Marco On The Bass Reviews The Year In Ska 2013

I always enjoy year end wrap-ups, and 2013 was another banner year for ska music. There was an unbelievable cornucopia of local shows, national tours and festivals, books, new albums and music to enjoy. In fact, the amount of ska related developments came so fast and furious at times, it was hard to keep up because there was so much to digest and write about!

During 2013 my ska blogging comrade Steve Shafer (Duff Guide To Ska) and I continued to bring our blogs to life by hosting monthly Electric Avenue ska showcases in New York City.  We've been undertaking this labor of love since the summer of 2012 -- the bands split 100% of the cover, nobody else takes a cut -- to support ska bands and their fans, and have some fun in the process. These shows already have featured a who's who of American ska, including Chris Murray (Los Angeles), The Ladrones (Brooklyn/New Jersey), King Django (NJ), The Snails (Philadelphia), The Frightnrs (Brooklyn), Destroy Babylon (Massachusetts), Bigger Thomas (NY/NJ), Beat Brigade (NY), Doomsday! (NY), Los Skarronerros (Brooklyn), The Pandemics (Long Island), The Scofflaws (Long Island), The Bullbuckers (Wilmington, DE), The Reggay Lords (Brooklyn), The Copacetics (Providence, RI), The Rudie Crew (NY) and The Royal Swindle (New Haven, CT). This summer we were blessed to have Roddy Radiation and Lynval Golding of The Specials perform a solo show for us. We hope to see a few more new faces in 2014!

On a personal note, 2013 was an exciting one for me.  Between rehearsing, recording, learning and writing songs and writing this blog, the year seemed to fly by.  My band Bigger Thomas released a best of digital release titled "Ska In My Pocket: The Biggest & Bestest Of Bigger Thomas" to celebrate our 25th anniversary and we recorded and released a 2-song EP of new music titled "Under A Super Moon." We also recorded a version of The English Beat song "Sole Salvation" for the Specialized 2 Beat Teen Age Cancer compilation that was released in the UK to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust.  The song was also included on a limited edition, red vinyl 45 as the flip side to Dave Wakeling's new recording of "Mirror In The Bathroom."

After many years of thinking and talking about merging my twin loves of ska and new wave, I helped to found a new band -- Rude Boy George, a collective of New York City ska musicians that includes members of my band Bigger Thomas, Across The Aisle, The Toasters and Funk Face. Our goal is to create ska, reggae and rocksteady versions of our beloved 80s New Wave songs. We are joined by Steve Shafer (Duff Guide To Ska) on vocals who shares my passion for ska and new wave. We debuted the band in April and then entered the studio with former English Beat bassist Wayne "Waylo" Lothian who produced and engineered 5 tracks that will be released as an EP in 2014.



Without further ado, here is what made 2013 for me...

My top 5 favorite ska releases in 2013

1. The Selecter - String Theory
Historically, what always set The Selecter apart from other 2-Tone bands, was the pairing of Neol Davies songs and guitar playing and Pauline Black's voice, stage energy and unique rude-girl style. Though Black and Gaps Hendrickson continue to anchor the bands' vocals, providing continuity to their storied 2-Tone past,they have smartly surrounded themselves with a tight and talented group of musicians who honor the band's iconic 2-Tone sound. Black and Hendrickson have used that musical foundation to write and record ten modern ska songs that are rooted in the band's legacy but that explore a new spin on 2-Tone's original ideals.



