The Specials

Colston Hall Presents on Bristol Harbourside

Venue:

The Amphitheatre
Time:

19:30
Date:

Fri 19 Jul 2019
Price:

£46.50 incl. booking fee
Ages:

14+

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Colston Hall is proud to present The Specials, one of the most influential and important bands in music history, live at Bristol’s Harbourside on 19 July 2019 for their biggest show in the city to date.

2019 sees The Specials release ‘Encore’, their first album of new music in 37 years, on Friday 1 February via UMC /Island Records, and undertake a series of sold-out live shows across the country. The album release and tour coincides with the 40th anniversary of the band’s formation and the birth of the legendary 2 Tone label in 1979.

With their infusion of ska and punk, The Specials embodied the political anxieties of a polarised nation, giving voice to the dispossessed with iconic music such as 1981’s epoch-making ‘Ghost Town’. Across the decades, the impact of their music has never lessened. 40 years after the band’s inception, the music of The Specials resonates now as much as ever.

This Harbourside show will see the Specials return to Bristol, nearly 40 years since they played the Trinity Hall when the band’s star was first in its ascendency. This summer, in a city whose own cultural and social history reverberates in the electrifying music of this iconic band, the Specials will give Bristol an exhilarating and joyous live show to remember.

Ticket Terms and Conditions

To help ensure tickets only go to genuine fans and are not touted the following terms and conditions have been agreed.

Tickets are limited to 4 per customer.
The lead booker’s name will be printed on the tickets. Please bring photo ID, the card used to purchase the tickets, confirmation of booking or receipts, and suggest the party must all arrive together.
The event ticket will immediately become invalid if resold or offered for sale.
Tickets are unable to be reprinted once issued.
Tickets are non-refundable.
If purchasing a ticket as a gift, please click the relevant box in the purchase path and include the name of the recipient.

Accessibility

This is a standing event. All areas of The Amphitheater are wheelchair accessible and there is a raised viewing platform towards the back of the amphitheater in a central position.

If you require assistance attending this concert or wish to gain access to the raised viewing platform please contact box office directly on 0117 203 4040 or by email at hello@colstonhall.org

We also recommend signing up to our Access Register which you can complete online here.

Plus support TBA

Ages 14+ (Under 16s to be accompanied by an adult)

This is a standing Colston Hall Presents show at The Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside, Explore Ln, Bristol BS1 5LL

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Colston Hall Presents

Loudly and proudly presenting shows in venues of all shapes and sizes across the city.
With grateful acknowledgement of the support of Bristol Harbour Festival.

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True innovators of the punk era, The Specials began the British ska revival craze, combining the highly danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk’s energy and attitude, and taking on a more focused and informed political and social stance than their predecessors and peers.

The band was originally formed in Coventry, in 1977, as the Coventry Automatics and later the Special A.K.A. by songwriter/keyboardist Jerry Dammers, with Terry Hall (vocals), Lynval Golding (guitar, vocals), Neville Staples (vocals, percussion), Roddy Radiation (guitar), Sir Horace Gentleman (bass), and John Bradbury (drums). An opening slot for The Clash stirred up interest with the major labels, but Dammers instead opted to start his own 2-Tone label, named for its multiracial agenda and after the two-tone tonic suits favored by the like-minded mods of the ’60s. The Dammers-designed logos, based in ’60s pop art with black and white checks, gave the label an instantly identifiable look. Dammers’ eye for detail and authenticity also led to the band adopting ’60s-period rude-boy outfits (porkpie hats, tonic and mohair suits, and loafers).

The Specials debuted with the “Gangsters” single, which reached the U.K. Top Ten in 1979. Soon after, hordes of bands and fans followed in the same tradition, and the movement reached full swing. Over the next several months, 2-Tone enjoyed hits by similar-sounding bands such as Madness, the (English) Beat, and the Selecter. Late in 1979, the band released its landmark debut album, The Specials, produced by Elvis Costello. They followed with several 2-Tone package tours and a live EP, Too Much Too Young (confusingly credited to Special A.K.A.). The title track, a pro-contraception song, was banned by the BBC but reached the number one spot in the U.K. At this time, the band switched musical directions, releasing album number two, More Specials, with a new neo-lounge persona. Signs indicated that the movement was fading and 2-Tone began to experience financial troubles. Nevertheless, a film documenting the 2-Tone package tours, Dance Craze, as well as its companion album, saw considerable success.

“Ghost Town,” one of the band’s most significant singles, was issued in 1981 amid race-related unemployment riots in Brixton and Liverpool. The song jumped to number one, but the band was falling apart. Hall, Staples, and Golding left to form Fun Boy Three, leaving the band without its trademark voice. Dammers held on, reverting back to the old name, Special A.K.A., and enlisted a new vocalist, Stan Campbell. After several years, they returned with In the Studio in 1984. They managed a few hits, including “Racist Friend” and “Free Nelson Mandela,” but the album stiffed. The band’s final single, “What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend,” failed to break the British Top 40. Dammers dissolved the unit and pursued political causes such as Artists Against Apartheid.

Shortly after the official breakup, various members of the band joined up with other ska revivalists (English Beat, etc.) to form a touring unit named Special Beat. By the mid-’90s, in response to the third wave ska revival, a Dammers-less version of the Specials reappeared with a series of shameful cash-in albums: Today’s Specials (1996) Guilty Til Proved Innocent! (1998), and Conquering Ruler (2002). The Specials reunited again in 2008 (still without Dammers) and toured until 2015, when John Bradbury, the backbone of the 2-Tone sound, passed away in December at the age of 62. Trombonist Rico Rodriguez had died three months earlier, on September 4. He was 80 years old.

The Specials

Colston Hall Presents on Bristol Harbourside

Venue:

Time:

Date:

Price:

Ages:

Don't miss out on tickets again!

Ticket Terms and Conditions

Accessibility

Be part of it!

Colston Hall Presents

We’re building a
world-class
music
venue for Bristol

#transformthehall

The Specials

Colston Hall Presents on Bristol Harbourside

Venue:

Time:

Date:

Price:

Ages:

Don't miss out on tickets again!

Ticket Terms and Conditions

Accessibility

Be part of it!

Colston Hall Presents

We’re building a world-class music venue for Bristol

#transformthehall

We’re building a
world-class
music
venue for Bristol