The English Beat isn’t just any punk band with a cause

Those who sing along to Sublime, dance to No Doubt or bounce to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones owe… Those who sing along to Sublime, dance to No Doubt or bounce to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones owe a big thank you to David Wakeling and his band The English Beat. Since 1978 they have helped temper ska and punk music into the modern genre we know today. Wakeling grew up in Birmingham, England, during hard times of recession, unemployment and social unrest. Sound familiar? As a young man, Wakeling discovered that a grimy, disobedient band of punks on stage could express their dissatisfaction through music, without actually having to be that miserable about it. Wakeling instead uses his music to help fuel the causes he believes in. All the proceeds from the song ‘Stand Down Margaret Thatcher’ went to the Committee for Nuclear Disarmament. Every time he plays his song ‘Tenderness,’ audiences make it rain money for the charity group Smile Train, which pays for surgery for kids with cleft lips. Wakeling and his band also toured the country in a solar powered recording studio/truck on behalf of Greenpeace to record their compilation album Alternative NRG. Since first gaining acknowledgement’ for the band’s debut album, I Just Can’t Stop It, Wakeling has tried to use his influence to support one thing or another. ‘I can’t think of any radical causes I’ve supported at all. I can think of a lot of really common sense causes,’ said Wakeling of his 30 years working as a musician. ‘We’re conscious of the fact that it’s a stage not a soapbox, and we take great care not to preach. The idea is not for people to accept my views, but I try and inspire them to think about situations for themselves.’ The story of the Beat is a history lesson in itself. By the early ’60s, Birmingham developed a massive Caribbean fan base in response to the demand for reconstruction labor in post-World War II England. With black teenagers playing reggae and Caribbean music and white teenagers playing mob music, ska music was coming full circle and entering a new era. Playing in bars, Wakeling frequented a place called the Merkat Cross, one of a limited number of venues that allowed black rastas. That’s where his band met Ranking Roger, a black punk with orange dreadlocks sporting army fatigues and a giant British flag wrapped around his jacket. He was hard to miss, Wakeling remembers. ‘After about three or four weeks, Roger just started coming up and grabbing the mic and would talk about the day’s events or anything,’ said Wakeling. ‘He’s the same as an emcee. An animated DJ that ended up not just introducing but putting rhymes and poems over the instrumentals we were playing. He was the immediate connection between the band and the audience.’ The band already consisted of guitarist Andy Cox, bassist David Steele, drummer Everett Moreton and additional guitar and Wakeling’s vocals. What Roger added was ‘toasting,’ and his own brand of funky African rhythm, which made the band stand out. The last ingredient to this bright, groovy and very danceable medley of musicians was the addition of the famous 50-year-old saxophone player Saxa, who really gave the group credibility and helped flesh out its unique sound. Six guys, half of them black, half of them white, pulled it all together to create this band with roots in punk, rock, ska and reggae. A sociology book with a soundtrack, the Beat ‘mdash; known as The English Beat in the United States ‘mdash; emerged as a gift of postindustrial Birmingham. Wakeling doesn’t tour with any of the original members anymore, but despite this fact, he simply cannot shake the English Beat title. Wakeling is preparing now to release a new EP. Much of it is still up in the air, but the one thing he does know is that he wants some sort of charity connected to it at the hip. As a running theme, many of the Beat’s tracks involves love and positive politics. ‘Oddly enough there is a recession going on but business has never been better. People are conscious about what’s going on socially, but also want a way to be upbeat about it. This upbeat vibe of the music and this message of tolerance and compassion really seem to be a flavor that people are enjoying at the moment.’ This Valentine’s Day, Wakeling will be performing at the Rex Theatre in the South Side. The band will be performing a number of classic hits like ‘Mirror in the Bathroom,’ ‘Save it for Later’ and ‘March of the Swivelheads,’ the classic track from ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.’ When asked how he feels about the blue collar city of Pittsburgh, ‘There’s something about the weather and the gritty fortitude of the people here that reminds me of Birmingham. Walking the streets there is a similarity in culture. [People’ laughing through a veil of tears and fortitude in the face of hardship and hearts of gold.’