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Editor's Note: This blog was contributed by my favorite Renaissance Man - Michael Lawson.

Having a Riot – The Specials @ Brixton Academy

7th May 2009

Flashback to June 1981. The Specials' single “Ghost Town” spent three weeks at the UK number 1 spot, enjoying success in the UK Top 40 for the next two months. The song was written as a response to large-scale unemployment present in UK (mainly the North) largely accredited to the Thatcher government’s economic shortfallings. Sound familiar? Thought so. Yet not long after that, The Specials dissolved when Staple, Golding and Hall left to form the band Fun Boy Three. “Who?” I hear you ask – never mind, that’s not important right now.

Two months earlier, Brixton - the Afro-Caribbean hub of South London - was burning; nearly 300 police officers and 65 civilians were injured during three days of rioting. The arrest of a local black man resulted in hundreds of youths rampaging through the streets hurling petrol bombs at police, burning cars and looting shops in an outbreak of violence that started in the area of Railton Road and Atlantic Road in central Brixton. Many local people blamed the recent police 'Operation Swamp', which enabled police power to stop and question people supposedly at random, in an attempt to crack down on street crime. However, many young black men felt they were being unjustly singled out by officers, causing widespread resentment. Understandable.

Flash forward to present day (apologies if this is becoming like an episode of Lost) – Thursday, 7th May 2009 – Brixton is buzzing and I’m drowning in a sea of checked shirts, Fred Perry polo’s and 2 tone. Shaved heads surround me, although granted more than one or two are now the result of Mother Nature rather than a disposable razor. I enjoy a drink in one of the many Brixton bars packed to the rafters with men and women who have descended on my old haunt for one reason only – the London opening night of The Specials Reunion Tour – it’s about time.  Notably, they're playing without founding member Jerry Dammers; however, I decide not to delve into speculation, but to maintain the view that 6 out of 7 Specials is definitely better than zero Specials. It’s time to reignite the spirit of the Ska movement and celebrate our cultural differences the only way we know how.

So who were The Specials?

In 1977 Jerry Dammers formed 'The Specials AKA' in Coventry, UK. The band, which included Lynval Golding and Horace Panter and later Terry Hall and Roddy Byers, played a pivotal part in the Ska Revival movement and pioneered what became known as the two-tone scene. The band had already created a stir in Coventry when Joe Strummer, having witnessed a Specials AKA gig, invited them to support The Clash on their 'On Parole' UK tour. The two-tone ska movement was now receiving national exposure and sharing management with The Clash (Bernie Rhodes) opened doors that had been previously closed. Formed in the same year as Rock Against Racism, anti-racism was central to the sound and message of The Specials; two-tone – Black & White. They released their first LP Specials, produced by Elvis Costello, in 1979 to critical acclaim and enjoyed success with singles such as a tribute to Dandy Livingstone's "Rudy, A Message To You” and “Too Much Too Young”. The album was released under Dammers new label – 2-Tone Records – which championed the anti-racist ska revival, signing bands along the likes of Madness and The Beat.

“Bernie Rhodes knows don’t argue!” – ‘Gangsters’ The Specials 1979

The Specials released More Specials in 1980 with more of a lounge music style, which was not as well received as the debut. 'Ghost Town' was at number one when the pressures within the band and the stress of the road resulted in vocalists Terry, Lynval Golding and Neville Staples departing to form the Fun Boy Three. Dammers repeatedly revised the lineup however he decided the pop music world was not for him and decided to take up political activism full time in 1981.

Three decades down the line, The Specials' often riotous observations on youth culture in urban centers seem to this writer even more relevant today.

Hall’s throat infection which resulted in Wednesday's show being postponed was inaudible from the off, as Coventry’s most stylish emerged from behind their silhouettes opening with ‘Do the Dog’. When ‘Gangsters’ came in, I can honestly say I’ve never seen Brixton Academy like it. From front to back I didn’t see one person not hopping, skatting or moshing, all while near-empty plastic pint cups filled the air. It’s a good job the Academy PA is still one of the best in the country as every head in the room knew all the words.

Hall, the band’s unkempt singer doesn’t seem to have aged a day – both physically and musically. The ever-dapper Neville Staples had the combined energy of Usain Bolt and the Duracell Bunny. Musically the band were spot on, including the stand-in keyboard player Nikolaj Torp Larsen who reminded us that although Dammers was the founder and songwriter, when it came to the live shows he was just another cog in a mighty machine. The brass orchestra played their part brilliantly in what was a melodic and hard-hitting spectacle.

Returning to ‘Ghost Town’, the modern pertinence of the Specials hits home. The haunting lyric, “All the clubs have been closed down” had me reflecting on the closures of my favourite London venues; the Astoria and the Metro….. The fact that Hall refrained from verbalizing any modern comparisons only added strength to the connection. Another favourite of mine was the brilliant ‘Do Nothing’, a quirky Salinger-esque reflection on disenfranchised youth. Crowd favourite ‘Message to you Rudy’ was dedicated to the 21st birthday of Hall’s son Felix. After a comedic dialogue over the various ages of each member's offspring, the band launched into a raucous ‘Too Much Too Young’.

Hall, a Manchester Utd fan, also managed to get away with roguishly recreating Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League free kick against Arsenal on Tuesday - charmingly taunting the hundreds (probably thousands) of local fans in a typically English way. His charm saved him, and even the bitterest United hater had to laugh.

As discussed over a few post-gig cheekies with a good mate Buster Marshall, to see The Specials live for the first time in my life and together again for the first time in thirty years was pretty fucking spectacular. It had all the feeling of a homecoming gig. Is the tour just a money spinner? Does fate come into it when one of the most important bands in Britain reforms during such unstable times and in such an appropriate venue? The music will remain to be forever relevant and important. As great as the musical performance itself is, it is also refreshing to see such a diverse crowd gather for the single purpose of celebrating great music. The old original skins were out in force. The rude boys and Indie mob, old and young knew this was something, well, special.

How lucky we are to have such artists still performing these days, reminding you, as the final song of the night dictates, to ‘Enjoy yourself, it’s better than you think!’

Michael Lawson is a budding DJ, night club promoter and general busy-body. He currently resides in East London with his hat collection. His hobbies include collecting musical instruments, racing Pennyfarthings and those new motion pictures.