The English Beat Tickets & Info

"People were spilling out the doors by the time THE ENGLISH BEAT went on stage ... their music will always be dancetastic." – The New York Examiner.

After thirty years of creating some of the finest ska and reggae-pop the world has even heard, Dave Wakeling and THE ENGLISH BEAT finally are making it to Australia in August 2012. Fuelled by the anger of punk and the English winter of discontent Wakeling's THE ENGLISH BEAT alongside contemporaries such as The Specials and Madness were at the forefront of the British Ska movement. Known in the UK as simply The Beat, for the rest of the world a name clash with a US band also called The Beat meant they settled on THE ENGLISH BEAT. Too excited by the music to wait, the Australian record company jumped the gun and dubbed the band The British Beat.

Their sound was a cosmic blend of ska, punk and reggae. Dave Wakeling explained "I liked the exhilaration of punk and the hypnotic quality of reggae, and I was sure you could combine them into something ... hypnotic, but rhythmic and danceable too"

Following their debut on 2-Tone, a skankin' version of Smokey Robinson's classic "Tears Of A Clown", the band were given their own Go-Feet lable and the complete freedom and control over their recoded output. What followed was a string of classic hits - "Mirror in the Bathroom", "Save It for Later", "Can't Get Used to Losing You," "Hands Off She's Mine" and "Too Nice to Talk To" – all of which will be played on their upcoming tour.

After the initial disintegration of THE ENGLISH BEAT, Wakeling formed GENERAL PUBLIC with Ranking Roger and had further hits including "General Public", "Tenderness" and "I'll Take You There". THE ENGLISH BEAT have now incorporated these fan-favourites into their set alongside more great tracks from their English Beat albums "I Just Can't Stop It", "Wha'ppen" and "Special Beat Service".

When Dave Wakeling reformed THE ENGLISH BEAT in 2009 it was without Ranking Roger, who currently tours the UK as The Special Beat. It seems THE ENGLISH BEAT have lost none of their live spark prompting reviews like, "Dave Wakeling has assembled an incredible band and is playing his hits with the same raucous enthusiasm that made THE ENGLISH BEAT one of the biggest acts of the New Wave Era" – SLO New Times.

THE ENGLISH BEAT's sound is a driving blend of ska, punk, rock and reggae that's made for dancing, so whatever else you do as you head into spring, make sure you don't miss out on the fun when Dave Wakeling and THE ENGLISH BEAT let loose with a solid show of good times!