SKA STAGE TIMETABLE
6.30pm to 7.10pm FIGHTING SPIDERS
7.30pm to 8.30pm THE BIONIC RATS
9.00pm to 10.30pm SPECIAL BREW/NEVILLE STAPLE
10.45pm to 11.45pm NEVILLE STAPLE (DJ SET)
NEVILLE STAPLE (the specials)
Best known for his work writing songs and sharing lead vocal duties for The Specials, and as one of the founding members of Fun Boy 3, Neville Staple is credited with changing the face of pop music not once but twice. The Specials are one of the most loved groups of all time due to their association with the Two Tone label and their leading role in the explosion of the UK Ska scene in the late 70’s and early 80’s. They released 2 legendary albums and a collection of classic singles like Rat Race, Gangsters, Do Nothing, Too Much Too Young, Ghost Town and of course A Message To You Rudy, before breaking up at the height of their fame. Neville rejoined the band last year for a sold out re-union tour that included 2 fantastic shows at the Olympia in Dublin, which brought train loads of Waterford Rude Boys and Girls up to the big smoke. Tramore and the June Bank Holiday have a long term association with the local ska/mod scooter scene, so Neville was delighted to accept an invitation from First Of The Summer Wine to return to Waterford to sing all those Specials classics for his many friends and fans here, backed by the brilliant Special Brew band. Neville will also play a DJ set of his own Ska/reggae favourites with Trevor “The Selector”, so don’t forget your dancing shoes !
www.nevillestaple.co.uk
www.myspace.com/nevillestaplefromthespecials
SPECIAL BREW
Special Brew are the most entertaining live band on the Irish gig circuit right now.
A 7 piece Ska Tribute band from Dublin, the lads have built up a loyal following in Waterford through their Electric Avenue appearances (catch the next one on Sunday 2 May !). Special Brew contain all the essentials for providing a night of Two Tone madness, (keyboards, brass section, guitar, drums, bass and nutty vocalist). The lads have held down a monthly residency at the famous “ Late Night @ The Gaiety” in Dublin for the best part of a decade now and their set list is guaranteed to get you on the dancefloor. It includes all the classics by Madness (One Step Beyond, Baggy Trousers, Our House, It Must Be Love), The Beat (Mirror In The Bathroom, Tears Of A Clown, Hand’s Off She’s Mine), Bad Manners (Special Brew, Lip Up Fatty, Lorraine) and other Ska classics like Too Much Pressure (The Selecter) and You Can Get It If You Really Want (Desmond Dekker). And of course at First Of The Summer Wine they will fulfil a life-long ambition by playing the Greatest Hits of The Specials with Neville Staple on lead vocals.
www.specialbrew.net/
www.myspace.com/specialbrew2007
THE BIONIC RATS
The Bionic Rats are a seven piece Ska/Reggae band with members from Ireland, Nigeria and Armenia. They write and perform their own material and last year they released their debut album 'Return Of The Bionic Rats'. They were invited to play at the Official Afterparty for The Specials re-union gigs at The Olympia last year, and count Neville Staple as one of their biggest fans. They have also played recent support sets with Madness, Gregory Isaacs and Lee “Scratch” Perry. The lads create a rocksteady beat that is a joy to listen to with plenty of horns and percussion in the mix. Joe Strummer inspired anthems like “Don’t Be Giving It All That” and “Bad Garda” have earned them an enviable live reputation on the cut-throat Dublin music scene. Don’t miss !
FIGHTING SPIDERS
Fighting Spiders were hatched in 2008 when members from previous Waterford band such as Ilya K, Dae Kim, and Ashley Sheehan & The Mute decided to collaborate. Early gigs took place alongside the likes of Jape, Robotnik and Oppenheimer and due to the instant positive feedback, the band had all the ammo and enthusiasm they needed to complete their infectious debut album, ‘Tarantism’. Described as the meeting place between Depeche Mode, They Might Be Giants and Daft Punk, the proposed release of the debut album was unfortunately put on hiatus due to the tragic and untimely passing of a life long friend, the bands keyboard player Jay Barden. However, national interest in the band’s music has lead to the inclusion of ‘Here Come The Knives‘ as the theme tune to RTE series ‘Mariana’, and when it was released in January of this year it became an instant airplay hit. The band are currently in rehearsals to bring ‘Tarantism’ back to the live stage and a second so called difficult album is ten songs in, and hopefully won’t be too far behind the upcoming delayed released of their debut.
www.myspace.com/fightingspiders
www.osheas-hotel.com