Reflections On The London International Ska Festival: An Eyewitness Report

Oh how I wish I had been able to cross the pond to attend the London International Ska Festival (LISF) at the Clapham Grand Theatre this past weekend (before all this royal wedding nonsense).  Sadly lack of funds and timing conspired against me and I was not able to make the sojourn.   That said, I followed the shows from afar and stayed up to date via reviews from The Music Fix, The Standard London Evening, and The Other Side that brought the festival to life for fans like me. Though I can't share a personal account, I have the next best thing -- the eyewitness account of Joachim Uerschels (the singer/guitarist of German ska band The Braces and ska blogger Joe Scholes) who travelled to London from his home in Germany and was kind enough to share his impressions of the 4-day festival.

The LISF was the brainchild of Sean Flowerdew (Pama International, Special Beat, The Loafers) who also helped organize the original festival 23 years ago at The Fridge in Brixton which featured Laurel Aitken, Bad Manners, Potato 5, The Loafers, Hotknives, The Deltones, Napolean Solo, The Braces, Bim Skala Bim, Capone and The Bullets and Skin Deep (read Uerschels excellent account of his memories of the first LISF). The second version was much more ambitious and broader in scope including a diverse mix of original artists from the 60's and 70's (Ken Boothe, Dave & Ansel Collins) as well as bands from the original festival in 1988 (The Loafers, Napoleon Solo, Bim Skala Bim) and ska mainstays like The English Beat, Dub Pistols, The Trojans and last minute addition The Lee Thompson All-Star Ska Orchestra. Special guests included Lynval Golding of The Specials, Rico Rodrigues, Rhoda Dakkar of The Bodysnatchers/The Special AKA and Buster Bloodvessel of Bad Manners and Jerry Dammers (who were both spied dancing in the audience).

Uerschels who sold his Ampeg SVT-II bass amp to pay for the trip got the blessing from his understanding wife (who spent the Easter weekend alone with their young daughters) to attend the LISF. Without further ado, here are his detailed day-by-day impressions of the shows:

Why was going to the LISF so important to me? It might sound over-the-top: I believed that in those four days in London my life in Ska would come full circle. In 1988 my band The Braces played the first London International Ska Festival. Our musical career didn’t get any better than that. Some bands from that time were going to play in 2011 again. Bim Skala Bim, Napoleon Solo from Denmark, The Loafers, Skaos and The Trojans. I was anxious to see how life had dealt them. And I wanted to see all those people that had embraced Ska as much as (or even more than) I. Here are some notes from my four days at the LISF.

Day 1: Ken Boothe/James Hunter/Giuliano Palma & The Bluebeaters
We arrive at the wonderful venue The Grand in Clapham just in time to watch Giuliano Palma & The Bluebeaters play. The second band of the evening, and the guys from Italy put on a superb show. They are a reminder of how much the musical quality in Ska has evolved in recent years. When Soul man James Hunter takes over, he plays great music for me, but not for some of the Ska people. The final act of the night is Ken Boothe. His voice is so touching. It revokes lots of club nights in me, dancing to 'Everything I Own' and other gems. Many in the room feel the same. Still there is a heaviness in the air. The evening is far from sold-out. What does that mean for promoter Sean? And for the Ska world? Or is it just the Thursday?



Day 2:Dave & Ansel Collins/Dub Pistols/The Loafers/Hotknives
A near perfect night. In 1988 it would have been unthinkable for most 2-Tone heroes to show up at The Ska Festival. They felt they had outgrown this music. Ska was an unpleasing memory, a pimpled, boring ex-classmate whom you rather not greet in the street. Fast forward to 2011 and there is a different picture. Three generations of music lovers from all continents come together to party in the name of Ska. The crowd is bigger than the night before. And the 2-Tone bunch is at its center. Lynval Golding from The Specials jumps on stage for songs with The Loafers and the Dub Pistols. Rhoda Dakar is dancing along and smiling, even Jerry Dammers is standing at the bar. Skaos rock it. During the Hotknives’s set there is only joy in the room. The Caroloregians show that early Reggae is the Boss sound of today. The guys from Belgium are a mighty force on their own and a worthy backing band for Dave Barker & Ansell Collins. What a night.

