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The Specials

Rock

The Specials Tickets

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About

The Specials are a trend-starting ska-revival and 2 Tone band that came together in 1977 in Coventry, England. The band was responsible for starting the early ‘80s ska scene and released a string of timeless songs including “"A Message to You, Rudy" and “Too Much, Too Young.”
Band members Jerry Dammers, Tim Strickland, Silverton Hutchinson, Horace Panter and Lynval Golding started the band with the intention of creating a musical statement against racism. As with the punk era it followed, the ska scene featured politically minded lyrics. This trend was started by The Specials, and their mixture of reggae dancehall music and modern British political lyrics proved very popular.

Tim Strickland was replaced by Terry Hall shortly after the band's formation and within a year they had added Neville Staple and Roddy Radiation to the group. Another line-up change occurred soon after, as drummer Silverton Hutchinson was replaced by John Bradbury just before the band released their debut single, “Gangsters.” Released on Jerry Dammers own label, 2 Tone Records, the song was a hit and they quickly followed with their self-titled debut album in 1979. They returned to the recording studio for the follow-up, titled More Specials, in 1980, which included backing vocals from the likes of Belinda Carlisle and Chrissie Hynde. They hit No. 1 in the charts again with the huge hit “Ghost Town,” a song that still gets used regularly in movies and TV shows today as an iconic, instantly recognizable song from the era.

At the end of 1981, three key members of the band left to form Fun Boy Three, and new talent was brought in. While the band continued to tour all over, front-man Jerry Dammers was finding a new passion away from music, and in 1984 he dissolved the band to pursue his political activism work on a full-time basis. Various members of the band toured in off-shoot bands and there were various short-lived and one-off attempts at reunions in the ‘90s, but finally in the ‘00s fans got to see a more authentic version ofTthe Specials, as they performed in a number of high-profile gigs with many original members. One such performance came in 2007 alongside Lily Allen and Damon Albarn at Glastonbury. In 2013, The Specials released a new live album titled More... Or Less, and they plan to keep on working together.

Reviews

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 based on 23 reviews
  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Beyond expectations

    by Tammy H on 2019-06-27The Danforth Music Hall - Toronto

    The Specials were absolutely magnificent. I took me back to when I saw them in 1982. I took a friend who was not sure if she recalled may tunes but once the band started she remembered and got right into it. The girl who sang with the band was outrageous! A real treat. Kudos. Anyone who missed it, missed an amazing experience!!!

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Amazing

    by D. J. on 2019-06-22The Danforth Music Hall - Toronto

    Don't miss them when they come to town next. Top notch Ska band, as expected.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Excellent 👍

    by Moggie on 2019-06-22The Danforth Music Hall - Toronto

    It was a great night so much fun to see these guys perform and they sounded great!

  • Rating: 3 out of 5

    Disappointed

    by Guzziglider on 2019-06-22The Danforth Music Hall - Toronto

    The sound was awful. You couldn’t hear the singers very well. Terry hall seemed totally uninterested in being there, let alone being on stage. Every chance he had, he was at the side of the stage taking a toke. We saw them last year and they were amazing. I don’t know what happened.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Fab!

    by Gidget on 2019-06-22The Danforth Music Hall - Toronto

    The band was excellent...they haven’t lost their sound and seemed to really appreciate the audience. Good crowd and atmosphere.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Outstanding

    by R. on 2019-06-22The Danforth Music Hall - Toronto

    The band were at their best. The new songs blended with the older tunes for a magnificent evening

  • Rating: 4 out of 5

    Specials return

    by Theartchick on 2019-06-21The Danforth Music Hall - Toronto

    The new album is great—social commentary and infectious rhythms so was really looking forward to the show. The sound was good except for Safiya’s piece—horribly unintelligible, a shame since it’s a great song with important ideas. Good band, tight horns that are so necessary for the Specials. Was Terry really reading the lyrics from his music stand? He seemed unfocused. Nice variety to the set list but I was hoping for more from the new record. The opening band was terrible.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Bloody Awesome

    by cheaphead on 2017-06-11The Danforth Music Hall - Toronto

    First time i heard and seen this band. i was so impressed how they had the crowd in a wild frenzy, dancing and having a great time.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    The Specials

    by dozys62 on 2017-06-09The Danforth Music Hall - Toronto

    It was brilliant seeing the Specials again 40 years later! Great tunes, lots or energy, the crowd gets into it. Go check them out if you've never seen them before, if you have a good time will had again :)

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    by Anonymous on 2017-06-09The Danforth Music Hall - Toronto

    A great show - full of energy, all the classics played, crowd was super enthusiastic. Loved it!