2. Specialized 2 Beat Teenage Cancer
While the first CD in this project celebrated the music of The Specials, this time out its The Beat with Specialized 2: Beat Teenage Cancer. The recording features 44 bands/artists covering The Beat's incredible catalogue of songs with all proceeds going to support the Teenage Cancer Trust in the U.K. Stand outs include Rhoda Dakar's torch song version of "Too Nice To Talk To," Ed Rome's fantastic 60's ska take of "I Confess,"Dubtonik (featuring Charley Anderson of The Selecter) Afro-pop meets reggae version of "Monkey Murder," and Buford O'Sullivan (ex-Scofflaws, The Toasters and Easy All-Stars) and Ruff Scott's reggae re-imagining of "Get-A-Job" called "Wah" that is a stinging indictment of the 1% who own 50% of the world's wealth. Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger also contribute new material and the album has an international flavor with bands from the UK, US, Australia and Czech Republic contributing songs.



3. King Django - Anywhere I Roam
True to its title, the 12 track King Django album, Anywhere I Roam, available on Stubborn Records, is a beautiful musical meditation through a variety of Jamaican musical genres (ska, early, roots and rub-a-dub reggae and roots rocksteady) on what it means to truly commit to life as a musician and an artist and the tensions (economic, romantic, familial) that choice can create. Recorded in various studios around the world with an international cast of collaborators -- Obi Fernandez, The Void Union, The Forthrights, The Scrucialists, Regatta 69, Pannonia Allstar Ska Orchestra (PASO), Mr T-Bone, The Soul Captives and Motha Nature -- the ten originals and two covers (a rollicking ska meets New Orleans blues reworking of The Clash's Career Opportunities with lyrics updated for the Great Recession of 2008 and a stirring Skatalites-like version of The Police's Every Breath You Take that finds the emotional pain in the track that Sting originally wrote as a bitter revenge tale) detail the ongoing conflict between the freedom of life on the road (sex, drugs and ska and reggae) and the tug of memories, family, home and lost love.



4. Paris DJs Soundsystem Presents: Outernational Ska & Reggae Dub Covers Mix
As the late, great John Peel once said, "I know loads of cover versions that are regarded as being better than the original." Its a sentiment that I ascribe to whole heartedly, and one that the always excellent Paris DJs collective has dedicated their time and passion to celebrating. For the last seven years Paris DJs have consistently distributed some of the very best musical podcasts anywhere in the world. As a 2013 New Year's present to all their listeners, they distributed their final, free podcast mix, featuring a diverse mix of ska and reggae covers of songs by Nirvana (Little Roy), Cher (Bang Bang Rock Steady), Nu Shooz (Analog Players Society), Diana Ross (Eva Smart), Jimmy Cliff (Madness) and Sceamin' Jay Hawkins (The Ska Vengers) among others. Go here to download the mix.



5. Phoenix City All-Stars - Skatisfaction
Phoenix City All-Stars released "Skatisfaction" a very enjoyable collection of Studio One meets Skatalites-style take on the Rolling Stones, including versions of "Satisfaction" featuring Trojan Records legend Freddie Notes, "Under My Thumb," "Play With Fire," "Paint It Black" and "Love In Vain." The band features members of UK bands including Pama International, Sidewalk Doctors, Intensifed, Dub Vendor All-stars, The Delegators, Big Boss Man/Bongolian, The Loafers, and Kasabian. "Skatisfaction" follows hot on the heels of "Two Tone Gone Ska," released by the band in the fall of 2012, which is a collection of mostly instrumental versions of classic 2 Tone tracks including "One Step Beyond", "Stereotype", "Tears of a Clown" and "The Prince," "The Selecter," "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down," "Ghost Town," and "Too Much Too Young dub."



Top 10 favorite live ska shows in 2013

Below is a list of my top 10 personal favorite ska shows that I saw, attended, organized or performed at during 2013.

1. Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra - 4/28/13 at Stage 48, NYC
A very rare U.S. appearance by TSPO (or Skapara as their devoted fans affectionately call them) did not disappoint!  The band were energized by an audience of passionate fans who danced all night to the band's ska meets jazz meets rock.  I can now check TSPO off my ska band bucket list!