Dave & Ansel Collins perform 'Monkey Soanner' backed by The Caroloregians



Dub Pistols perform a blazing cover of The Stranglers 'Peaches'



The Loafers with Lynval Golding perform The Specials 'Rude Boys Outta Jail'




Day 3:The English Beat/The Trojans/Intensified/Napoloeon Solo
I can hardly talk. Last night has taken its toll, a gigantic hangover is here in combination with a hoarse throat. Man wasn’t made for 4-day festivals. Everything looks grey. And if that wasn’t enough: I missed Napoleon Solo. On the flyer that I use as orientation Nap Solo was left out. Next on is Intensified. They are being celebrated, and deservedly so. I like to think that with Intensified some spirit of The Braces is on stage. Their organ player Steffi used to be with us. I have to find a bed. After a quick nap I’m back for the last songs of The Trojans. In 1988 The Trojans from London were the first band to produce an authentic Ska sound (together with The Ska-Flames). They used to roll like it was 1962. Today their shows are happenings, a bunch of mad professors meet on stage and celebrate life’s incomputabilities.   I am pleased to see Rico and Ru-Ru-Rudy Valentino on stage. Yet, the drive of the good ol’ days had something, too. The evening is topped off with the return of The English Beat to England. They are introduced in a moving speech by Lynval Golding. Can Dave Wakeling’s version of the band play? Hell yeah. Their collection of hits is warmly appreciated by the crowd, too. So, do they have the magic of the original? That might be too much to ask for.

The English Beat with Lynval Golding perform 'Jackpot' and a new song 'Two Tone Lady':



Rico Rodrigues and The Trojans perform The Skaltalites classic 'Confuscious':



Day 4:Bob & Marcia/Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra/Owen Gray/Bim Skala Bim
The final day. That was supposed to be it? The voice is still not back. Bim Skala Bim are setting up their equipment when we arrive.  In 1988 The Braces and Bim Skala Bim had shared two floors in Buster Bloodvessel’s house prior to the first London International Ska Festival. Back then they were incredibly good musicians who gave it all on their rented instruments night after night. From what I heard they take it easier today. It’s hard for me to tell whether the lineup is still the same, after all those years. But I think it is, minus singer Jackie Starr. The rest have lost nothing of their drive. It’s hard to believe. Brilliance. The Ska Flames from Japan should be on next. But they have cancelled their show due to the situation at home. Lee Thompson’s Ska Orchestra took their spot. Highlight of the slapstick driven performance of Ska were three songs with early reggae entertainer Owen Gray. The great final is another demonstration of Jamaican old school entertainment. Marcia Griffiths is second to no soul diva. A unique voice, a demanding stage presence. Marcia is your big sister, caring, and always in control. The room seems packed. Organiser Sean is standing next to Lynval on the balcony, with a smile on his face. Somehow all must have been worth it.

Bim Skala Bim (the only American band that played the LISF) perform 'Pretty Flowers': 



Lee Thompson All-Star Ska Orchestra perform 'Sit & Wonder':



Owen Gray backed by Lee Thompson's band performs the classic 'Too Experienced' (which was covered by The Bodysnatchers).



Marcia Griffiths performs 'The Liquidator':

Poly Styrene Goes Rocksteady: 1976 Reggae Single Pre-Dates X-Ray Spex

As a fitting tribute to Poly Styrene who passed away yesterday at 53 from breast cancer, I wanted to honor her musical memory with a rare rocksteady single she recorded for GTO Records in 1976 under her given name several years before becoming a Riot Grrl icon. A cautionary tale of the perils of teen pregnancy, 'Silly Billy' was not a commercial success, but has a sweet late 60's rocksteady sound that reveals a wonderfully warm and beautiful voice quite at odds with her later punk styled singing.

