Line-up

Venue

Pacific Amphitheatre

100 Fair Dr., 92626, Costa Mesa, CA, US

www.pacamp.com

View upcoming concerts

Additional details

Doors open: 17:20

Concert in your area for Reggae.

Find out more about .

Steel Pulse biography

Steel Pulse formed in Birmingham, England, UK and is well known for their roots reggae music. They are critically acclaimed for their political take on music and were the first non-Jamaican band to receive a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.

Steel Pulse formed in 1975 and is looked at as one of the most important British reggae bands. The band was known for their Rastafarian and protest-minded beliefs. The band’s music consists of an upbeat reggae sound with elements of Latin and Jazz music. Despite the band’s sound varying from punk music, their music was well received by the punk community in the UK and they toured with well-regarded punk acts such as The Stranglers and XTC.

Eventually the band started to tour with bands closer to their style of music like Burning Spear. The band soon caught the attention of Island Records, who signed them to a record deal. Their debut album “Handsworth Revolution” was released in 1978 and was considered a milestone album for the growth of British reggae. The album was a great critical and commercial success. The album reached the No. 9 position on the British charts and contained the singles “Ku Klux Klan” and “Prodigal Son”. The success of the album gained the band an opening slot on Bob Marley’s tour as well as gave the band an opportunity to headline their own shows.

After the band released two more successful albums, “Tribute to the Martyrs” in 1979 and “Caught You” in 1980, they parted ways with Island Records and signed a deal with Elektra Records. The group released their album “True Democracy” in 1982, which showed the band returning to more political roots as well as a more light-hearted sound. The album peaked on the Billboard’s Top Pop Albums chart and contained the single “Worth His Weight In Gold (Rally Round)”. The band continued with their political tone in their music with the release of their 1984 album “Earth Crisis”.

For the band’s next album Island Records urged Steel Pulse to take a more pop oriented direction with their next release. In 1986 the group released their album “Babylon the Bandit”, which was well received critically and commercially. The album contained the hit single “Not King James Version” and received the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. In 1988 the band switched labels and released their album “State of Emergency” through MCA Records. The album was more advanced in production quality compared to the band’s previous albums and blended rap elements with reggae. The band’s 1991 album “Victims” followed in the same style as the band’s previous album and gained them a Grammy nomination in the Best Reggae Album category.

In 1997 the band released the album “Rage and Fury”. The album is considered one of the band’s politically heaviest albums with songs like “The Real Terrorist” and “Black and Proud”. The album was also well received, reaching the No. 4 spot on the Billboard Top Reggae Album chart as well as receiving a Grammy nomination. The band’s 2004 album “African Holocaust” was also well received and contained guest appearances by Damian Marley and Capleton as well as a cover song of Bob Dylan’s “George Jackson”.

Steel Pulse’s music has also appeared in several films. The band contributed the song “I Can’t Stand it” to Spike Lee’s film “Do The Right Thing”. Steel Pulse is also well renowned for their live performances and has appeared at many notable reggae festivals such as Reggae Sunsplash USA, Jamaican Sunsplash, and Northern California annual Reggae on the River Festival.

The English Beat biography

The English Beat, known as The British Beat in Australia and simply The Beat elsewhere, are a British ska revival band formed in Birmingham, England in 1978.

The original lineup of The Beat were together for just five years, splitting in 1984 after meeting with both critical and commercial success with their blend of ska, reggae and 2 tone. In that time, they toured with some of the biggest musical names on the planet, including R.E.M., The Specials, David Bowie, Talking Heads, The Clash and The Police. Since the breakup, they’ve performed together just once - in 2003 at London’s Royal Festival Hall. VH1’s Bands Reunited television show tried, unsuccessfully, to make the reunion a permanently going concern, but instead, the two singers from the original band - Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger - have fronted their own versions of the group.

Wakeling is the singer in The English Beat, who have continued to tour and record. They contributed a couple of brand new songs to a Scooby-Doo cartoon in 2013, and announced plans in 2014 for a new album the following year, set to be titled For Crying Out Loud. It is set to be paid for via crowdfunding - in particular, PledgeMusic - and will be their first proper release since summer 2012, when they dropped a box set titled The Complete Beat. Rhythm Epkins, Matt Morrish, Kevin Lum and Larry Young round out the current lineup of The English Beat.

Live reviews

I have been a huge Steel Pulse fan since I got their live CD back in the early 1990’s. I think they are one of the best Reggae bands ever. I know most of their songs and love to see them live. This concert did not disappoint.

They opened as usual with their hit political song “State of Emergency” which was a protest song against White South African oppression. They then did their hit song “Roller Skates” and the classic “Steppin Out”. The audience was very fun and all were die hard Steel Pulse and reggae fans. They ended their show with an encore of “Rally Round the Flag” which is an anthem for Pan African Freedom and unity. The band sounded great and are not showing their age.

They put on a great show and it was a lot like the recordings I have heard of them live from 20 years ago. I also like the fact that they are a political band and are not afraid to stand up to oppression and speak out for social justice. You do not see that today in many of the current bands. They are more concerned about making money and bowing to corporate America.

Anonymous

Simply put, to see The English Beat live is to experience profound happiness from the top of your pork pie hat to the tips of your checkered shoes!

From the moment Dave Wakeling and the rest of this legendary 2 Tone ska band take the stage, the dancing (“skanking!”) begins. Songs like “Save it for Later” are well-known classics but you may be surprised at just how many of their upbeat, saxophone-infused songs you’ll recognize.

Playing at smaller venues, Dave engages the audience between songs with funny stories of life in his hometown of Birmingham, England, and other witty commentary. They usually play a long set – upwards of two hours. And afterwards it’s not unusual for Dave and the band to shake hands & pose for pictures with their fans that crowd the front of the stage.

My love affair with The English Beat began in 1980 when they first toured the U.S. I went to see headliner, The Pretenders, but left the concert completely in love with the opening act, The English Beat. And you’ll fall in love, too, when you see them.

Report