Super sell out for Ska-ficionados

If you want to catch them at the South Meadow Lane pub, you’ll have to wait till next year - the 10 piece have announced another show there on April 25 and tickets will go on sale soon.

It’s not surprising tickets sell so fast. Since they formed two years ago, Ska Face have won some pretty famous fans - even Specials star and Two Tone Records founder Jerry Dammers has pronounced himself impressed.

And, while Dammers simply played a DJ set at their gig, they’ve gone one step further and even had other former members of The Specials play with them onstage, including guitarist Roddy Radiation and iconic trombonist Rico Rodriguez, who played the instantly recognisable intro to Ghost Town.

Rodriguez praised the ‘heavy riddim section’ when he first performed alongside them in 2011 and Roddy Radiation made his feelings plain by returning regularly to accompany them since his first appearance in the same year.

Even Dammers himself was highly impressed with the energy and authenticity of the Ska Face performance when he also joined them to man the decks at a gig at Preston’s 53 Degrees in June of this year.

Since they first came together inspired by the desire to recreate and return to the classic sounds of their youth, this is a pretty good place to be in for Ska Face.

The 10 members together rack up a combined age of over 450 years. But their shows are already becoming notorious for their intensity and energy.

Fronted by the enigmatic Tony Montana, they feature a mean four-piece brass section, a rhythm section as tight as their founder member, Alberto the Shadow’s wallet and lead licks that compliment the music perfectly.

They revive the pulsating sounds of not only The Specials, but Madness, The Selecter, The Beat, Bad Manners and many more from the Two Tone era.

And they also write their own songs, staying true to their chosen genre, and adapt select recordings for the purist market.

They are riding the crest of a new wave of Ska in the North of England Ska Face have sparked a 2 Tone revival across the north of England.

Their debut, That Difficult First Album, came out in May last year and they are about to follow it up with their second LP, which is due out in time for Christmas this year.

They’ve travelled the country, from Blackpool to Batley and Coventry to Camden.

So make sure you catch them at the Continental next time around. Spokesman Robyn Talbot said: “They have a really dedicated following.”

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