It was a hot night in Fairfield, CT Saturday with quaint little bistros spilling over with well heeled nuttmeggers out for fun. There is a horrible side to Connecticut and this postage sized town is the epitome of it. This is Stepford, this is respectable street.
How would a band like the English Beat play to the Housewives of Fairfield County? The two tone ska sound I last saw a year ago September at a gritty New Haven rock club in this nip/tuck world of gel nails and hair plugs. An odd contrast.
The Fairfield Theater is about a 200 person capacity black box with folding chairs. The staff (other than the lovely lady at the box office desk) were arrogant pseudo thugs who were distracted, unprofessional and rude. They didn't know the venue capacity, its somewhere around 200 in case you (or the fire marshall) is wondering. Surrounded by the obnoxious suburbanites I made the determination that 20% of the crowd were townies out for the night, 30% were season ticket holders for the theater, 30% were the 80's generation who hated this band when they came out but suddenly find it wonderful their coming 'to town' and 20% fans who actually knew their work. Not bad but not my scene. I nearly lost it on my audience mates a few times but I kept it in check. Why?
The English Beat are the most fantastic band of their generation. There I said it. Wakeling and crew hold together (despite personnel changes) the true essence of The Beat without fail. From the nearly inaudible jokester master of ceremonies to the perfection of vocals there was nothing in the performance that was lacking- other than the surroundings.
Whomever the idiot was who thought it a great idea to bring about 7 children under the age of 10 to a show should be put out. Dancing kids and their over processed fake tanned mothers was a site I only want to see at town green concerts. Get the fuck out of the way and take Girl Scout Troop 101 with you. But what was fabulous was Wakelings handling of it all. Welcoming the children to the stage and asking them to 'be careful'. A genuinely kind man plain and simple.
But although they started with "Rough Rider" (sorta slow start for a ska band) they ramped up just fine and they played all the hits. Of course they did and the big hits were well received and the not so big…completely unknown. As a huge fan I was stunned at how perfect the sound and despite some slowed down tempo's the fantastic stage presence they have.
Antonee First Class, the 'Toaster' adds a wonderful element. Not quite Wakelings straight man and not the flamboyance of former Beater Ranking Roger, I found him to be charismatic and ridiculously talented. I would have loved more movement from him but hey the stage was small.
The gems? Bassist Wayne Lothian is a master. I was completely blown away at he and drummer Rhythmm "Riddim' Epkins perfect union. They kept the place moving in a way that only a true team can. Rhythmm was also kind enough to meet up with us back stage just long enough to request we return after the show. We had to decline but he was charming and kind.
That's the deal the entire band are charming and kind. Surrounded by the most obnoxious group of 'haves' these guys were able to morph into garden party entertainment rather than the sweaty rock club heroes I had seen previously. I didn't want them to stop performing and I wanted that crowd to clear.
The English Beat is a band not to be missed. So much great stuff on the horizon with new releases and box sets and consistent feel good music to suit any crowd. Perfection.