2. The Specials - 7/17/13 at Pier 26, NYC
In what could be their very last performance in New York City, the reunited version of The Specials (minus Nevile Staple who announced he was leaving the band before the tour) blazed through their iconic set on a beautiful summer's evening on a pier on the Hudson River off Lower Manhattan (with the new Freedom Tower hovering in the background. A diverse crowd (including much of the New York ska scene who turned out) danced madly and sang along with Terry Hall at the top of their lungs for the duration of the show.



3. The Selecter - 9/20/13 at Grammercy Theatre, NYC
The Selecter featuring Pauline Black and Gaps Hendrickson dazzled a New York audience that warmly welcomed their high octane roller coaster ride of ska, pop, roots and punk. Black is a captivating performer; jumping around the stage relentlessly, aiming playful kicks at band members and blessed with a voice capable of making you grin like a fool one minute (the supremely giddy ska/punk anthem ‘Three Minute Hero’) and tear up the next (a startlingly poignant take on the break up song ‘Missing Words’).



4. Apple Stomp - 5/31/13 and 6/1/13 at Irving Plaza, NYC
Legions of ska fans from across the U.S. poured into New York to attend The Apple Stomp, a 2-day marathon romp through the music’s checkered past to watch 16 storied U.S. bands (including The Slackers, The Pilfers, Inspecter 7, Mephiskapheles and more) highlight the American version of 3rd Wave ska. I had a chance to experience the show from the stage (my band Bigger Thomas opened the show on Saturday night) and from the audience. The highlight was seeing The Slackers perform.



5. Roddy Radiation and Lynval Golding - 7/20/13 at Electric Avenue at Character's NYC, NYC
Something incredible and unique happened this past July --a few days after The Specials' gig at Pier 26. Roddy Radiation and Lynval Golding of The Specials performed several of the band's hits (two written by Roddy) with just their guitars in front of a small, but fanatic crowd at Electric Avenue. If you were there, then you saw something very special. If you missed it, then watch below.



6. New York Loves Brandt Abner Benefit Show - 11/25/13 at B.B. King's, NYC
Where The Apple Stomp was a celebration of 3rd Wave American ska from the 90's on, the New York Loves Brandt Abner Benefit demonstrated the tight knit elements of the New York Ska scene who care for their own. Abner (who was a founding member of NYC ska band Skinnerbox) tragically passed away from thymic cancer in September at age 43. In response (and in celebration of his life and music), the NYC ska scene rallied to organize a benefit show at BB King's. A who's who of NYC bands from the 80's and 90's perfomed, including Skadanks, Skinnerbox, Beat Brigade, Rudie Crew, Bigger Thomas, Mephiskapheles, Pilfers and more, raising more than $4,000 for Abner's family. It was an amazing experience and demonstrated the true meaning of thanksgiving and the power of community.

7. The Reggay Lords - 2/23/13 at Electric Avenue at Charcter's NYC, NYC
Don't let their Lord of The Manor costumes fool you. The Reggay Lords (a Brooklyn-based supergroup featuring members of The Forthrights, The Hard Times, The Rudie Crew, and The Slackers) who dress in 18th century garb with frilly shirts and powdered wigs are performing some of the best rocksteady and reggae music you will hear. Be sure to catch them in 2014!



8. The Scofflaws - 1/19/13 at Electric Avenue at Character's NYC, NYC
Those who attended The Scofflaws first Manahattn show in nearly 2 years were reminded why the band remain one of the touchstones of 80's and 90's American ska music. Band leader Sammy Brooks was the focal point of the night, dancing, moving, shouting - and at one point, calling ex-bandmate Buford O'Sullivan up -- for a great version of "These Boots Are Made For Walking."



9. Beat Brigade - 4/13/13 at Electric Avenue at Character's NYC, NYC
These long-time NYC ska stalwarts have returned to playing out live and have recorded a new album of songs that will see the light of the day in 2014. Between the superb Specials/Costello/Clash influenced original cuts and the incredible musicianship of the band, Beat Brigade are one of the most dynamic acts on the American ska scene. Their 80s NYC ska vibe still sounds unique and contemporary after nearly 30 years!



