On Thursday night those legendary Three Minute Heroes - The Selecter - brought the party to Gloucester's Guildhall. One of the original 2 Tone bands who mixed politics and good times with a punked-up version of '60s Ska, The Selecter were and are a powerful argument for multiculturalism and unity. And a damn good live band too...
Original Rude Girl Pauline Black and toaster/MC "Gaps" Hendrickson led a smokin' hot band through such Ska classics as Three Minute Hero, Missing Words, James Bond and On My Radio. And the Guildhall audience responded with their feet! Everybody got up and danced and sang along to the infectious "riddims" and soulful lyrics.
Although The Selecter may not have as many classic songs as contemporaries The Beat or The Specials they have two singers with great voices, stage presence and charisma, and an ability to pump out the good vibes on a par with any other band you could mention.
Pauline is warm, passionate and outspoken ( and, it has to be said, pretty foxey for a woman in her '50s ) and possesses what Rolling Stone magazine calls "the best voice that ever graced a 2 Tone release."
And Gaps is a ball of energy, working the crowd, enchanting the ladies, and somehow still looking stylish and cool, even when he's so hot that sweat is dripping off the end of his tie :-)
After a fantastic set of familiar oldies and plenty of fine new songs from the band's Made In Britain album they encored with an ecstatic, crowd-pleasing version of Too Much Pressure / Pressure Drop, the perfect end to a great night. Definitely a band I'll have to see again...
...and Rob, Sam and Helen all agree! Cheers!!
Also in the audience, my mate Ruth, getting down with her bad self ;-)
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