The Rise of Two Tone 1979

 The Rise of Two Tone 1979

by Pete Clemons

17 Dec 2021 The Primitives – A homecoming gig the Empire

Coventry's very own, The Primitives, are playing a gig at the Empire in Hertford Street on December 17th during the run up to Christmas. It is being billed as a 'homecoming' concert. Supporting acts include The Session, who have had a wonderful few years themselves, Watermark and Danny Ansell.

But that phrase 'homecoming' had me thinking back to 1979 when Coventry experienced a couple more homecoming concerts. They were at Tiffany's nightclub, they were on December 20th and these gigs featured The Specials. And those homecoming gigs were remembered fondly in Horace Panter's book 'Ska'd For Life' where he described them as 'some of the most fantastic shows I have ever played in my life'.

The tail end of 1979 was a time when the whole 2 tone scene was exploding nationally. The foundations had been laid and The Specials had just completed their own headlining major tour. Suddenly, from playing local pubs months earlier, they were now playing dance hall sized venues.

A quick run down of some of the key events included certainly indicates how things were snowballing for the 2 tone scene. The bands involved had suddenly found themselves in an intense and demanding time. And for several months either side of Christmas 1979 Coventry really felt like the centre of the world. This is only a snapshot. Other TV appearances etc were also happening:

October 1979

The Specials, The Selecter, Dexys Midnight Runners/Madness are on their 2 tone tour

The Specials release the single 'A Message to You Rudy'

Madness perform 'The Prince' on top of the pops 11 October

The Specials debut album is released 19 October

Madness's One Step Beyond album is released 19 October

The Specials perform 'A Message to You Rudy' on top of the pops 25 October

The Selecter perform 'On My Radio' on top of the pops 25 October

November 1979

The 2 tone tour continued

The Beat appear at Tiffany's

The Specials perform at The Lyceum in London which is recorded

The 2 tone tour concludes at Tiffany's on 29 November where The Specials are again recorded. The Selecter and Dexys Midnight Runners also appear.

So in demand was the November Tiffany's gig forged tickets were rumoured to be circulating the city. The concert organisers, Lanchester Polytechnic Students Union, were aware and warned that the tickets were 'a very professional job'. A representative for the union stated that 'they have used orange dayglo card and imitated the Poly logo. We always use of a side strip. But these tickets are not numbered and stood out a mile'. Organisers had been tipped off by a student who had bought a forgery at the full price of £1.75. A further warning was issued: 'Students with forged tickets will be turned away from the doors'.

December 1979

The Selecter, The Beat and UB40 appear at The Lyceum in London

Footage is recorded of the Specials at their Earlsdon HQ for a TV documentary

The Beat and UB40 appear at Tiffany's

The Beat perform 'Tears of a Clown' on top of the pops

The Specials and The Selecter both appear on BBC Radio One In Concert

The Specials and The Beat appear at Tiffany's on 20 December for 2 homecoming shows

Within the December 19th issue of the Coventry Telegraph it mentioned that 'The Specials, one of the top rock bands, are putting on a charity show for children at Tiffany's in Coventry tomorrow afternoon. It is a matinee event and will start at 4pm. The concert is in aid of the Community Education Project in Coventry. Additionally, it will be followed in the evening by a sold out gig in aid of the Cambodia Relief Fund.

January 1980

The Special AKA live EP is released 11 January. The B Side are live takes from the November 79 Coventry and Lyceum gigs

And here we are again 42 years on. I am not comparing the two events. But, in The Empire, we have just had a major music venue open, Christmas is fast approaching and Coventry suddenly feels in demand again. The venue has hosted sold out shows featuring Tom Grennan, Ed Sheeran, Paul Weller. So the analogy feels similar. It has been an awful long time.