According to an obituary in The Telegraph, Poly Styrene was born Marian Joan Elliot-Said in Bromley, Kent, on July 3 1957.  Her mother was of Scottish/Irish descent, her father a dispossessed Somali aristocrat. Bringing up Marian alone, her mother feared that the local environment was “too white and too judgmental”, so they soon moved to Brixton where she could see her estranged father more often.

She ran away from home at 15 to live a hippie existence, drifting from one rock festival to another for two years before a bout of septicaemia brought her back to London. She then set up a boutique at Beaufort Market in Chelsea, and coined her future stage name.

After attending a Sex Pistols gig in a near-empty hall on Hastings Pier on her 18th birthday in 1975, she decided to become a singer. As 'Mari Elliot', in 1976 she released the unsuccessful reggae-flavored single on GTO Records. That same year, after placing an advertisement in the Melody Maker for 'Young Punx who want to stick it together', she formed the five-piece X-Ray Spex.

Have a listen to 'Silly Billy' below and toast her memory and her music! RIP Poly!

Dave Wakeling To Lead Sponsored Walk Of Coventry '2-Tone Trail' On April 30th

Hot on the heels of a 'prodigal sons returns' like show at the London International Ska Festival on Saturday night. English Beat front man Dave Wakeling is taking his band back to the birthplace of 2-Tone ska -- Coventry.  But before the band plays a homecoming show this Saturday night April 30th, Wakeling will lead  a very lucky group of fans on a sponsored walk down the 2-Tone Trail, a nostalgic guided tour through the streets of the city that birthed the 2-Tone sound.

Devised by 2-Tone Museum director Pete Chambers, the 2-Tone Trail will take a group of fans along on this step through the history of the key locations that played such an important part in the growth of 2-Tone. Accompanied by Chambers and Trail organizer Carole Quinney, Wakeling will return to a time when ska and punk beats were being fused to create a brand of music that not only had infectious rhythms but also had a unique social conscience too, effectively becoming a defining soundtrack to many fans who were living through a troubled times.

Proceeds collected by fans who sponsor the walk will go directly to the 2-Tone Museum which collects historical pieces from the 2-Tone heritage spanning seminal bands including Madness, The Selecter, The Specials, and, of course, The English Beat. Already many American fans who can’t make the trail have sponsored Wakeling to the tune of almost $800, and the sponsorship money continues to come in. According to Wakeling:

“The 2-Tone Museum has done a marvelous job starting to collect and display artifacts from the 2-Tone period and I’d love to see it continue. So, I’m asking fans around the world to sponsor me $10 or £5 UK by visiting the link on the 2-Tone Central website to help develop the program even further.”

Sites to be visited along the way are Coventry University (where The English Beat met The Specials founder Jerry Dammers and signed to 2-Tone Records), Central Library (once the site of Tiffany’s Nightclub where The English Beat once played) and 51 Albany Road (The Birthplace of 2-Tone). A stop-over is also arranged in the recently re-opened Albany Pub on Albany Road.

The sponsored 2-Tone Trail-Twist and Crawl, begins at 2-Tone Central at 1:00pm, but you must have sponsorship to take part in the Trail. Some lucky "Trailers" have been promised a chance of attending the band’s sound check at the venue.

For more information, go to www.2tonecentral.co.uk.

Reggae Fi Peach: Remembering An Activist Murdered by The British Police

Tomorrow, Saturday April 23rd 2011 marks the 32nd anniversary of the murder of Blair Peach at the hands of London's Metropolitan Police. Peach's case became a cause célèbre in 1979 and for many years afterwards. The circumstances surrounding his death have been fiercely debated for years. Pictures of Peach later became an icon of early-Eighties U.K. political activism. Another victim was Clarence Baker, manager of British reggae band Misty In Roots, who was left with a fractured skull and a blood clot of his brain and took a year to recover from his injuries. Peach was memorialized by reggae dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson in his song 'Reggae Fi Peach,' and Baker by The reggae/rock band The Ruts in 'Jah War',

