SO MUCH, SO YOUNG

As The Specials celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of 2-Tone with a reunion tour, John Reed talks to the the label’s founder, JERRY DAMMERS

Never mind all the hoopla now afforded to the post-punk era. Only one label mattered in 1979: 2-Tone. Back then, no one actually bought records on Factory or Rough Trade. To the Grange Hill generation of teenagers who were too young for punk, The Specials, Madness, The Beat and The Selecter captured their hearts, minds and feet – and it was a phenomenon that bubbled up through the playground more than the papers.

Coinciding with the election of the most radical Conservative government in living history, the release of The Specials’ Gangsters – the first single on 2-Tone – succinctly married the cut and thrust of punk with the beauteous rhythms of 60s Jamaican ska to create an irresistible new hybrid. 2-Tone was multi-racial, socially conscious, dancefloor driven and undeniably accessible to British youth. It felt like a clarion call. For maybe a year, the 2-Tone family reflected the dawning of a new era.

Iconic and immaculately tailored, 2-Tone was more than a label. It was a movement. Design was so integral, presentation was faultless. Punk by 1979 had fragmented and lost impetus. In any case, kids who’d been too young in ’77 to see the Sex Pistols wanted their own tribe to follow. Some latched onto the rekindled mod scene, which found a figurehead in The …

by John Reed
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