The Selecter

Oran Mor, Glasgow, 11 March 2012

The Selecter, made in Britain, well-loved in Scotland. I can’t pretend to be an original rudeboy, I was much too young . But I was old enough for the Two Tone movement to have left an indelible impression on me, as it did on millions of kids up and down the country, creating an identity, forever defining cool, and igniting a lifelong love of Jamaican music. And The Selecter were always there as one of the four pillars of the ska revival, and the most strongly influenced by reggae at the time. Back then, it achieved so much in bringing people of different colours together, but the sound is still breaking down barriers today, with all ages, from teenagers to grandparents, skanking in unity to show their support for one of the bands that helped to change the face of Britain. There are plenty of original rudeboys and girls left though, as last night in Oran Mor testified, and it was truly impressive to see Messrs Perry, Harrington and Crombie so well represented. Ska Esperanza obviously went down well, though unfortunately I missed them, but the place was jam packed and buzzing when I arrived, despite a disturbing absence of ska or reggae on the PA, and I almost walked right into Pauline Black. There she was, looking much the same as she did on Top Of The Pops, a thirty year hero, in classic black and white style and trilby, with a mischievous smile and that defiant look blazing in her eyes. Here was an opportunity to thank her, to tell her how much the music means to me, to show my appreciation for her career and admiration for her inspirational autobiography, ‘Black By Design’, in which the Two Tone era is amazingly the least interesting bit.  Regrettably, I could not find the words, as usual (I once bumped into Desmond Dekker coming out of a pub in Croydon, and all I could manage was ‘sorry mate’).

As soon as the eight-strong band launched into the classic instrumental that gave them their name, with Pauline joined by other original member Gaps Hendrickson, it was obvious, despite the turbulent times the band has been through, that they have managed to recapture the energy and passion of that creative explosion. Skanking and bouncing all over the stage,  guitar, horn section and flute winding around the hypnotic rhythm of the bass and drum, all keeping pace with the infectious chopping of the keyboards. They have clearly worked hard for this tour, as the sweat pouring through Gaps’s shirt and jacket demonstrated within five minutes. Old favourites from the Ethiopians and Justin Hinds were given the Coventry treatment, raucous renditions enlivened by Gaps’ rugged toasting and Pauline’s powerful vocals. She always had a voice that could reach parts no one else on the ska scene could reach, as her later role on stage as Billie Holliday proved, and she can still rouse the soul on tunes like ‘Missing Words’ and their version of ‘Back to Black’. Let’s face it, sometimes when a well-loved band launches into their new stuff, there is often an overwhelming urge to go to the bar, but the tracks off the recent ‘Made In Britain’ album stood up so well next to their own anthems and sixties covers, you would have to stop dancing to think about which was which.  And no-one was about to stop dancing, especially not the hardcore faithful at the front, with skinheads, suedeheads and baldy guys competing to send requests and declarations of love to Pauline.  An early departure from the stage was greeted with a chorus of ‘rudeboys’ and a demand for more, safe in the knowledge they had to do ‘On My Radio’ and ‘Too Much Pressure’, which sounded as fresh and catchy as ever. With things getting worse, as this government discards and divides people, and the far right crawling from the stones under which they had been buried, the time is ripe for the message and music of Two Tone to return.