Reviewed on Wednesday March 23
The Two Tone genre still manages to entice loyal fans out of the woodwork for a night or two of true bop and bounce. And yes my friends it’s that time again. Dust off your skankin’ boots, get your braces ready and your trilbies in place. The Selecter are back in town.
As a crowd beings to assemble, Sydney ten piece Project Collective Ska warm up tonight’s proceedings with a set of instrumental tunes. It doesn’t take completely, with many remaining motionless.
No time to dwell it seems. Please all rise for living legend Pauline Black AKA frontperson for The Selecter: Queen of Two Tone, advocate for human rights, and a woman that still maintains that energy and vocal radiance that made her a British household name in the first place.
Accompanied by fellow original member Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson and their talented band, this is a more theatrical performance than just your garden-variety gig. They treat us to a selection of tunes from across their three decades in the spotlight, preceding each with a short few lines of rousing poetry.
Opening with their reimagining of ‘The Avengers Theme’, they continue with ‘Fuck Art Let’s Dance’ from their 2011 release String Theory. “We only stop to start again,” booms Hendrickson, before launching into the first major crowd hit ‘Three Minute Hero’, with its insatiably catchy chorus and plodding beat.
From then we are privy to the likes of ‘Celebrate The Bullet’, the title track from their 1981 album, as well sweet slices from their most recent release Subculture. The anti-sexism anthem ‘Open Goal’ rings out firm in its message, while ‘See Them A Come’ is a more reggae-infused number, with Hendrickson taking the lead.
Then it’s back to the classics. Too Much Pressure is cracked wide open, throwing the crowd into frenzy with the menacing ‘James Bond’, poignant ‘Missing Words’, and of course ‘On My Radio’, which sees three audience members pulled up on stage for a boogie.
“We here in Two Tone land like to play new songs,” beams Pauline to a sweat-soaked audience. “While we like the older, wonderful songs of yesteryear, we think you deserve something new.”
You’ve got a point Pauline Black, but as is the case tonight, the oldies will always be your draw card.
