THE NEVILLE STAPLE BAND + DUB PISTOLS + HOT WAX – ST. MARY IN THE CASTLE, HASTINGS 27.8.22
With the beautiful building that is St Mary in The Castle sadly due to close its doors as a Music/Arts venue to the public due to a lack of funding as of November, they’re certainly going out with a bang as they are putting on some excellent shows and none more so than tonight’s ‘Rock Against Racism’ concert as the launch party for the exhibition curated by Ruth Gregory that runs until 17th October.
The Rock Against Racism movement was started in 1976 and ran until 1982 as a reaction to increased racist tension around the time, especially not helped by some highly inflammatory comments from Eric Clapton. Ruth Gregory joined as an activist in 1977 and was at the forefront of the movement which put on some powerful protest concerts in order to open the eyes of music lovers as to what was happening on our doorstep. Ruth now resides in St Leonards-On-Sea, so we are lucky enough to have the exhibition reach Hastings and she is on the door as I arrive to greet the early comers.
The exhibition is very interesting and a reminder to my generation as to how bad racism was back in the seventies and eighties, and sadly how a lot of it was accepted by many as the norm until RAR came onto the scene. It’s a sad indictment on our society that this type of concert is still required in a far more multicultural 2022 as racism continues to be rife, though the landscape has changed somewhat as it’s now also quite often from behind a cowardly keyboard. Whichever way there is no place for racism anywhere, and it is all credit to Ruth for bringing it back into the spotlight along the south coast. If you should get the opportunity then it is well worth a look especially for those who missed RAR and are unaware of the history behind it.
Back on the music this evening and I recall waxing lyrical about a local band called The Kiffs after seeing them at Hastings Fat Tuesday in early March 2019 at The Carlisle (Review HERE) and being so impressed that I promised myself that I would follow the progress of the four girls from Rye College. Sadly, just sixteen days later The Kiffs were no more after their lead singer left the band and I must admit to being most disappointed at the time. Thankfully though the remaining members persevered and after advertising for a singer they settled on moving forward as a three piece with guitarist Tallulah taking over lead vocal duties and Lola remained on bass guitar.
There was also a name change to HotWax as they forged ahead with a new identity. After a couple of drummer changes the band now seem settled with Alfie on sticks and the dynamic appears to work well. They have never been scared to experiment and are now evolving into a punkier grunge sounding band which is just fine with me. They never hesitate to bring the strength of their guitar and bass playing expertise to the fore of their songs and have now seemingly found a drummer to compliment these strengths. I got a sneaky photo of the setlist beforehand as the band made their way to the dressing room which was written on the back of Alfie’s wage slip envelope with a nice “Thank you Alfie. Good job” message on the back, which could also be extended to his drumming skills.
Fresh from their ‘BBC South Introducing Live Lounge’ session on Thursday evening, this band are surely destined to one day be headlining such gigs as this. The crowd was trickling in throughout the set, but I feel sorry for those that missed out on hearing this fine young band. We are two-thirds of the way through the year and for me they have released the single of the year in ‘Barbie (Not Yours)’ which I purchased a limited edition (number 4 out of only 20 pressed I believe) signed vinyl copy at the launch party. The lyrics to this song hit hard about the objectification of women and Tallulah does not hold back in the aggressive delivery of the chorus. Lola is sporting an appropriate pair of two-tone dungarees for the occasion, with what appears to be the same HotWax t-shirt underneath as I am wearing.
Tallulah was so observant that she even notices she has served some fish baps to some rather hipster looking young members of the crowd earlier today. If HotWax keep on moving forward at the pace they are doing so, then I would anticipate that she won’t need to be serving fish baps for much longer. I hope that doesn’t come as a blow to her employer, but maybe she could drop their name into a future song as compensation for losing her to musical fame. This is the second year they have played as part of ‘Rock Against Racism’ and judging by tonight’s performance it’s clear that they have earned that. Finishing off the set with the angst of ‘Rip It Out’ leaves me wanting more but at the same time I do think this is a great track to end on.
Having supported Supergrass recently, they are starting to get noticed in the right circles. HotWax will be heading to Brighton soon and are headlining at The Prince Albert on 13th September, so if you want to see what all the fuss is about then get yourself down there whilst they are still performing at these small venues. Tickets are only £6 for students, £8 online, or £10 on the door – Details HERE. Alternatively, they will be playing the free entry ‘2,3,4 Fest’ over the weekend of September 24th and 25th, at The Green Door Store.