Peach was an improbable martyr.  The New Zealand native was a school teacher in London.  He was also a member of the Socialist Workers Party and an activist with the Anti Nazi League opposing the rise of the National Front when he was killed during a demonstration in a predominantly Asian and Sikh area of Southall in West London. Though evidence was finally released last year that suggested police officers were responsible for Peach's death, to this day, no one has been brought to justice for his death. Later, when the lockers and some houses of Special Patrol Group members were searched following the incident, truncheons, knives, bayonets, swords and Nazi regalia were found.

According to an article in The Guardian last year:

The police handling of the Southall protest which led to Mr Peach's death was abominable. No public statement of sympathy was ever made by the police. In spite of detailed criticisms and complaints at the time about police conduct, including the killing, no police officer was ever disciplined in any way, much less prosecuted for any act committed at Southall. Police refused to offer evidence or to co-operate with the independent inquiry.

The events leading to Peach's death were part of demonstration opposing the National Front who had announced it would hold a "general election" meeting in Ealing Town Hall on Monday April 23, 1979. Local people were appalled, but the local Tory council approved the National Front's permit to meet. Local activists did all they could to get the meeting banned. The day before 5,000 people marched to the Town Hall, but the then Labour home secretary, Merlyn Rees, refused to ban the meeting. As a result, three thousand police, with dogs, horses, riot vans, a helicopter and units of the notorious Special Patrol Group poured into Southall to 'defend the peace.'

At lunchtime Southall's shops closed in protest. Some factories shut down and Asian workers at nearby Heathrow airport walked out. Anti-Nazis arrived in Southall in solidarity. Later some demonstrators tried to get on a bus going through the police cordon. The police threw everyone off. According to eyewitnesses

"At about 6.30pm people started to go towards the town hall. Suddenly the cordon parted and police on horseback came through and started to hit people with long batons. They attacked men, women and children." Police vans speeded through the hemmed-in crowd."

Inside the National Front meeting the local candidate for upcoming parliamentary elections was pledging to "bulldoze Southall to the ground and replace it with an English hamlet". Outside people were confronted with a full-blown police riot. The Daily Telegraph reported what happened:

"Within three minutes mounted police had cornered about 50 demonstrators against the churchyard walls. As we watched, several demonstrators were dragged crying and screaming to the nearby police station. Nearly every demonstrator had blood flowing from some injury."

The police surrounded an area designated as a first aid center, kicking in the door and forcing everyone to run a gauntlet of truncheon blows to get out. At least three protesters were hit so hard their skulls fractured. Blair Peach was one of them

"At least two Special Patrol Group vans came up," remembers Blair's friend Jo Lang. "The officers got out and charged us. We ran, but Blair wasn't with us. So we went back to look for him. An Asian family had taken him into their living room. You couldn't see how badly injured he was. It was later said that he was hit with a lead-filled cosh. While he was in the ambulance he started having fits. At 12 o'clock they phoned and told us he was dead."

News of his death sent shock waves throughout Britain. The day before he was buried 4,000 local Asian people filed past Peach's body as he lay in Southall's Dominion Cinema. Throughout the night Asian youth from the area maintained a guard of honor over him. The next day the funeral travelled to east London as part of a 10,000-strong funeral procession.

Watch Linton Kwesi Johnson perform a live version of 'Reggae Fi Peach' and The Ruts perform 'Jah War' below.

The Story Behind The Members Reggae Version Of Kraftwerk's "The Model'

I have to admit that the first time I heard 'The Model' it was not the classic Kraftwerk electro version but an awe inspiring reggae cover version recorded by The Members from their 1983 'Uprhythm, Downbeat' album (the one with 'Working Girl' on it!).  It was only a few years later when I became a fan of Kraftwerk that I finally made the connection between the two songs.

