THE SKATALITES + THE PETTY THIEVES – THE CON CLUB, LEWES 25.05.19
Never have I had a stranger feeling than going to watch a band play live who were formed in the same year that I was born, yet somehow I reached that age tonight. The Con Club in Lewes beckoned as this intimate venue continues to attract diverse and wonderful bands. Tonight, was an opportunity to see one of the original Ska bands play locally, yet next Sunday there is anarcho punk in the form of the Subhumans.
The Skatalites had made it to Lewes as part of their 55th anniversary celebrations with founder member Doreen Shaffer at the helm. A real coup for The Con Club, The Skatalites are an eight-piece band hailing from Jamaica, though they now have a more universal line-up with members coming from as far afield as New York, Bordeaux and Nigeria. All other original members of the group have sadly passed on apart from saxophonist and trumpet player Lester Sterling who is now 83 years young, but no longer touring with the band.
Their original line-up was short lived as they weren’t even together for two years before splitting up but even in such a short time they had a major impact on the Ska scene and their influence on the creation of Two-Tone in the United Kingdom is there for all to see. It’s crazy to think that I was in nappies when Doreen founded The Skatalites and that she is still going strong all these years later having rejoined the band in 1992.
Support act for tonight were The Petty Thieves from ‘the dirty suburbs of Medway’ as vocalist and guitarist Sam was happy to tell us. They opened their set with their impressive first single ‘Take Your Time (Don’t Rush)’ which was released in early 2017. An all-white seven-piece band they embrace the reggae and ska sound naturally and the room soon started to fill up after an impromptu interlude following the second song whilst the late arriving members of The Skatalites made their way to the dressing room via the stage, with bass player Val Douglas negotiating it on zimmer frame.
They continued their set with ‘Change’ which was possibly my favourite song of theirs, with the introduction reminding me of The Beat. Next up they played ‘Louder Than Words’, both tracks taken from their album ‘The Right To What Is Wrong’ released last year, which had distinct UB40 influences. All good for those of us that can just about remember the late seventies/early eighties.
I found it unusual that vocalist and lyric spinner, Steve, was stood a bit further back than the rest of the band, as normally you find a lead singer be the centre of attraction, but in this case guitarist and joint lead vocalist, Sam, played the frontman role confidently conversing with the audience regularly.
The Petty Thieves were surprisingly loud, and my earplugs were put to good use. You may laugh but years of gig abuse has taken its toll. There was some good use of the maracas and tambourine on their most recent single ‘Heavy Soul’ to add something different to their own brand of reggae, ska and funk. If you should see The Petty Thieves playing live, then do buy some of their reasonably priced merchandise so they can afford to buy a van for touring around in future.
Tonight’s setlist was:
‘Take Your Time (Don’t Rush)’, ‘Regret’, ‘Change’, ‘Louder Than Words’, ‘Same Situation’, “new one”, ‘Heavy Soul’, ‘What if…..?’.
The Petty Thieves are:
Nato – Rhythmical Bad Man/Drums
Jac – Subsonic Dub Rumbler/Bass
Sam – Verbal Narrator & Rhythm Creator/Guitar & Vocals
Steve – Lyric Spinner/Vocals
Dillon – Sleaze Generator/Tenor Sax
Chris – Groove Simulator/Alto Sax
Joe – Soul Stimulator/Keys.
Listen to The Petty Thieves HERE.
The Skatalites were due onstage at 9.30pm, but after what felt like the longest soundcheck ever, they didn’t actually start their set until 9.45pm. You could have been forgiven for thinking that they were being laid back, but their eye for the meticulous would pay dividends. With an 11pm curfew set were we to be cheated out of fifteen minutes worth of skanking? Not a chance.
The excitement heightened as Ken Stewart led us in the countdown from ten to start off the set with ‘Freedom Sounds’. Almost instantaneously it was plain to this mere reviewer’s ear as to why they had been such perfectionists in getting the sound exactly right as they proceeded to deliver a professional masterclass in musicianship.
