Researching The Beat isn’t an easy task – the make-up of the band hasn’t been clear since 1983, and three of the original members are dead. These days two versions exist: The English Beat playing songs with original guitarist and vocalist Dave Wakeling, mostly in the US and The Beat featuring Ranking Jnr, fronted by the son of late legendary frontman Ranking Roger.
Despite this fractured nature of personnel, the band has done an incredible job of remaining relevant and popular. To their immense credit, they continue to write new music that stands up well alongside their 80s hits and the classic ska covers dropped into their sets.
While some of the audience clearly weren’t so enthused by the assorted nature of the set played on Saturday night, this reviewer thought it was a consistently brilliant performance that put smiles on faces from start to finish.
The crowd was largely older, with plenty of shaved and grey heads clearly there for a trip down memory lane and a re-visitation of some of their formative years favourites. Hearteningly, there was also a decent smattering of much younger people present, including teenagers – a new generation of ska fans coming around to the genre’s peace, love and unity message. Sadly this reviewer sits somewhere in the middle of those two groups, but was in good company.
The diverse demographic speaks to the power of ska, and in this case specifically The Beat. It’s music with a moral message which also makes you smile. There’s space for anger and rage at the system, shown in songs like 1982’s Stand Down Margaret or 2022’s Oi You, which targets B*ris J*hnson in the same way his predecessor was attacked. There’s space for humour and flirtatiousness, for example the cover of Prince Buster’s Rough Rider or Too Nice To Talk To. There’s also space for social commentary, in Mirror in the Bathroom and Hands off She’s Mine. But above all, it’s about fun. You can spread a message with a smile on your face.
This is something Ranking Jnr really understands. Bounding on to the stage with bundles of energy, he was the epitome of the positive frontman. He brought the charisma you’d expect from the son of Ranking Roger, channeling his dad with phraseology taken right out of his mouth, “you’re going to make us work hard for you tonight,” alongside repeated chants of “rude boy” and “rude girls.”
But it wasn’t just one-dimensional positivity coming from him – in a very touching moment, he spoke with warmth about his late father and was clearly emotional as he introduced a song written about extending Ranking Sr’s legacy, Carry The Flag.
Throughout the gig there was ebb and flow in the crowd, with some of the older sections vacating when a newer song was played, perhaps their aging bladders dictating so. That served only to give more dancing space to those who stayed front of the stage for the duration, and also brought a fresh burst of energy as they returned when they heard the first strains of an 80s classic.
Deserving credit for this smooth and easy movement of the crowd is the door staff, who were friendly and patient all night – as they always are at the Phoenix. After more than 20 years of attending gigs at the end of Gandy Street, this reviewer remains massively enthused by the prospect of a gig at the Phoenix.
