The Full Story
The Specials Ltd
When the original line up of The Specials split in 1981 they left behind a legacy which has been unrivaled by a single band since. The group were integral to promoting an anti-racial ethos, created a unique image and combined punk, ska and reggae music while lyrically commentating on the state of Britain in the late 70’s and early 80’s. They formed their own 2-Tone record label which launched the recording careers of Madness and The Selecter while being fundamental to the introduction of The Beat and Bad Manners and created a musical heritage which has lived on for over 40 years. They reformed for a 30th Anniversary Tour in 2009 and created a buzz of excitement for both old and a new wave of fans all around the world.
The Specials Ltd recreate the passion and enthusiasm of the Specials from 1979 to the 30th Anniversary Tour, bringing back memories of those who were there first time around and showing younger fans what they missed. Featuring members of 2Rude, the long established ska group widely known as one of the best tribute acts in the UK and former live collaborators with original Specials guitarist Roddy Radiation, The Specials Ltd are a 9 piece band full of energy, excitement and accuracy, performing Specials favourites such as Gangsters, Too Much Too Young and Ghost Town from the golden era of 1979-1981.
MR "H"
I’m the founder and creator of The Specials Ltd The idea was brought to me after watching The Specials reform back in 2009. As a child I loved Ska music, actually at the time I was into Adam Ant, and my sister was heavily into Madness. She turned my love from Adam Ant to Madness after taking me to watch Take It Or Leave It 10 times at the cinema. I remember I had to turn my Harrington inside out for a day to show my change in music. The crazy things we done in them days. My love for Madness as a band just grew and grew. I missed the tail end of the Specials as I was a bit young. It’s only listening to them again that made me realize what a great band they were and are today. It grew to loving other styles of Ska played by other bands such as the Beat, the Selecter, and Bad Manners etc.
At the age of around 16 I started getting into other types of music, but my love of ska was always on the back burner. As I said, different types of music came my way. I loved artists like Prince for a good while, and then decided to learn bass. Must admit I wasn’t a brilliant bassist but got by. Started being a front man in a band I created with Mr Captain Mc Scarlet called The Calm. We described our music I’d say as indie/ska, bit like The Ordinary Boys, Dead 60s. That ended and the ska thing stayed, and that’s when I decided to create what I’ve got today, one of the best live bands you will ever see.