Inspired by the models who worked at The Bagel nightclub in Cologne, the original version of song is the story of a high fashion model as she gets through her busy day. The song first appeared on Kraftwerk's 1978 album 'The Man Machine'. It was released as the B-side of "Neon Lights," but German DJs preferred to play 'The Model.' At the time the song made no impact outside of Germany. Released as an English language version in the UK as a double A-side along with 'Computer Love' in 1981, the track went to straight to #1 confirming its universal appeal.

Best remembered for their punky anthems, The Members never really achieved the widespread recognition that their musical vision deserved. Led by vocalist Nicky Tesco and guitarist JC Carroll, the band later incorporated reggae into their sound and like The Clash played fully formed reggae songs (check out their fantastic version of 'Offshore Banking Business').  This was no bandwagon jumping.  Tesco (like Paul Simonon of The Clash) was a long-time reggae fan as far back as the early 70's.

"In 1972 I went to university in Liverpool and discovered reggae big time spending a lot of my time in various dub clubs." 

Tesco put The Members embrace of reggae in perspective in an interview:

“To many people we are just a footnote. But I know Jerry Dammers was quoted somewhere as saying we were a major influence. We incorporated reggae to a greater degree than any other band, even the Clash, but we weren’t in any way as important as the Clash.”

Its my humble opinion that The Members version of the 'The Model' may be one of the most overlooked songs ever recorded by the band who wholeheartedly embrace a full on reggae sound for the song, transforming it into lost classic of the 80's. Appearing on 'Uprythym Downbeat' (sort of The Members' own version of Sandinista! in its appealing looseness and lack of consistent musical focus) the band joined up with producer Martin Rushent (Human League, Altered Images, the Go-Go's), who was a master of helping unpromising non-commercial bands have big shiny hit records without losing their souls in the process. According to an interview I did with JC Carroll, the reggaefied version of 'The Model' was an unplanned last minute addition to the album.

It was recorded as an afterthought in the middle of the night on (producer) Martin Rushent's Human League synths. My mate Dave Allen mixed it

The unusual treatment of Kraftwerk’s 'The Model' which receives a lopping dub-styled workout with horns keeps the momentum going and is a completely inventive take on the original.  As Carroll said: 'We play English rock with a touch of reggae - and we do it so that people can enjoy themselves'.

Have a listen to the Kraftwerk version of 'The Model' and The Members version below.  Don't forget to play them loud!

Mick Jones & The Beat/General Public: A Musical Appreciation Society

I'm off to see Big Audio Dynamite this week at the fabled Roseland Ballroom here in New York City.  I feel lucky to catch one of only two shows that the original line-up (Mick Jones, Don Letts, Leo Williams, Dan Donovan, and Greg Roberts) are playing here in the U.S. as part of their reunion tour.   I was also lucky enough to see B.A.D.'s very first show in New York back in late 1985, so in some ways I've come full circle.   While Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon get the lion share of credit for the influence that reggae played on the sound of The Clash, Jones was also a fan of the sound and actually established a friendship with both Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling of The Beat and later General Public that had musical implications for all concerned.

There has always been a mutual appreciation society between Jones and Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling. The Beat toured with The Clash (see the ticket stub above from a series of show the bands played together during a residency The Clash played in Paris in 1981) and it was on tour that Ranking Roger, who as a punk briefly played drums in a Birmingham-based punk band called The Dum Dum Boys, met Jones who along with Strummer and Simonon were incorporating reggae into their sound.

First a little bit of history. In case you didn't know, The Clash album 'Combat Rock' was originally planned as a double album with the working title 'Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg', but the idea was scrapped after internal wrangling within the group. Mick Jones had mixed the first version, but the other members were dissatisfied and mixing/producing duties were handed to Glyn Johns, at which point the album became a single LP. This intra-band arguing soon lead to Jones departure from the band. However, the original mixes have since surfaced and bootlegged versions are floating around the Internet. Jones was such a fan of Ranking Roger and his vocal style, that he invited him to toast on his mix of 'Rock The Casbah'. The version did not make the 'Combat Rock' album, but it cemented a friendship that has gone on to this day. In fact Ranking Roger's version of The Beat still play a cover of 'Rock The Casbah' as part of their live set.