10. Rude Boy George - 11/16/13 at Electric Avenue at Character's NYC, NYC
For the purposes of full disclosure, I'm in Rude Boy George, so to avoid a complete conflict of interest, I'll just say that it was very gratifying to work out and perform a dark and Gothic reggae version of the Psychedelic Furs "Love My Way."



My Top 5 ska hopes and wishes for 2014

1. I continue to have very high hopes for the Electric Avenue ska and reggae shows I co-book and co-promote with Steve Shafer of Duff Guide To Ska. I think we are making progress on establishing a monthly destination in Manhattan/NYC for ska fans to come and check out the very best bands from all over the east coast of the U.S. and beyond.

2. My new band Rude Boy George will be celebrating our first year together in early 2014 and we are planning to release a 5-song EP of some of our favorite 80's new wave songs to mark the occasion. I hope we can play more live shows and that we record and release another EP of ska, reggae and rocksteady versions of 80's new wave.

3. Find the time to read a number of ska and reggae-related books including Suggs autobiography "That Close" and Heather Augustyn's biography, "Don Drummond: The Genius and Tragedy of the World's Greatest Trombonist."

4. I'm beyond excited to see "Riot On The Dancefloor: The City Gardens Documentary" that is due out in mid-2014.

5. Go see more shows. Listen to more music. Play more music. Write more songs.  Write more blog posts on MOTB. Meet more ska-loving people!

The Story Behind General Public's Other Much Darker Video For "Tenderness"

For anyone who came of age in the 80's, General Public's video for "Tenderness" was nearly ubiquitous. It featured smiling, happy children, interspersed with moody shots of Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger singing and dancing in front of swirling lights.  When paired with the songs upbeat sound, the video highlighted the brighter side of the lyrics more melancholy undertones. Otherwise, the video didn't stand out in a way from the many other pop and new wave videos of the era.



That said, if you really paid attention, the lyrics were deeper than they appeared.  According to Wakeling:

"There was a darker side to the song, because it came out in that period of AIDS, fear of AIDS. Nobody really knew much about it, and everybody was all of a sudden terrified to touch a door handle. Being a terrific hypochondriac, and everybody was always having colds on the road on tour, it's like any time anybody sneezed, I was like, could that be AIDS? So it was to do with that, but in sort of non-obvious way."

And to that end, there was another, much darker and more adult version of the video for "Tenderness" which was filmed in the U.K. (by the director of Bronski Beat's cutting edge video for "Small Town Boy") that never aired here in the U.S. The story behind the two very different videos is a classic case of American puritanical views on sex and a U.S. record company that was aiming to place the song at the top of the pop charts (it reached #27 in the Billboard Charts) with a video that would garner regular rotation on MTV. According to Wakeling:

We did two versions. We did one in England with Nicholas Roeg’s son, who’d just become a video director, and he’d just done a Bronski Beat video. I really enjoyed that video, and so our first one had this female lifeguard, and we’re all playing around in the swimming pool. I’d been a competition swimmer, so when they proposed a swimming pool, I said yes yes, thinking I could show off a bit. So the girl and I are supposed to be eyeing each other and then we end up in the shower, and she takes off her jacket and she’s actually a female bodybuilder with a crew cut. She tosses off her wig and embraces me, and that’s the end of the video. Everyone in England thought it was amazing. We brought it over to Miles Copeland and his crew and they said [in a barking tone] “No no no no no.” We said we didn’t have any money to re-shoot, but IRS Records came up with the money. They introduced us to [director] C.D. Taylor whom I like very much, and I think the theme of that video was that Roger and I were very attractive people at sunset. (laugh) We shot much of the performance on the A&M lot. C.D. Taylor found these eye drops that made blue eyes look even bluer with the right lens on. It ended up being my mom’s favorite video. I showed the two cuts to my mom, and she said, “ah, your eyes do look lovely in that one.” 

