47 f H
eadlining the opening night of the 2013 festival was 78 year old trombonist Rico Rodriquez, who played throughout the ska era and subsequently with Two
Tone linchpins The Specials, but on that night performed his classic 1976 roots reg- gae album Man From Warika. Topping the second night’s bill of contemporary ska acts were Buster Shuffle with a raucous blend of ska and cockney rock ’n’ roll which marks them out as the latest descendants of Two Tone hitmakers Madness.
Of all the bands on the UK scene, I think the Sidewalk Doctors are my person- al favourites. Formed in 2009 by guitarist Lenny Bignell (who’d previously played in Sean Flowerdew’s Pama International), they draw on the rhythms of rocksteady. Following an excellent set supporting Rico on the opening night, I grabbed a few minutes backstage at the Jazz Café with Lenny and their secret weapon, vocalist Nathan Thomas. It’s so often the voice that lets thing down when UK acts try for vin- tage Jamaican music, but Nathan’s honeyed croon is perfect for that languid rock- steady mood. “We want to get the classic sound,” explains Lenny. “Rocksteady and ska, but made for now.” Their debut album Music Is Medicine was released on their own Soul Elixir label a couple of years ago and they’ve already finished its fol- low-up, which should be out later this year. “It’s open to more influences,” Lenny tells me, “whereas the first one sounded like it could have been recorded at Jamaica’s Studio One in the ’60s or ’70s.”
“It’s got bits of New Orleans R&B and Motown,” adds Nathan, “which were in there before, but are more prominent this time round.” As a taster, the limited edi- tion London International Ska Festival EP, includes their version of The Beatle’s All My Loving, an unlikely choice that works like a dream.
Sean started playing ska when he was
12 and hasn’t stopped since. By the begin- ning of the noughties, he’d performed with various members of Two Tone heroes The Specials and The Beat, been on big tours and signed big record deals. It was time to take things back to basics. “I’d worked with a lot of people, seen a lot of egos… not the nice side of the industry,” he recalls. “I’d been involved in record deals worth millions and I’d seen how it had changed people. I really got to learn that the mainstream music industry is about the industry and the music is sec- ondary. I formed Pama International, which was all about playing for the rea- sons I did when I was at school.”
From this sprung his record label and ultimately his role as head honcho of a whole scene. Was all this a way of creating something that was protected from the worst elements of the biz? “There was that, yes. But also, when I was a kid, I couldn’t believe that I could press my own record, so I did! I couldn’t believe that I could hire a venue and put a gig on, so I did! I put the first London International Ska Festival on the 21st December 1988 at the Brixton Fridge and we sold it out. So I had that DIY spirit in me. Now with Pama and the festival, it’s very much that you can’t rely on anyone, so you’ve got to cre- ate your own scene, do it to the highest standards you can and build something that’s self-sufficient. Then you’ve got a wonderful thing!”
Pama International: Sean Flowerdew on the right T
he original festival in 1988 fea- tured old-time ska legends Prince Buster and Laurel Aitken, alongside then current UK scen- esters such as Potato 5 and
Sean’s combo The Loafers. That’s pretty much been the mix ever since. One of the highlights of this year’s fest was veteran Freddie Notes performance at the 100 Club. A name you may not know, although you’ll almost certainly be famil- iar with his big hit Montego Bay. Like Rico, he’s been based here in the UK for a long time and like Rico, he gave a world class performance. He’s got a wonderful soul voice and is a true showman, so how come we haven’t heard more of him? “He’s been running a community centre in Kenning- ton for decades,” Sean tells me, “so hasn’t really bothered with the music. I won’t reveal how old he is, but it’s not every gentleman of his age who can do a back- ward summersault onstage, go into the splits and back up!”
Sean’s optimistic about the local scene
right now. “It’s good, there are lots of pockets of it and I think with the festival, we can create a kind of hub. There are some good bands all walking their own paths, which is brilliant. People from abroad look at it as a shop window, because the world’s shrinking all the time. There’s quite a few clubs dotted around. Every week there’s a hell of a lot going on and you can find out about it all in Do The Dog fanzine, the world’s longest-running ska publication.”
Sean’s got a new label in the pipeline. He still maintains Phoenix City Records (the label he runs through distributors Cherry Red) but his new one Hotshot & Scorcher, is going to be a little bit differ- ent. “I wanna do a small bespoke label for non-monetary reasons. Just to release really nice pieces of art. Nice bits of music, do runs of 100 seven-inch singles, never make any money… limited runs of LPs. It will be based around a planned social club where people can listen to great music and have fun.” At the time of writing, Sean was looking for London venues where he can run his Hotshot & Scorcher club night. As a spin-off from the ska festi-
val, he’s also organising a three-day soul festival in London this autumn and has already set the dates for next year’s ska fest – 17-20 April 2014.
This particular style of UK folk is clear- ly in safe hands. Long may it thrive.
londoninternationalskafestival.co.uk dothedogmusic.tumblr.com/skazine thesidewalkdoctors.com F
Sean Flowerdew’s Ska Top 10
1964: Eddie Perkins: My Darling Wonderful example of upbeat original ska, with a beautiful soulful vocal
1967: Ken Boothe: You Left The Water Running
Sublime rocksteady take on the Dan Penn soul classic.
1974: Marcia Griffiths: Don't Let Me Down
Great vocal and early reggae rhythm, pro- duced by Harry J. So infectious.
1975: Joe Higgs: Life of Contradiction He was a genius songwriter and had a massive influence of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh & Jimmy Cliff.
1981: The Specials: Ghost Town
Haunting, dark and totally captivating. The Specials and 2 Tone's finest hour.
1986: Potato 5: Western Special Superb Skatalites inspired ska from Lon- don. Championed Ska in UK when no oth- ers were.
1989: Hotknives: Dave & Mary Madness inspired ska-pop brilliance, with
1989: 100 Men: Yeah Yeah Girl
The first band to nail the authentic ska production, led by Mik Whitnall (now of Babyshambles)
1996: Hepcat: Bobby & Joe
One of USA's finest traditional ska inspired acts. Jumped out of California in the 90s.
2013: The Sidewalk Doctors: All My Loving
Wonderful rocksteady cut of The Beatles classic from London hottest pracitioners of Ska & Rocksteady.
F
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84