I went to the Showbox to catch Dave Wakeling's current incarnation of the English Beat, the day before flying out on a business trip. (Apologies for taking so long to "file my report"; between travel, getting ready for Christmas, and buying a new house, I've been quite busy this month.) Bryan Ollie, the funkmaster general of KSER, came with me. It was his first time seeing the Beat, and we got there early enough to get a choice spot at the front of the stage. Dave and the guys did not let us down. Sure, Wakeling's the only original member of that beloved band left onstage, but his fellow musicians all are capable, and very into the music. Dave's voice is still in fine shape, and needless to say, the Beat's songs are bulletproof.
The "interludes" in the set came when Wakeling changed guitars and tuned up. While he was doing that, the group's toaster, King Schascha, would start freestyling, and the rest of the band would find a groove. (I just titled each one after the most prominent line that he used.) At one point, Schascha told the crowd how much he enjoys Seattle. To hear him tell it, he gets into a lot of things for free here, because people mistake him for Richard Sherman.
Anyway, as usual, the band was in fine form. And they went on without a setlist. At least, none that was taped to the monitors or anything; Dave just called out each song, and the band started playing. They included a song from a new English Beat album that's in the works, a romantic ballad entitled "We Said We Would Never Lie" that was really fine. Something to look forward to in 2016, for sure. They played a long set, with no encore.
Rough Rider
Tears of a Clown
Hands Off, She's Mine
Twist & Crawl
Rude Boy's Town (interlude)
I'll Take You There
I Confess
Keep This Party Going (interlude)
Whine & Grine/Stand Down Margaret
Click Click
Save It for Later
We Said We Would Never Lie
Here He Goes (interlude)
Too Nice to Talk To
Can't Get Used to Losing You
Seattle (interlude)
Sole Salvation
Tenderness
Ranking Full Stop/Mirror in the Bathroom
Jackpot
Opening was a quartet from L.A. called the Interrupters. The three instrumentalists (all brothers) all dressed in white button shirts, black suspenders, black slacks and black Doc Martens with white socks. They all had buzzed haircuts too. The guitarist and bassist moved almost continuously, skanking and running and jumping around the stage, occasionally bouncing into each other like balls in a pachinko machine. The female singer, in a porkpie hat, leather jacket over an English Beat t-shirt, gray tights and black Docs, has a strong voice, and worked hard to rev up the crowd. They laid down a stripped-down ska-punk sound, similar to Operation Ivy or Rancid. (In fact, their lone LP is on Hellcat, Rancid's label. Tim Armstrong produced and helped with songwriting.) Tuneful originals, plus a cover of Bob Marley's "Judge Not." Nothing here we haven't heard before, but it's been ages since I've heard it done better. A highly entertaining, rocking band, well worth catching. Full stop!