Here is the alternate version of 'Rock The Casbah' featuring Ranking Roger as mixed by Mick Jones for 'Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg':



Both The Clash and The Beat broke up around the same time in mid-1983, with Strummer and Simonon 'firing' Jones from the The Clash and Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger leaving to start General Public. Wakeling and Ranking Roger joined up with keyboardist Mickey Billingham (Dexys Midnight Runners), bassist Horace Panter (The Specials) and drummer Stoker (Dexys Midnight Runners/The Bureau) to form the new band. Jones was originally announced as a band member, and based on his friendship with Ranking Roger agreed to come on-board. However, by the time the 'All The Rage' album was released in 1984, Jones had left to form Big Audio Dynamite, although he did play guitar on the majority of the album’s tracks.

Wakeling did an interview in 2009 speaking about the musical role and contributions that Jones played on the first General Public album:

Well, we did a bit of a barter deal. He had left the Clash and was starting Big Audio Dynamite, and he said to me that he had a load of lyrics, but he liked the way I played with the vocal melodies, and if he gave me a cassette of instrumentals, would I do some la-la-la and humming and ideas for melodies? And he would fit his lyrics around those, if they fit. So I did that for him, and in the process of doing that, I said where we were with General Public, and he was my favorite guitarist of all time, and would he be willing to play on some of the tunes? So we gave him the songs as they were demos and let him get a feel for them. And we asked about rehearsals and that, but he was a very intuitive player, and he said, “No, I’ve got an idea of the songs now. Wait ‘til you’ve got a finished song that’s begging for a lead guitar part, and I’ll just come down. I’m not precious about it. I’ll just play loads of things and you tell me what fits and throw away the rest.”

Although he had a very casual air about him, Mick was an incredibly hard-working musician. He would stay playing the guitar for hours and hours, searching as he played along with the track for what he thought resonated. And over the course of a few sessions, we got some of the most fantastic guitar parts for “Tenderness,” “Where’s the Line,” “Never You Done That, “Hot You’re Cool.” We got him mainly, I think, just to play on the songs that we thought might be potential singles or that had that smell of a hit about them. And then we let him pick some other songs that we played him, and he said, “Oh, yeah, I’ve got a part for that.” And we let him play on “As a Matter of Fact,” I think that was one of the ones he picked out.

I had to control Ranking Roger a bit, though, because…I wouldn’t say he was a control freak, but he had a very particular opinion about everything. So Mick Jones would be starting to play something, and Roger would be on the intercom straight away, “Uh, Mick, could you try something like…” And I could see Mick Jones start to get frustrated, y’know? I let it go on about two or three times, and then I thought, “Oh, no, this could spoil stuff.” So, eventually, Roger went to push the intercom button, and I grabbed his hand, and I said, “Here’s an idea, Roger: why don’t you let the best guitarist in the world play what he wants? And if, at the end of the night, you still don’t think you’ve got what you need, then come up with a suggestion. But as you can’t actually play the guitar, why not shut up?” (Laughs) And there was a tense little moment, but he let Mick Jones do his thing, thank God!

Jones returned the favor to Ranking Roger in the mid-90's, inviting him to sing on the track B.A.D. track 'Harrow Road'. Ranking Roger joined Big Audio Dynamite full-time from 1996-98 and performed at several live shows with the band. Ranking Roger also joined the band in the studio to record the album 'Entering A New Ride.' However, the band broke up shortly after he joined when its last album was shelved by the record company and they refused to release it. In 1997, the band launched a new web site, primarily as a means to distribute songs from the Entering a New Ride album to the group's fans. The album is one of the earliest virtual albums ever and is available all over the Web.