HotWax are:
Tallulah – vocals and guitar
Lola – backing vocals/bass guitar
Alfie – drums
HotWax setlist:
‘Barbie (Not Yours)’
‘Octonauts’
“New One”
‘When We’re Dead’
‘Baked Beans’
‘Drop’
‘Stay Cool’
‘1000 Times’
‘Rip It Out’
The main support act for this evening is the Dub Pistols. They have been around for 26 years and are eight albums deep, yet our paths have never crossed until this evening. Founder and only original member Barry Ashworth only started a band because of his love of the Happy Mondays. There have been a few hiccups along the way and a Barry Ashworth autobiography sounds like it would be an interesting read. One example is being primed to break the States having signed for Geffen Records only for their album to unfortunately be released the same week as 9/11. Here was hoping that nothing would go wrong tonight.
I had no idea what to expect from the Dub Pistols and I have to say that I really wasn’t sure if they would be my cup of tea until I got speaking to one of their ‘roadies’ at a concert I attended on Thursday evening, and he promised me they are a very good live band. He wasn’t wrong either as they grab you by the musical short and curlies from the moment they enter the stage and don’t let go until they have finished. Their onstage charisma is second to none as they are clearly born to entertain their loyal fanbase, one person I speak to, had seen them in Cornwall last week. They certainly know how to have a good time as the dancefloor is in a party mood. Now personally I am more suited to a mosh pit, but it really is impossible not to get involved as the atmosphere is so joyous. There is plenty of interaction with the crowd as they delve into their back catalogue to play their unique rub a dub rub, ska infused reggae, with some drum and bass thrown in.
The fact that I don’t even know the songs doesn’t seem to matter and I still join in with the crowd interaction for both ‘Sticky Situation’ and ‘Get Mucky.’ Then there is ‘Gun Shot’ where the crowd has to get down low and then jump around. There are regular mentions from joint vocalists Barry Ashworth and Seanie Tee as to why we are here tonight with mention of equality, attitude, love, and understanding. Peace is the overriding message as they tell us that these pistols don’t hurt when they shoot.
If they hadn’t won me over already, when we are told they can’t play a ‘RAR’ gig without a tribute to one band, it brings great pleasure to myself that it is a homage to The Clash, and I am sold on their superb cover of ‘Bankrobber’ with their own toasting twist courtesy of the irrepressible Seanie Tee. Barry cheekily tells us how the song is a tribute to his dad who was a bank robber, well actually a shoplifter! The only song missing from the setlist from my perspective is their cover of The Stranglers classic ‘Peaches’ which I would have been interested to hear.
I have to say that Barry and Seanie bounce off each other brilliantly throughout the set and the band compliment them. It becomes apparent why Seanie is in such a good mood as we reach the end of the set, and he talks about his footballing allegiance towards Arsenal who had won earlier and top the league. For that we should be grateful that we get to see Seanie perform in August and not next May!
When they have finished their set, there is a feeling around the room that a lot of people would have been happy enough if the concert were to have ended there and then but luckily for us there is even more to come.
Dub Pistols are:
Barry Ashworth – vocals
Seanie Tee – vocals
Joshua Thomas – drums
John King – guitar
Pete York – bass
Dave Medland – trumpet (but not tonight!)
Tonight’s setlist is:
‘Never Never’ (from 2017 ‘Crazy Diamonds’ album)
‘Running From the Thoughts’ (from 2007 ‘Speakers And Tweeters’ album)
‘Real Gangster’ (from 2015 ‘Return Of The Pistoleros’ album)
‘Problem Is’ (from 2007 ‘Speakers And Tweeters’ album)
‘Bad Card’ (from 2012 ‘Worshipping The Dollar’ album)
‘Sticky Situation’ (from 2015 ‘Return Of The Pistoleros’ album)
‘Keep The Fire Burning’ (from 2007 ‘Rum And Coke’ album)
‘Rub-A-Dub’ (from 2012 ‘Worshipping The Dollar’ album)
‘Money Buys Money’ (unreleased song from last year)
‘Bankrobber’ (from 2020 ‘Bankrobber’ single)
‘Gun Shot’ (from 2012 ‘Worshipping The Dollar’ album)
‘Pistoleros’ (from 2015 ‘Return Of The Pistoleros’ album)
‘Mucky Weekend’ (from 2012 ‘Worshipping The Dollar’ album)
Top of the bill tonight is the Neville Staple From The Specials Band. Neville was born in the founding home of Ska that is Jamaica in 1955, before moving to the UK at the age of five and eventually settling in Coventry. He joined The Specials in 1978 as they went on to become the most influential band in the Ska revival scene and Neville was key to their energy and onstage presence. Living in a small village in Scotland, I missed out on seeing The Specials play live first time round, though they were a staple on my cassette player, and I remember listening to ‘Rat Race’ repeatedly whilst studying for my ‘O Grades’ (equivalent to GCSE for you youngsters) before I joined it myself. On moving to London, I was lucky enough to see Neville perform with the Fun Boy Three at Hammersmith Palais in 1983 not long before they called time on the band after just two years together. I wasn’t reunited with Neville for a further 26 years until The Specials reformed in 2009 and I saw them at Brixton Academy in a great show. I have since seen his latest band on one occasion, so I felt in safe hands knowing that I would be guaranteed a good time.
