Live Review: The English Beat, The Resignators, The Ska Vendors

The exuberance of Melbourne's The Ska Vendors makes them a welcome addition to the long and illustrious list of ska bands that this old town has produced. They warm up the joint and prime a crowd keen to dance the night away. Later, The Resignators put a bomb under the relatively easy, feel-good vibes that are spun with their punk-inflected ska. They rough up Crowded House's Now We're Getting Somewhere into a jaunty, three-minute workout before dropping originals. Ex-Gwar guitarist Steve Douglas puts a heavy spin on the mix. He takes time in between songs to thank his ex-bandmate and friend Dave Brockie for decapitating Tony Abbott's effigy at recent Australian shows before his untimely passing this year. The Resignators' take on ska is heavy and as their set progresses they tend toward raucous rock with something of a ska twist.

Alongside acts like The Specials, The Beat rank among the greatest exponents of 2Tone to have emerged from the UK in the late '70s in those pivotal punk years. These days, their legacy of classic ska is kept alive by the band's co-founder by Dave Wakeling who fronts The English Beat, which is now based Stateside. It's interesting to note that outfit's onetime co-frontman Ranking Roger also does much the same out of the UK with a band that retains the original moniker: The Beat. Hardcore fans may ache to see original members reunited, but Wakeling has recruited some excellent players to help him present these songs. The set starts with an ironically smooth version of Rough Rider that instantly hits a feel-good sweet spot. In the absence of Roger's distinctive toasting, the group focus on dealing idyllic, Caribbean-influenced vibes that put a subtle, pop spin on these ska tunes. Despite his age, Wakeling remains in fine form and leads the band through almost two hours of absolute classics that sound as fresh tonight as they did back in the day. In between songs Wakeling reminisces about the dreary humdrum of an angry young man's life in Birmingham and good times at the city's infamous, hard-rocking night club Barbarella's. Tracks such as Twist And Crawl and Hands Off… She's Mine get the show off to a fine start but it's tunes like Stand Down Margaret and Save It For Later that many are waiting to hear. Tears Of A Clown unleashes carnival-esque ska mayhem and there's a subtly jazzy Click Click, but it's an amazingly soulful cover of General Public's I'll Take You There plus the soft pop reach of the same band's Tenderness that best showcase The English Beat's capacity to introduce diverse influences into a ska context. The set takes many in the crowd on a somewhat nostalgic trip and Mirror In The Bathroom has some fans dancing for all their worth onstage. It's an exhilarating end to a flawless set.