The Beat Goes On

After 30 years of creating some of the finest ska and reggae pop the world has even heard, Dave Wakeling and The English Beat will finally make it to Australia this August. Fuelled by the anger of punk and the English winter of discontent, 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. Catch them at Sydney's Factory Theatre Saturday 25 August, Newcastle's Cambridge Hotel Sunday 26, Fowler's Live in Adelaide Wednesday 29, the Corner Hotel Thursday 30, The Zoo Friday 31 and the Astor Theatre in Perth on Saturday 1 September.