Check out the radically different UK version of the video for the song below. The risque visuals and storyline of a family man dealing with temptation and infidelity while on the road is far more compelling than most pop videos of the day and completely changes your view of the song forever. Too bad Miles Copeland was so shortsighted!

Antonee First Class of The English Beat Releases "Step On Through" Featuring Tappa Zukie & Militant Barry

If you have caught Dave Wakeling's version of The English Beat during any of his coast-to-coast U.S. tours over the last five years, then you have had the pleasure of enjoying the singing, toasting and stage moves of the band's resident toaster and MC, Antonee First Class.  He complements Wakeling's crooning with crisp toasts and shines on his own songs and freestyle chats. But what you may not know is that Antonee comes from reggae royalty, which he wisely taps on his brand new, irresistible single Step On Through (available on iTunes and Amazon.com).



Antonee (the son of 70's/80's reggae artist Militant Barry and the Godson of 70's reggae singer Tappa Zukie, who together recorded a number of important reggae tracks which which were popular in Jamaica and the U.K.) has updated the duo's 1977 track Living In The Ghetto by sampling the bass line and the chorus and adding his own take on 21st century ghetto life.  It's a song that harkens back to the golden age of 70's reggae with a traditional sound (produced by Antonee and ex-English Beat bassist Wayne Lothian) that is sorely lacking these days and that should appeal to both reggae heads and 2-Tone fans.



I spoke with Antonee, who shared that his father (who served as Tappa Zukie's UK manager before embarking on his own career as Militant Barry) were, along with Don Letts, responsible for helping to popularize reggae with punks, particularly John Lydon of The Sex Pistols (who was a huge reggae fan) and The Clash.  Zukie's MPLA was a favorite of Mick Jones.

"I learned all I know about reggae from my father and Tappa Zukie. I've had nuff sleepless nights as a kid in recording studios with these two, not to mention ghostwriting songs before I was even a teen. They are well affiliated with the punk rock scene of the 70s & 80s.  They use to take The Clash and The Sex Pistols to reggae dances in the UK.  U2 once opened for Tappa, whom my dad was road managing in Ireland before they were U2. My father was also Miles Copeland A&R for his record label.  I used to see Sting and The Police at Copeland's house as a kid before they went famous. They was actually learning the reggae through people like my Dad and Tappa. Dave Wakeling's favorite reggae artist and the first reggae record he ever bought was by Tappa Zukie, whom I lived with. My music history is longer than the average!"

So its no surprise that Antonee has connected with Dave Wakeling, who was a punk when he started The Beat in the U.K. in 1978.  The reggae-punk connection was particularly strong with Miltant Barry who recorded the song Pistol Boy, which was produced by Tappa Zukie and questioned whether or not Side Vicious really killed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.



Read more about Antonee's life as a musician and his time running a reggae record store with his father in Pittsburgh here and listen to his toasting on my new band Rude Boy George's reggae version of The Romantics classic Talking In Your Sleep.

The New Specialized 7″ Series Featuring Music From Dave Wakeling, Ranking Roger & 2-Tone Stars Is Here!

The Specialized 2 - Beat Teenage Cancer 7" series is now available! The brainchild of Paul Williams, author of "You're Wondering Now The Specials from Conception to Reunion" and admin of The Specials fan website, the limited edition 7" series (in conjunction with Jump Up Records) is a follow-up to the recently released double CD collection Specialized 2 Beat Teenage Cancer which features 44 unique and diverse covers of The Beat's entire song catalog. Sales of the compilation and proceeds from 7"series are all slated for the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) in the U.K.

The Specialized project, was conceived by Williams in September 2011 after he watched a TV program about young people with cancer in the UK. At that point, The Specials had just played a prestigious gig at The Royal Albert Hall in aid of the TCT charity. This inspired Williams to come up with the idea of an album of cover versions of songs by The Specials recorded by modern day artists. Thus was born "Specialized- A Modern take on Specials Classics."

