The Skatalites to the Rescue- Beating the November Blues
The Skatalites are an institution in Jamaican music. They are the band behind some of your favourite ska and reggae hits as well as a group integral to the development of ska. Drawing from American soul and R&B of the time and melding it with the slightly closer sounds of Calypso, they helped create the sound which would shape their island’s music for the next 50 years.
Despite an ever-changing line up, each time I have had the pleasure of seeing them play they managed to keep hold of the fire and tightness that makes their set hit with such impact and which has undoubtedly been the major force in keeping them packing out venues for this long.
As 2014 draws to a close and the weather slowly descends into depressive dankness, the band’s 50th anniversary tour Kicks off on Thursday, the 27th of November at 229 The Venue to bring some sunlight to a London in the grips of late November blues.
As I’ve never been to 229 The Venue on Great Portland Street, I can’t comment on the venue but bar a monumental fuck up, this is a guaranteed skanking treat! This is definitely one of the pleasures of the London music scene, you can see bands here for years and all of a sudden discover a venue that has been around forever and could easily become your new favourite watering hole.
The opening act is London band The Estimators, whose laid back ska and revival reggae sounds are bound to lubricate the evening nicely, along with a few cold ones and some herb based hype.
Headliners The Skatalites, meanwhile, are still a force to be reckoned with – with two founding members holding it down to guide the younger musicians, their undoubted virtuoso talents are seamlessly brought together to form a well-oiled machine. Unsurprisingly for a band who have backed everyone from The Wailers and Jimmy Cliff to Laurel Aitken and Prince Buster, their set is scattered with tracks better known for their original vocalists –Simmer Down is always bound to get feet moving.
Bear in mind that these aren’t the raw sounds found on their early recordings. For that, you’re better off searching for the fiery roots reggae that came out of the 70’s or the dancehall riddims of the 80’s and 90’s.
The sounds on Thursday are heavily influenced by the glitz and polish of the American soul and R&B performers who visited Jamaica in the 50’s and as such, the set will undoubtedly be finely tuned.
However, this is no dampener on what will be one of the best gigs of the winter; while time has taken most of those founding members who wrote the group’s best known hits, their live show is still guaranteed to have you grinning from ear to ear and dancing like a loon, transported for the moment from the cold, November night.
Visit the 229 Venue website before Thursday to book tickets or click here.
By Jono Coote
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