6 Definitive British Ska & 2 Tone Bands Featured On ‘This Is England’

At the moment in which this is england in 2006 under the direction of Shane Meadowsbecame one of the most outstanding British films of the first decade of the new millennium, which also delayed quite a chaotic timebut of which little has been explored the reasons for cultural and political conflicts.

We talk about the decade the 80s, the years in which the United Kingdom went to war with Argentina to “recover” the unknown territory of the Malvinas Islands. The war, which was not talked about as much as it should, revealed between the lines a racist discourse that was supported by different groups, among them, the skinheads.

Although skinheads were born in response to music, specifically ska and 2-tonesoon, some of its members of majority white and working classused their constant appearance in groups with boots, suspenders and their heads shaved, with the addition of T-shirts with the swastika, a Nazi salute and the idea of ​​rejecting migrants.

this is england

In this is englandthe father of our 12-year-old protagonist Shaun was one of just over 250 Britons who died during the conflict. So when you meet a group of skinheads who listen to good music and wear Dr. Martens boots, find a place to belong.

The harmony of the group, which includes a young man of Jamaican descent, is broken by the arrival of Combo, the former leader who, after being released from prison, begins to talk to them about how migrants have occupied the spaces that belong to themand that they don’t even have the papers to go to a war like in the Malvinas.

Shaun starts to wear plaid shirts, suspenders, and shave his head at Woody’s girlfriend’s hair salon. In the background, a live album poster is seen. dance craze The Best of British Ska…Live! where we see the biggest bands of the 2-Tone movement (the album comes from the 1981 documentary titled Dance Craze).

so over here We will tell you about these bands. But first, we leave you here the podcast that delves into The falklands warthe cultural, political and social implications in Argentine and British societyand how the conflict transcended a soccer field.

The Picker

Pauline Black, lead singer of The Selecter, is one of the biggest female icons in UK music. From her first concert, where they played songs about racism and with a feminist tone, she made the decision to dress similarly to their peersbut with a feminine touch when wearing makeup. And in her words, she changed everything.

The Selecter was made up of seven diverse members of African and Afro-Latin descent, with only one white boy and one female vocalist (which as a fact, comes from a Nigerian and Jewish family, raised with a white family). The Pickerit is fair to say, was the representation of what the 2-tone movement achieved at the time: unite the youth

Bad Manners

Buster Bloodvessel, the lead singer of Bad Manners, is one of the best showman not only in the genre, but in general. And that made the Bad Manners, even now, the UK’s great party band. In the singer’s words, They never tried to be smart, they just wanted to have fun.

And that’s what you get for over 40 years with the group’s debut on the album ska‘n‘B. in 1980. As it is, the way to define them in front of the other bands, is that his vision and his way of presenting himself was more relaxedwith hints of humor courtesy of Buster.

The Beat

A group that had short time to live in your first period, but that managed to captivate audiences with three studio albums. The Beat, known as the English Beat in the United Statesmanaged to rise to fame after going on tour with The Specials, who invited them to record their first album with the 2-Tone label.

Surprisingly, it was they who achieved success in the US market (unlike Madness and The Specials) with I Just Can’t Stop It. After their first breakup, members of the band founded other groups that were moderately successful, but nothing compared to the glory of The Beat.

The Bodysnatchers

And if we talk about Pauline Black, then we must also mention another of the definitive figures. We refer to Rhoda Dakar from The Bodysnatchersa band that grew from a bunch of hit singles, but never managed to record an album for their separation in 1981.

The big difference, and the one that marked The Bodysnatchers above the other bands, is that It was made up of all women. A few years ago, the vocalist released Rhoda Dakar Sings the Bodysnatchers, the album that he would have liked to release between 79 and 81, with those singles that took them out on tour with The Specials and the bands that stayed.

Madness

Madness needs no introduction. They are an institution. They’re one of the most successful British bands of all time, and one of the bands that landed countless songs on the biggest charts (cough cough, not in the US, mind you).

The phenomenon with Madness in the UK was enough for the band, that being made up of pure white men playing music with Afro-Latin beats, brought them a retinue of racist followers seeking white supremacy. However, away from all those speeches, the band became the representative of British ska and to date, they remain active.

The Specials

The Specials is one of the most popular bands of the genre, and one of those that transcended beyond the 2-Tone boom. This, despite the fact that initially they did not achieve the expected success in the United States with their spectacular debut album in 1979. The reason? There are many, but the main one is the little or no understanding of music and lyrics.

The band was born during a working class crisis in Coventry after a heyday in car manufacturing. All of her songs appealed to the everyday life of a society facing problems from all sides: unemployment, recession, unplanned pregnancies, broken families, and class differences.

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