The 7" series has the full support of members of The Beat. Both Dave Wakeling (listen to an interview Wakeling did with the BBC about the project) and Ranking Roger have contributed singles in the series --Wakeling has re-recorded "Mirror In The Bathroom" and Ranking Roger appears with Hunt Emerson's band The Spritely Allstars (Emerson is the designer of the Beat girl logo) on the track "Two Swords (Majestic Mix)." They have been joined by other 2-Tone era stars including Neol Davies of The Selecter, Lee Thompson of Madness and Rhoda Dakar of The Bodysnatchers who have also contributed songs. The 7" series also includes my band Bigger Thomas who have contributed our version of "Sole Salvation" on the B-side of the re-recording of "Mirror In The Bathroom.



The entire Specialized 7" series includes:

#1: The English Beat “Mirror In The Bathroom” (new Dave Wakeling version!) b/w Bigger Thomas “Sole Salvation” 7″ (Red Vinyl)
#2: The Spritely All Stars featuring/Ranking Roger “Two Swords” (Majestic Mix) b/w Stiff Joints “Ackee 123″ 7″
#3: The Values featuring/Neol Davies “All Out To Get You” / Lee Thompson “Madness (Acoustically Speaking) b/w Nick Welsh featuring BJ Cole “Save It For Later” / Rhoda Dakar “Too Nice To Talk To”

U.S. residents can order the singles from Jump Up Records and U.K./Europe residents can order through Specialized.

The Next Electric Avenue Show: King Django, Rude Boy George and The Royal Swindle on Saturday, December 7, 2013

The final Electric Avenue show of 2013 will kick off next Saturday, December 7, 2013 at Characters NYC in the heart of midtown Manhattan with a headlining set by the one and only ska legend King Django, the 80's new wave meets ska, reggae and rocksteady of Rude Boy George and the 60's R&B ska of The Royal Swindle.  Selector Steve and The Fat Albert Soundsystem will spin an awesome mix of ska and New Wave! And its only $10 to get in! Doors are at 8 pm and the cover is a super low $10!

Check out videos of each band below including King Django performing "Anywhere I Roam",  Rude Boy George performing a Goth reggae version of "Love My Way" by Squeeze and The Royal Swindle performing "I Don't Need No Doctor."







Electric Avenue is a partnership between myself and my fellow New York City ska blogging pal Steve Shafer (Duff Guide To Ska who also happens to be a member of Rude Boy George). We have teamed up to present monthly ska and reggae shows at Characters NYC, a midtown Manhattan Irish pub (243 West 54th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue in Manhattan) with a big back room ideally suited for live music.

Since last fall, we've been undertaking this labor of love--doing it for free (the bands split 100% of the cover, nobody else takes a cut)--to support ska bands and their fans, and have some fun in the process. Electric Avenue shows already have featured some of the best acts on the Northeastern U.S. ska scene, including Chris Murray (Los Angeles), The Ladrones (Brooklyn/New Jersey), King Django (NJ), The Snails (Philadelphia), The Frightnrs (Brooklyn), Destroy Babylon (Massachusetts), Bigger Thomas (NY/NJ), Beat Brigade (NY), Doomsday! (NY), Los Skarronerros (Brooklyn), The Pandemics (Long Island), The Scofflaws (Long Island), The Bullbuckers (Wilmington, DE), The Reggay Lords (Brooklyn), The Copacetics (Providence, RI) and The Rudie Crew (NY) and The Royal Swindle (New Haven, CT). This summer we were blessed to have Roddy Radiation and Lynval Golding of The Specials perform a solo show for us.

The Facebook Electric Avenue event page can be found here. And take a moment to "like" the Electric Avenue FB page, so you keep up on our shows.

