There was an age when ska and reggae were deep underground and only to be heard in specialist record shops and clubs where many feared to tread, writes Michael Holland.
Those of us there in the late 60s made it the soundtrack to our formative years and we developed a fashion of Ben Shermans, Dr Martens, Levis and half-inch braces. During winter months we donned Crombies, sheepskins and Harrington jackets, but, as is customary among teenagers, within a year or two we had moved on and our cropped hair was allowed to grow as Led Zeppelin and other bands of that ilk became the new religion.
When, though, ten years after, a revival was stirring up the Midlands we were among the first to embrace a return to that era when bands dressing as we once did covered the old tunes we once loved. Coventry’s Two Tone record label were trailblazers for that revival.
The Two Tone aspect of the label was the racial mix of the musicians, who themselves reflected the community they grew up in. The logo was black and white.
An exhibition – From The Caribbean 2 Coventry – throws a spotlight on the music and fashion that led many working class youth through that brief period in the late 70s-early 80s by taking them back a decade and bringing Ska music into the mainstream – but this time with a faster, more hi-energy beat.
Now in our mid-20s we weren’t too keen on putting on the skinhead bovver boots again but a good button-down shirt is a timeless classic, as was the music being covered by The Specials and other Ska-influenced bands.
Curated by Camberwell’s Mark Baxter and David Burke, From The Caribbean 2 Coventry is advertised as ‘For the fans, by the fans’ so glass display cases hold an array of C60 cassettes, big Rizlas, ashtrays with adverts on, Gabicci tops, 45s and record racks.
Because the revival came from the street there are no exhibits of clothes once worn by the stars that built up the revival as would be seen in any exhibition of Elvis, Rod Stewart, Elton John et al, Terry Hall’s Harrington Jacket or Pauline Black’s loafers would look rather odd on a display mannequin as they could just as well be anyones jacket or shoes. There are, though, directions to the retailers who can supply everything needed to replicate the Rude Boy look showcased so well in the exhibition.
A board displayed fans’ emailed memories of those days with photos of them in the ‘uniform’ – All tales from those reliving a special time in their lives . I felt, though, that there was not enough content from the Coventry part of the title.
There were some nice testimonials from people with Black heritage but were not from the Midlands. One of them was from Londoner Rhoda Dakar, who did record for Two Tone in the early days and has kept the faith ever since, but this show needed a voice from the heart and hub of what Two Tone was; someone who could describe Coventry and its music scene in the late 70s. To find that out you need to go to the website.
There is a letter from Jerry Dammers – one of the absolute main men of Two Tone – but it is a letter to a fan about losing his false teeth.
‘By fans, for fans’ is a worthy way to put an exhibition together but more from those who were there and making it happen would have taken the exhibition up another level.
From The Caribbean 2 Coventry succeeds in evoking memories of a time when your mates and music and Tonik mohair was everything you needed, when your only responsibility was getting up to go to school, so go along and get your nostalgia fix.
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS until 25th May. Admission: Free
Website: https://fromthecaribbean2coventry.co.uk/
Photos: M. Holland
