2009 was the year of revisionism and not all of it pretty. The annoying ‘so bad it’s good’ brigade took it too far when lauding all things 1980s. It was just fun and games until it afforded the Kemp brothers the environment to reform the appallingly bland Spandau Ballet and claim some stake of relevance, which was something they never had!
It wasn’t all bad though. In 2009, towns were coming like ghost towns, clubs were being closed down and the people were getting angry. If there was one band people wanted to return amid this climate it was The Specials, and that’s just what we got!
Jerry Dammers was sadly not on board, but tonight that couldn’t dampen the genuine spirit, guts and tempo of ‘Gangsters’, ‘Rat Race’, ‘Too Much Too Young’, ‘Hey Little Rich Girl’, ‘Monkey Man’ and, of course, the most relevant song of last 30 years, ‘Ghost Town’. Rude boys, Rude girls, Punks, Skinheads, Mods and Rockers of all ages skanked together as The Specials conquered Belfast, and Terry Hall failed to strike a smile, which was just the way we wanted it!
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