Thanksgiving Reflections On UB40

While visiting home for Thanksgiving this week, my mother handed me a box of old family photos to sort through.  As I was flipping through the pictures, I suddenly and unexpectedly came across this autographed A&M Records promo/press photo of UB40 from the early 1980's that I had completely forgotten about.  It seemed appropriate, given I considered the picture a prized possession and the band honorary family members during a very formative period of my life. I listened to their first 4 albums (Signing Off, Present Arms, UB44 and Labor Of Love) constantly and absorbed an education in British reggae music and concepts of social justice in songs like Tyler, Burden Of Shame, Present Arms, One In Ten, I Won't Close My Eyes and The Earth Dies Screaming that molded me in very important ways. I distinctly remember scrawling the lyrics to Madam Medusa on a desk in my University library as a small form of political protest during the South African Divestment protests of the mid-80's.

In light of the band's current situation, I wanted to share my personal story of meeting members of UB40 at an A&M Records press event for college DJ's  in NYC in 1984 or 1985 where I was given the press photo. Astro, Jim Brown, Robin Campbell and Norman Hassan greeted the 15 or so people in attendance, previewed their new album "Geoffrey Morgan," and then autographed press photos for everyone in the room.  Being in close proximity to the band and hearing new tracks like If It Happens Again and As Always You Were Wrong Again was energizing, and I remember feeling more excited than I ever had about any thing in my life up to that point.

After leaving the press event, I saw Astro and Robin Campbell outside the A&M Records offices.  They were admiring Rolex watches that were displayed in a high end jewelry store. As I debated approaching them to tell them how much I loved their music, Astro caught a glimpse of me, and recognizing me from the event, waved me over and asked which watch I thought he should buy! I pointed at one without thinking and he laughed saying I had good taste!  He then asked me my name and said he would put me on the guest list for the show at The Beacon Theatre later that night.  I couldn't believe it.  True to his word, my name was on the guest list. Its a day I will never forget.

And so, despite the band's current ups and downs and its latest trials and tribulations, I want to give thanks for UB40.   Fantastic music and a small act of kindness many years ago had such an important impact of me as a young man.

UB40 Vocalist Astro Reunites With Ali Campbell

Days after announcing his split from UB40, vocalist Astro (Terence Wilson) has announced he will join the band's former lead vocalist Ali Campbell and keyboardist Mickey Virtue for a live show next Friday, December 6th at London's indigO2. Campbell and Virtue left UB40 in 2008.  Its unclear if this is a one-off show or if Astro plans to join Campbell and Virtue's version of UB40 on a full-time basis. Astro stated that his departure was due in part to unhappiness with band management and the new country-flavored album "Getting Over The Storm."

According to a report in Complete Music Update, Astro stated: “It’s going to be great working with Ali again after all this time. We started on a mission to promote reggae music and that mission is still ongoing. Onwards and upwards!” Campbell added: “We originally formed UB40 to promote reggae. It was never about promoting individual band members – it’s about the music and the fans. Nothing else matters. Welcome home Astro!”

UB40 drummer Jim Brown posted comments on the band's message board which provide more insight on the move. According to Brown:  "The band had a meeting with astro a couple of weeks ago because we had heard a few rumours that he had been in contact with Ali. Astro completely denied that he had seen Ali, he also gave us his word that he was totally committed to the bands up coming gigs. We also gave him extra money because he was having financial problems. He took the money and we haven't seen him since."

UB40 saxophonist Brian Travers also posted about the move on the band's message board:  "The 1st time I heard astro was unhappy was on the radio the day he left…he was 100% behind the project before that, he did loads of interviews enthusing about the album, he didn't contribute anything to it BUT then he was never a prolific writer and never wrote any music…his interview shocked the shit out of us….Anyway...y'gotta laugh…"  Travers added: "...what Jimmy didn't tell you was it was all the money we had available, leaving ourselves skint!"