Explosive return of original Gangsters

IT'S 30 years since The Specials served up the first course of their ska revival menu to an unsuspecting British public with the hypnotic and all-round poptastic single Gangsters. Its distinctive rhythms, dynamic guitarwork, big horns and reed-thin vocals of miserabilist Terry Hall, tempered by the cheeky and authentic West Indian drawl of Neville Staple, spoke to an impressionable young generation already shaken up by punk.

Away from the important political references attached to the Rock Against Racism movement, of which they were an intrinsic part, theirs was great dance music, and none of us knew or cared if it had been borrowed, tweaked and regurgitated from the Jamaican ska of the early 1960s.

Dubbed 2 Tone after the record label run by the band's keyboardist and songwriter Jerry Dammers, it was less laid-back than its ancestor, but eminently danceable and singalong, lightened by the antics of its purveyors, while maintaining a strong, critical credibility.

The Coventry collective released two studio albums and a few EPs – notably the fabulous Too Much Too Young. The debut long player Specials was produced by Elvis Costello and many songs were covers of older ska numbers. Monkey Man (since covered by Amy Winehouse) had been a hit for Toots & the Maytals, Too Hot was a Prince Buster original, and the infectious A Message to You, Rudy, was a Dandy Livingstone single in 1967.

But in 1981, two years after the release of Gangsters and following six more hit singles, The Specials split up; if they'd stayed together in that original line-up, we probably would have fallen out of love with them by now and they'd be trawling a tired nostalgia circuit.

But Terry and Neville went off to form Fun Boy Three with rhythm guitarist Lynval Golding, and Jerry Dammers carried on with a slimmed-down outfit labelled The Special AKA – releasing, among others, the anti-Apartheid track Free Nelson Mandela. Over the years there's been a plethora of compilation and live albums from official releases to much sought after bootlegs, and various individual members have delivered the cream of The Specials' back catalogue in the live arena.

But erstwhile fans have been desperate to come back to the fold since the original band reformed (minus Mr Dammers) for a sell-out reunion tour in April and May this year. Reviews of those shows were glowing, and an appearance on Later... with Jools Holland confirmed the diagnosis.

Some lyrics from early tracks have been dubbed "eerily relevant" to current social issues of teen pregnancy, unemployment and inner city poverty.

Popular demand prompted another series of 30th anniversary dates this autumn, including what promises to be an explosive Bonfire Night show at Plymouth Pavilions on November 5.

Specials guests and opening act will be Pama International, the side-project of Lynval Golding, featuring ex-members of some iconic bands, including Finny and Sean Flowerdew from The Loafers. To date they've released six critically acclaimed albums and played triumphant sets at festivals such as Glastonbury and Beautiful Days.

The Specials play Plymouth Pavilions on November 5. Box office: 0845 146 1460.