Here are several tracks from the album including 'Sunday Best' and 'Must Be The Music' and 'Nice & Easy':

The Brixton Riots Provoke A Musical Response From 2-Tone & Reggae Artists

The Brixton Riots kicked off 30 years ago this week in London on April 11, 1981. Following sharply on the heels of riots almost exactly a year earlier in Bristol, they preceded similar riots that fanned out across the U.K. later that summer. Between July 3rd and July 11 of 1981, there were more riots fueled by racial and social discord in Birmingham, London, Liverpool, and Manchester. There were also smaller pockets of unrest in Leeds, Leicester, Southampton, Halifax, Bedford, Gloucester, Wolverhampton, Coventry, Bristol, and Edinburgh. Though racial tension played a major part in most of these disturbances, they all broke out in areas hit hard by unemployment and recession.

According to a Time Magazine story published in 1981 on the Brixton riots:

It was the kind of warm spring Saturday afternoon that draws all of London into the streets. As two bobbies pounded their beat in Brixton, a grimy, racially mixed neighborhood south of the Thames, they stopped to question a black youth. A hostile crowd gathered, and suddenly all hell seemed to break loose. Rocks, bricks and Molotov cocktails began to fly. As police reinforcements rushed in, an orgy of burning and looting swept down Railton Road, a principal neighborhood shopping avenue, leaving automobiles gutted and shops in flames. Streets were littered with looted appliances, clothing and costume jewelry. At the peak of the violence, more than 1,000 police in riot gear, huddled like Roman legionnaires behind shields, battled some 600 black West Indian youths, interspersed with a few masked white rioters.

A British government report commissioned following the riots found unquestionable evidence of the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of 'stop and search' powers by the police against black people as a cause for the riots. Left unspoken was the outright racism displayed by many members of the London police force who were notorious for wearing National Front buttons on their uniforms to provoke and outrage. As a consequence, a new code for police behavior was established in 1985, to attempt to restore public confidence in the police. For more details about the causes and impact of the riots, watch Director Rachel Currie's 2001 documentary 'The Battle for Brixton,' which is one of the most comprehensive video chronicles of the unrest. Watch the program in its entirety below:



Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

The Bristol and Brixton riots had a significant impact and influence on the ska and reggae musical community in the U.K. Eerily, The Clash had a musical premonition of things to come releasing 'Guns Of Brixton' two years before the riots. The reaction from other artists immediately following the riots was swift including literal swan songs from 2-Tone bands The Specials ('Ghost Town' topped the pop charts as the country seemingly went up in flames) and The Selecter ('Bristol and Miami' from 'Celebrate The Bullet') and from reggae artists Linton Kwesi Johnson ('The Great Insurrection') and MCs Roy Rankin and Raymond Napthali, who produced 'Brixton Incident' right after the riots.



Jerry Dammers of The Specials' composed Ghost Town, a mournful state-of-the-nation rant, based on their depressing experiences of touring the UK in late 1980 and early 1981. The song captured the political mood of the U.K. and its rise in the charts each week during the summer of 1981 peaked at number one just as riots broke out in nearly every major city in the U.K. Watch the band in their very last appearance together 'performing' the song on Top Of The Pops.



The Selecter recorded their front line dispatch with the much overlooked 'Bristol & Miami' on the 'Celebrate The Bullet' LP released in 1981. It refers to the riots in both cities brought about by police abuses (stop and search Sus laws in Bristol) and brutality (the beating death of Arthur McDuffie at the hands of five white police officers in Miami). Watch Pauline Black and Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson's version of The Selecter perform the song during the show to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 'Too Much Pressure' album last fall.



But perhaps the most powerful indictment of the police actions in Brixton may be Linton Kwesi Johnson's 'The Great Insurrection' whose lyrics see the riot as the first shot in a cold war with 'Babylon': 

It was April 1981,
Down in the ghetto of Brixton,
That the Babylon cause such a friction,
That it bring about a great insurrection,
And it spread all over the nation
It was truly an historical occasion
It was the event of the year
And I wish I had been there
When we ran riot all over Brixton
When we mash up plenty police van...
When we mash up the Swamp '81