The English Beat Twists N’ Crawls Down The 2-Tone Trail

Dave Wakeling to Lead a Guided Tour
Through Ska’s Early Days in Coventry, England
Proceeds Benefit the 2-Tone Museum

Ever wanted to take a walk down Memory Lane with your favorite artist and hear first-person stories about the exciting birth of the band and a scene? On April 30th, a very lucky group of fans will be able to experience that when English Beat’s Dave Wakeling returns to Coventry, England for a sponsored walk down the 2-Tone Trail, a nostalgic guided tour through the city’s streets that birthed UK Ska. Devised by 2-Tone Museum director Pete Chambers, the 2-Tone Trail will take a group of fans along on this step backward into the history of this glorious multicultural music. Accompanied by Chambers and Trail organizer Carole Quinney, Wakeling will reminisce back to a time where ska and punk beats were being fused to create a brand of music that not only had infectious rhythms but also had a unique social conscience too, effectively becoming a defining and reassuring soundtrack to many fans who were living through a troubled decade.

Proceeds collected by fans who sponsor the walk will go directly to the 2-Tone Museum which collects historical pieces from the 2-Tone heritage spanning seminal bands including Madness, The Selecter, The Specials, and, of course, The English Beat. “The 2-Tone Museum has done a marvelous job starting to collect and display artifacts from the 2-Tone period and I’d love to see it continue,” says Wakeling. “So, I’m asking fans around the world to sponsor me $10 or £5 UK by visiting the link on the 2-Tone Central website to help develop the program even further.”

Already many American fans who can’t make the trail have sponsored Wakeling to the tune of almost $800, and the sponsorship money continues to come in. “We are thrilled to have Dave here in Coventry and love the enthusiasm he has shown for both the 2-Tone Trail and 2-Tone Central,” said Quinney. “Many of us in Coventry are lucky to have these sites on our doorstep but for many people, visiting them is still a dream”.

Sites to be visited along the way are Coventry University (where The English Beat met The Specials founder Jerry Dammers and signed to 2-Tone Records), Central Library (once the site of Tiffany’s Nightclub where The English Beat once played) and 51 Albany Road (The Birthplace of 2-Tone). A stop-over is also arranged in the recently re-opened Albany Pub on Albany Road.

The sponsored 2-Tone Trail-Twist and Crawl, begins at 2-Tone Central at 1:00pm, but you must have sponsorship to take part in the Trail. Some lucky “Trailers” have been promised a chance of attending the band’s soundcheck at the venue. “I’m excited to take this trip down memory lane with friends new and old,” says Wakeling.

For more information, go to www.2tonecentral.co.uk.

THE ENGLISH BEAT on Tour
Apr 23 Clapham Grand Theatre London, UK
Apr 30 2-Tone Central Coventry Univ. Priory Street, UK
May 06 Wingfield Park Reno, NV
May 07 Bimbo’s 365 Club San Francisco, CA
May 13 House of Blues Anaheim, CA
May 14 T. Boyle Tavern Pasadena, CA
May 20 T. Boyle Tavern Pasadena, CA
May 21 Brixton Redondo Beach, CA
May 27 Wiens Family Cellars Temecula, CA
May 28 Lake Arrowhead Resort (FREE) Lake Arrowhead, CA
Jun 10 Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach, CA
Jun 11 Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach, CA
Jun 18 Power House Pub Folsom, CA
Jul 8 Reed Keppler Park (FREE) W. Chicago, IL

About The English Beat:
The English Beat’s irresistible blend of ska, reggae, and punk has made them undeniable stars throughout the last three decades and, in fact, this year marks the 30th Anniversary of their 1980 debut I Just Can’t Stop It. As a testament of their longetivity, their music has been heard recently in Hot Tub Time Machine (“Save It for Later”), Shrek Forever After (“Click Click”), television shows (TBS’s Glory Daze), and even in Target commercials (“Tenderness” as their post-English Beat break up band, General Public). Among the other uber-memorable hits include “Mirror In The Bathroom”, “I Confess”, “Doors of Your Heart”, and “Tears of a Clown” among many others.

Links
www.myspace.com/officialbeatspace
www.twitter.com/EnglishBeatFans
www.facebook.com/EnglishBeatFans