FLASHBACK and FAST FORWARD: The English Beat, The Phoenix, Toronto April 5, 2012

Funny story about how I happened to attend this live concert in downtown Toronto this past Thursday.  I had recently re-connected with a dear high school / university friend Santino Bellasario after being apart for 26 years.  We shared a common interest in literature, movies and especially new wave music in our formative years.  In particular, we attended a number of live concerts together in the early 80s, the defining ones being two separate English Beat performances at the old Masonic Temple / Concert Hall venue in Toronto (more about this later).  I was calling him several weeks ago, and he serendipitously mentioned that the English Beat would be in town.  We booked our tickets immediately!

The English Beat to Santino and I represented the voice of our generation in the late 70s / early 80s; wildly energetic inter-racial two-tone band, trying to cope with Thatcher’s harsh economic policies, promoting a message of love and unity, with a unique sound that fused ska, punk, reggae and pop.  They released three albums in three years (1980-82), but the standout was their first record, ‘I Just Can’t Stop It’ which still today sounds fresh, kinetic, relevant and undiminished.  I have listened to songs from this album non-stop over the past 30 years, receiving heavy rotation on my mp3 player while I train for my marathons (it is perfect up-tempo music!).

The Concert – Then (1981/2), Masonic Temple

The day of the concert, the three of us (Santino, Barb and I) left early and took the Finch bus and Yonge St. subway to downtown Toronto.  We were able to get to the front and center of the stage (general admission with no seats on main floor).  If I recall correctly, the opening band for the second concert was a relatively unknown group, Huey Lewis and the News, who had just released a song called ‘Do You Believe in Love?’  Needless to say, the audience could not wait to see them leave the stage!

The English Beat came on stage to the raucous roar from the tightly packed fans and quickly started into their high energy non-stop performance.  The original band members consisted of lead singers Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger, guitarists Andy Cox & David Steele, drummer Everett Morton, and the ultra-cool seated legendary saxophonist Saxa. The band was gyrating, jumping to the infectious sound that seemed to vibrate through our bodies.  It was as an intense accelerated wall of sound!  They played the majority of their songs from the two released albums at the time, with no-holds-bared punky songs from the first album ‘I Just Can’t Stop It’ juxtapositioned nicely with more roots-oriented sounds from ‘Wha’happen?’  For example “Click-Click” was followed with “Dream House in NZ.”  Other standouts were “Ranking Full Stop,” “Get-a-Job” as well hits “Mirror in the Bathroom” and “Tears of a Clown”

On the floor, I had to barricade my arms around Barb to keep her from being crushed from the swaying, pogo-ing, jumping mass of fans. At times it felt like this wave of bodies was trying desperately to get closer to the Beat, with several jumping on stage.  It was an exhausting, exhilarating, sauna-like, totally draining, never to be repeated, experience.  At one point, Santino lost his glasses, went down to pick them up, and promptly fainted from the heat exhaustion.  My first thought was “OMG, he is going to be trampled by the crowd.”  Luckily, he was lifted to his feet still unconscious, his body carried by the crowd over their heads, in unison, until he was transported to the safety of the back row.  To this day Santino remembers little of the incident other than reaching for his glasses, passing out, and then staring up at the ceiling, as he was being carried over people’s heads, when he had revived.  Later, on way home on the subway, we laughed about it and compared bodily fluids on our completely drenched clothes (evidence of blood, sweat and tears!).  We all instantly recognized that we had experienced the Concert of Our Lives!!

Below is an English Beat video that is an accurate representation of the kinetic energy from their music and live performances from the early 1980s.



The Concert – Now (2012), The Phoenix

Thirty years later, Santino and I are once again riding the subway to see the English Beat in downtown Toronto (some things change, some stay the same)!  It is weird riding the subway after so long, but we once again arrived at our destination early.  We locate a large bus that belongs to David Wakeling of the English Beat across the Phoenix, and see fans eagerly seeking autographs and photos, of which he obliges. Once inside the concert venue, I undergo a weird case of deju vu, with the layout of the Phoenix very much like the Masonic temple and we are once again front row center before the stage, only this time there is a steel barrier separating the band and bouncers from the throng of the audience. The crowd slowly saunters in and is a fascinating mix of old loyal fans and younger hipper 20/30 somethings.  As we immediately realize, these could be children exposed to music of late Boomers/Gen Xers like Santino and I or simply curious Gen Yers who have broad musical interests via the Internet and iTunes.  The crowd ultimately swells to more than 1000 strong, filling the hall to capacity.

The opening band, the Half-Beats (no kidding) are extremely young school kids who make up for lack of seasoning by pure heart and guts.  After a lengthy wait, this version of the English Beat enters the stage at 9:45 pm.  The only original member on the stage is Wakeling, who is touring within the US supported by a solid group of musicians. Ranking Ranking is doing a similar tour within the Britain as the English Beat UK.  Andy Cox and David Steele went on to have success as Fine Young Cannibals in 1985. Everett Morton and Saxa played as the Internal Beat from 1990-95. 

The first thing you notice is that Wakeling is older (what did I expect?), declaring that the Beat just celebrated their 33^rd anniversary, in contrast with his more youthful supporting band. But he is smiling, joking, self-deprecating and clearly enjoying what he is doing.  And his voice is still strong.  Some memorable lines; “In your 20s be careful what you say, because you’ll have to remember it in your 50s,” “I don’t remember the 80s, was the Beat before General Public or vice versa?”

The song selections were heavily tilted towards the ‘I Just Can’t Stop It’ album, with eleven choices, including the entire Side 1 of the original vinyl record, much the delight of adoring fans.  Wakeling was surprised that most fans were familiar with and singing along to the words of the songs.  There were three songs from ‘Special Beat Service,’ two from ‘General Public’ and one from his solo phase.

The music was efficient, but did not have the chemistry and excitement of those early 80s concerts.  Nonetheless, instead of frenetic assault from early 20s angry young men of the past, this was more a time for savoring and stretching out of these same songs.  The pacing was good, with the band performing without a break until 11:30pm, or nearly two hours.  The set started with a mellow “Roughrider”, hit its stride with “Click Click” (about teenage suicide in the late 70s UK) and “Stand Down Margaret” (“Thatcher did not look like Meryl Streep but your brother-in-law with hemorrhoids and a hangover”) and ended with rousing renditions of “Tenderness” and “Mirror in the Bathroom.” 

After all these years, Wakeling still has the magic!  For a moment at the end, I felt transported back to the Masonic Temple in the front stage hanging on for dear life!  This time Santino did not pass out, even though it was just as bloody hot!  At one point, Wakeling sang his solo hit, “I’ll Take You There” and I don’t think he realized how true those words were for us. Thank you David Wakeling for sending Santino and I to back to that special time and place!!

Phoenix

Concert Set Song Listing:

Roughrider

Tears of a Clown

Hands Off She’s Mine (extended)

Twist and Crawl

I’ll Take You There

I Confess

Click Click

Sooner or Later

Whine and Grine

Stand Down Margaret

Two Swords

Can’t Get Used to Losing You

Sole Salvation

Never You Done That

(Want the Ska)

Ranking Full Stop

Tenderness

Mirror in the Bathroom