About five years ago, I watched a documentary called Bands Reunited, which followed ska band The Beat getting back together for a one-off gig.
After much "shall we shan't we" drama, it was upsetting to see only a handful of punters attend. Thank goodness they gave it another go because since officially reforming in 2003 they've had sell-out crowds.
Among other line-up changes, singer Ranking Roger now shares vocals with his son Ranking Junior (who appeared in Ordinary Boys' single Boys Will Be Boys), rather than Dave Wakeling. Bouncing on stage in a fetching boiler suit, a seemingly ageless Roger led us though the band's back catalogue, including Mirror In The Bathroom, a couple of new tracks and a cover of The Clash's Rock The Kasbah.
Despite a tight set, the sound quality was disappointing and, initially, the band seemed agitated by this. But the negative vibes were nothing a bit of synchronised skanking between father and son couldn't banish and the sweet ska sounds injected everyone with a glorious summertime feeling.
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