Bad Manners' late start and a strict running order meant we were robbed of their encore, sure to have included 'Lip Up Fatty'. So I included it in my set the next day - my first ever festival gig!
An hour and a half of ska, reggae and old soul at Radio Disturbo's marquee went down very well.
The crowd's favourites were, if I'm any judge, The Maytals' Just Tell Me, The Harry J Allstars' Liquidator, Booker T & the MGs' Soul Limbo (yes, the BBC2 cricket music), and of course, Nothing But a Heartache by the Flirtations.
Sincere thanks to music director Lorraine, Will the techie, Rocket organiser Marcus and of course to Elaine for all her support - and photography too!
Next year, we should do a full Soul Ska Shakedown - or a Mad Mods Party? - at the Rocket. The house, hip-hop and techno sessions are excellent, but everyone likes a change of style now and then... GG
Click to see our Rocket Festival photos
"For those of you who don't know, THIS is ska!"
Wearing fancy dress so scary that small children cried and ran away (nice one, Elaine) we saw ska legends Bad Manners live at the Rocket festival here in Andalucía.Half a lifetime ago, I alone voted for Bad Manners as 'The Best Band of the Eighties' in a Trent Polytechnic student magazine poll at the end of 1989.
Predictably enough, all the posh southern students voted for miserable, introspective poets of one kind or another and The Smiths won the vote.
Well, The Smiths were great in their way but you wouldn't want to get stuck in a pub with any of them, would you? They couldn't party like Buster Bloodvessel and his mates. And where are The Smiths now, anyway?
Bad Manners are considered very silly, but they are in fact highly accomplished reggae musicians (they've been gigging more or less continuously since 1976) and it was a joy to see them live once again. GG
Click to see our Bad Manners photos
Shake it on down!
Since February Elaine and I have been busy, with our friends Vir, Oscar and Jesús, organising the Soul Ska Shakedown nights.
Playing everything from The Flirtations to The Freestylers, these parties in a basement bar have been a real success, with 100+ people coming along to each one and the bar twice selling out of beer.
Before continuing, my THANKS in big letters to:
- Elaine and Jesús, for the publicity work and encouragement which has made the Shakedowns possible.
- Oski, for giving me a break and letting me effectively complete my DJ training alongside him. Soulboy!
- All our friends and contacts here who have come along to - as a great man once said - 'shut up, listen, and dance' - especially Carolina, Michael, Florent, Adam, Sarah, Diego, José & Marzia from Pupa Tattoo, Isaac and Marta.
The Soul Ska night has its own website with sample tracks, videos and pics. Take a look and a lsiten, tell us what you think. What other tunes should we be playing? GG
And we hope to see you at...
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