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THE ENGLISH BEAT ANNOUNCE MARCH UK TOUR
Dave Wakeling, the original lead singer of ska kings The Beat, is touring the UK in March with his US based band, The English Beat. Ranking Roger fronts The Beat here in the UK, and they tour constantly, so fans of their timeless music will be spoiled for choice.
“…the band’s secret weapon was pop, the ear-candy tunes and sharp-fanged lyrics of frontman Dave Wakeling – at his finest, a singer-songwriter as savagely witty as Elvis Costello.†ROLLING STONE
It will be Dave's first UK tour, after several years living in the USA. The singer, songwriter and guitarist behind one of the biggest 1980’s 2-Tone bands, will be performing all the hits of The Beat, General Public and his new songs. The English Beat will play an extensive run of UK dates, including shows at O2 Academy venues in Liverpool, Glasgow, London, Oxford, Bristol and Dave’s hometown and the birthplace of many Beat lyrics and classics, Birmingham.
It’s impossible to forget UK Top 10 singles, ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’, ‘Hands Off She’s Mine’ and ‘Too Nice To Talk To’, before The Beat disbanded in 1983.
“I am extremely excited to be back in the UK on home soil. “Thanks to the O2 Academy venues and Skamouth Festival for making this happen, it is like totally going to be a blast dudes!"
Friday 7th March – Holmfirth, Picturedome
Saturday 8th March - Liverpool, O2 Academy2
Sunday 9th March - Birmingham, O2 Academy2
Monday 10th March - Glasgow, O2 ABC2
Wednesday 12th March - London, O2 Academy Islington
Thursday 13th March - Oxford, O2 Academy
Friday 14th March - Bristol, O2 Academy
Sunday 16th March – Skamouth, Great Yarmouth
Tickets £16.00 adv. from: Ticketweb.co.uk or 0844 477 2000 or venue box office.
* As the US ambassador for Specialized, a charity project set up to help raise money for The Teenage Cancer Trust, Dave has created an all-star two tone line up including members of the Specials, Selecter, Bad Manners, Body Snatchers and Bellestars to record a cover version of the Madness hit "Our House," for the Specalized 3 – Mad Not Cancer album. Last year Specialized released an album of 28 BEAT covers for Teenage Cancer Trust.
Photo credit: Bryan Kremkau
Words SIMON REDLEY
