gaps Hendrickson and I have been invited to join Jools for 17 dates on his autumn tour with his R&B Orchestra. We will be performing four songs with him. We are very much looking forward to the tour and two nights at the Albert Hall in London.
Who have been your musical influences and who do you think has the biggest influence today on the music industry?
I don’t know what my musical influences are, but the musicians I admire are Polystyrene of X Ray Spex, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Grace Jones, Patti Smith and Debbie Harry. The people have the biggest influence on the music industry today, because they buy the records and concert tickets.
Don’t miss The Selecter do what they do best at Great Northern Mod & Ska Festival on Saturday 29th August.
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