Last month, Mark Perkins was down at The Abbeydale Picture House to see an iconic film charting the rise of British ska music – with some very notable guests also in attendance.
A few people have known and loved the film Dance Craze since it first came out about 40 years ago – and a good slice of them were here tonight. Scratchy prints of the film have survived down the years, alongside homemade VHS copies, but the quality of film we saw tonight was a revelation. Someone managed to track down the original cameraman, and in his attic, he had a pristine copy stashed away, from which this new print has been made.
The film is a compilation of live performances by groups and singers who were at the heart of the ska music revival in the UK in the late 70s and early 80s. It was incredible; I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more effective live music film. The Fly Tower of the Abbeydale Picture House was transformed into a virtual live show, as the audience danced, sang along and greeted each new song as though they were at an actual gig.
‘Back in the 70s, Two Tone became about more than the music: it was just as much about opposing racism and challenging expectations and prejudices in the music industry.’
All the usual suspects were on screen: The Beat, Madness, Buster Bloodvessel, The Bodysnatchers, Selector and, of course, The Specials. The whole scene became known as Two Tone music, with most of the bands releasing music on 2Tone Records, founded by one of the luminaries whom we could see on-screen, Jerry Dammers.
But not only was he visible on-screen, but Jerry was also sitting on the row in front of me, as the special guest advertised on the flyers: the ‘Tsar of Ska’, Mr Dammers himself. What set The Specials apart from the other acts was Dammers’ political lyrics. Hits such as ‘Ghost Town’, ‘Too Much Too Young’ and ‘Free Nelson Mandela’ still resonate down the years from a time when issues of social deprivation and inequality rarely, if ever, featured in mainstream chart hits.
I’d always associated him with Coventry, as that’s where a lot of these bands all originated from, so I was astonished to hear him say, in his introduction to the film, that he lived in Sheffield from the age of two. He reminisced about watching films in the Abbeydale Picture House, back in the early Sixties, as part of his on-stage introduction to the film. Back in the 70s, Two Tone became about more than the music: it was just as much about opposing racism and challenging expectations and prejudices in the music industry.
Until that point, black musicians played jazz, reggae and soul, while white musicians played rock. These bands dared to have both black and white men and women, playing in the same band and working on music together. Their mixture of reggae and punk represented a break with the past; it was an innovative sound that had never been heard in the charts.
DJ sets from Trojan Explosion warmed the crowd up, and Jerry Dammers played his own DJ set to end the night, as the timeless appeal of this music echoed into the rafters of the cavernous venue. It was a fabulous night, showcasing a film that is a must-see for any self-respecting music-lover.
