This post is mainly about a gig I've been to this week, but it's also to do with the appreciation of older music within our generation. I'm sure many of us can remember the music that we grew up listening to and, I'm sure that we all agree, mostly this is directly influenced by our parents choices. Many of us probably try to forget the cheesy 60's classic pop our mum's listened to, try to look the other way when they're the first ones up dancing at weddings when that's all the DJ's (oddly continue to) play. I have to admit, I was quite lucky, with my dad being a DJ in his early teenage years, growing up he introduced me to a really varied music taste. I would grab any chance at all that I could to raid his record collection and play them based almost entirely on which album/single artwork caught my eye first.
I'm pleased to say, despite my embarrassment that it happened at all, that the days of my singing along to Britney Spears, The Spice Girls and Westlife as a kid are long since over, and I will never be able to thank my Dad enough for introducing me to such influential bands so early in my life. In my teenage years my music taste grew and expanded and I quickly found a real passion for Punk and Ska. My parents were never really fans of the likes of The Ramones and The Sex Pistols, although my dad would play the odd track by The Who or bands such as Madness and the Selector, a sound I really came to adore. I later moved onto other genres of music and the days of playing my Dad's vinyls soon faded out. However, recently, a friend of mine - obsessed with the 60's Mod fashion and culture - picked up two tickets to see The Specials at the Manchester Apollo and so we dropped in to see them this week. Although I have to admit I wasn't overly familiar with their music, as I began listening it seemed unthinkable that I'd missed out on such an iconic band of the late 70's/early 80's. I seemed to wait for months for the concert to roll around but it was worth it as I have to say now that this is one of the best concerts that I have ever been to, here's why.
Arriving at the Apollo we were dressed in our usual "going out attire", heavily consisted of chelsea boots and loafers, "vintage" skinny jeans, patterned shirts and leather jackets. It was pretty unusual for a Mod style concert and I was slightly worried that the older generations would make us feel slightly out of place. As we were thirsty but unwilling to remortgage our houses to grab a beer so early on in the venue, we shuffled through the overcrowded pub around the corner (clearly everyone has the same idea). To my surprise, there was a real range of ages, and we didn't feel even slightly out of place - a few times we were even complimented for the way we were dressed, and it was widely commented that it was so nice to see younger generations embracing such classic music. A lot more relaxed, we settled in for what we now thought was sure to be a good night.
As soon as we entered the Apollo (having entirely missed the support acts) we managed to struggle to the middle of the crowd and barely minutes lately we were greeted by The Specials who opened up with "Ghost Town". I know it usually goes without saying, but I'm serious when I say that listening to these guys on CD, MP3 or even Vinyl does them no sort of justice compared to listening life. I've often found reformed or reunited bands a little disappointing in the past as they often struggle to live up to their potential. I do appreciate I wasn't born when this particular band was at it's peak and so my judgement should be taken slightly tongue in cheek, but comparing their recorded material as well as live footage from the 1980's, I believe they've done a really good job at recreating the whole experience. Every song was lively, and infallible from start to finish. Being in the crowd was intense, atmospheric and emotional and you could tell that for some of the older generation listening to the band and revisiting their younger years meant a lot. I, meanwhile, didn't stop dancing - although the crowd got a little more "rough" towards the last few songs - and the experience of "Skanking" (a dance influenced by Ska music) with other people around us was the highlight of the night. Standout tracks for me included "Rat Race", "Too Much, Too Young" and "Monkey Man". They aptly ended with the track "You're wondering now" with the cleverly placed closing lyrics,"You're wondering now, what to do - Now you know this is the end." A perfect end to an amazing night.
So it goes to show that music of our parents generation is just as enjoyable as today's offerings. It's important that we recognise where the music that we listen to now is influenced from, and it was an honour to witness one of - if not the most - influential acts throughout the Ska genre and, as cheesy as it sounds, it was definitely a night I won't forget.
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