Aside from music, Neville was awarded a well-deserved honorary Doctorate for his services to Music and activism, by Arden University in 2019 and now goes by the title of none other than Dr. Rude Boy, whilst his wife and fellow band member Christine ‘Sugary’ Staple was awarded the accolade title of ‘Modern Day Lady Godiva of Coventry’ in 2021, as recognition for her charity work and activism for numerous causes.
They started off tonight’s set with the song that kicked it all off for 2 Tone Records back in 1979, the brilliant ‘Gangsters’. For a first single to reach number six in the UK charts back then it was quite an achievement, and this song brought the two tone scene to prominence in double quick time. Nowadays 67-year-old Neville no longer has the energy that he was renowned for in The Specials having been beset with health problems which would finish the careers of most normal human beings, but Neville is without doubt a fighter and he still has that aura on stage that associates him with being the original rude boy. His cheeky grin and wink show that he is still loving life despite all that has happened to him in recent years. Sugary more than makes up for it in the dancing department as she is on the move constantly throughout the set performing a full workout whilst keeping us entertained. Her energy is infectious as I find myself dancing to a stomping set. Sugary as always is on lead vocals for the catchy ‘Original Rude Girl Sound’ as the skanking pit is taken over by women joining in the singalong, but I don’t feel out of place in this all-inclusive crowd.
My only concern about this evening was that the sound at the venue has sometimes been poor in the past as it seems to get lost depending on where you locate yourself, but I needn’t have worried as from where I am standing it seems like the sound technicians have mastered it tonight.
There is a touching moment during the set when Sugary invites the woman of the moment Ruth Gregory onstage to say a few words in support of the cause and they embrace. The great reception from the crowd is most deserving for Ruth.
I last saw The Specials almost a year ago at Brighton Centre (Review HERE) and for me tonight is the better setlist given that it has two of my favourite songs from their first album ‘Concrete Jungle’ and ‘Little Bitch’, which I recall grumbling about being omitted from The Specials gig. On top of that they play two songs from the Fun Boy Three era that I saw played live 39 years ago, in ‘Farmyard Connection’ and the still relevant ‘The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)’. This is a wonderful set that takes us through the musical history of Ska and Dr. Rude Boy himself. The band shine through with their exuberance and are a credit to Neville and Sugary who seem to have created a tight knit family. The set comes to an end with a cover of ‘You’re Wondering Now’, which was originally released by Andy and Joey in 1964 and is the last track on The Specials self-titled first album. Nowadays you may also recognise it as the theme tune for the BBC One show ‘Death In Paradise’. Neville and Sugary exit the stage as the band play us out and that is the end.
This was a wholesome night shared with a lovely group of people singing from the same hymn sheet, supporting a cause that shouldn’t even need to be addressed in a civilised world, yet here we are 46 years later still trying to rid society of this ugly stain. Let’s hope that people eventually get the simple message.
The band line up is:
Neville Staple – lead vocals & original Rudeboy!
Sugary Staple – vocals & tour manager
Joe Atkinson – keyboards & additional vocals
Sledge – bass guitar & backing vocals
Matty Bane – drums
Peter Johnson – trombone & backing vocals
Billy Shinbone – guitar & backing vocals
Drew Stansall – regular sax
Tonight’s setlist is:
‘Gangsters’ (The Specials cover)
‘Johnny Too Bad’ (The Slickers cover)
‘Little Bitch’ (The Specials cover)
‘Pressure Drop’ (The Maytals cover)
‘Farmyard Connection’ (Fun Boy Three cover)
‘Do The Dog’ (Rufus Thomas cover)
‘The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)’ (Fun Boy Three cover)
‘Monkey Man’ (Toots & The Maytals cover)
‘A Message To You Rudy’ (Dandy Livingstone cover)
‘Original Rude Girl Sound’ (from 2018 ‘Rude Rebels’ album)
‘Too Hot’ (Prince Buster cover)
‘Concrete Jungle’ (The Specials cover)
‘Ghost Town’ (The Specials cover)
‘Long Shot Kick De Bucket’ (The Pioneers cover)
‘Nite Klub’ (The Specials cover)
‘Do Nothing’ (The Specials cover)
‘You’re Wondering Now’ (Andy & Joey cover)
Brighton will have its own ‘Rock Against Racism’ concert on Saturday 8th October 2022. It has been organised by Global Beats Promotions and it will be held at Chalk in Pool Valley and currently on the bill are Misty In Roots, Macka B & The Roots Ragga Band, The Members, and Attila The Stockbroker. Purchase your tickets HERE and HERE.