The first five songs were all instrumentals including the classic ‘James Bond Theme’ which warmed the crowd up nicely for the moment we had all been waiting for. The Queen of Ska entered from backstage to a rapturous reception from the crowd. Born sometime in the early forties, it would be rude to mention her age but if you were to hear her sing without actually seeing her then you would likely plump for somebody half her years. She is the sweetest pop star you are ever likely to witness as she repeatedly expressed her love for the Lewes audience who returned the sentiment with interest. Maybe she had found her spiritual home having been born in Kingston Jamaica she found herself 4,700 miles away on the doorstep of Kingston, Lewes, if only the weather was similar. A younger member of the audience stood next to me kept on repeating her love for this wonderful performer and seemingly wanted to adopt her as a Grandmother, which is not an unreasonable request by any means if you have ever had the pleasure of meeting her. When the Queen of Ska sang ‘Try A Little Smile’ it was impossible not have a big smile on one’s face such is her infectiousness. ‘Simmer Down’ went down a storm as the crowd did anything but!
During the evening there were times when I just closed my eyes and let the music carry me along on the crest of the wave. The brass section was tight knit like I have never witnessed before with James Smith on trumpet and Zem on saxophone. This was even more impressive given that they had a guest trombonist in the shape of the massively talented Dennis Rollins who blended in seamlessly with the band. I never realised that a trombone player could be so influential in a band’s sound.
The mutual appreciation between the band was there for all to see as they pumped fists after reeling off solo after solo. The crowd clapped and whooped every piece of musical magic to emanate from the stage. Drummer Trevor Thompson deserves a special mention for his expertise with the sticks as I regularly found myself transfixed on him. He got on with his job without receiving all the plaudits reserved for the rest of the band, but his contribution did not go unnoticed. And there was the ever cool Val Douglas plucking away at his bass guitar with The Skatalites since 2004 and deserving of his seat onstage. This man has a musical CV the length of Lewes High Street and has played with the best including Bob Marley and Toots & The Maytals.
Ken Stewart on Hammond organ was the voice piece of the band prior to Doreen’s entrance and when he ventured centre stage his entertaining dance moves including the skipping rope put everybody to shame. Natty Frenchy took the lead after Doreen exited stage and he shone as brightly as his expert guitar solos.
This was the first time that I had seen The Skatalites play live and it really was impossible not to feel endeared to any of the band members. They had certainly turned it round after the soundcheck wait and they were not intent on stopping anytime soon.
The 11pm finish time came and went as they were still in full flow. They played their most famous song ‘Guns Of Navarone’ followed by ‘Phoenix City’ which had the audience jumping in synchronisation with little encouragement from the band. They finished off the set with ‘Freedom Sounds (reprise)’, but the crowd were baying for more.
They returned to the stage for a cover of ‘You’re Wondering Now’ and thinking it was the end Mr and Mrs Murphy left happy in the knowledge that they had witnessed one of the great Ska bands of all-time still rough and tough after 55 years. Foolishly though I had assumed wrong and they played yet another song not finishing until 11.30pm, having truly given their fans value for money and an evening they won’t forget in a hurry.
This band are so professional that they don’t require a setlist but tonight they played:
‘Freedom Sounds’, ’Garden of Love’, ‘Confucius’, ‘Two For One’, ‘James Bond Theme’, ‘Golden Love’, ‘Nice Time’, ‘When I Fall In Love’, ‘Sugar Sugar’, ‘Try A Little Smile’, ‘Simmer Down’, ‘Rock Fort Rock’, ‘Guns Of Navarone’, ‘Phoenix City’, ‘Freedom Sounds (reprise)’, (encore) ‘You’re Wondering Now’ (plus one other that I missed!)
The Skatalites are:
Doreen Shaffer – vocals
Ken Stewart – keyboards
Natty Frenchy – guitar
Val Douglas – bass guitar
Azemobo ‘Zem’ Audu – saxophone
James Smith – trumpet
Trevor Sparrow Thompson – drums
Dennis Rollins – trombone
More information on The Skatalites, click HERE.
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