By: Shelby Lum
The Beat. Here in the states known as The English Beat.
The band has been wandering the planet for over three decades, in front of crowds ranging from huge festivals to intimate bars. Thirty years is nearly unheard of in the music industry and with that time change, came changes in the bands music.
Vocalist, Dave Wakeling said “everything changes.”
The band still holds onto a few things from its original days though: its fans.
“We still have a lot of our original fans,” Wakeling said. “Facebook has helped.”
“We’ve got quite a few facebook buddies,” he said.
Through all his time as a touring artist, his most memorable moment wasn’t one where he was on stage, but when he was on the side, watching another artist: The Clash.
“Not realizing it was the last show The Clash would ever do,” Wakeling said of his experience watching his musical heroes.
Recently, The Beat has come off a tour in Australia and even after thirty years of touring, it was the first time the band had toured in Australia. Wakeling also said he prefers to travel to warm areas if possible.
“I’ve got my eyes set on the Caribbean,” he said.
Through his career with The Beat, Wakeling has been known for fusing the more fun tempo of ska punk with political messages, and has been very active with politics in Britain. However for over 25 years now he has been living state side, but he said many of the songs are about the “great of politics.”
Last year, The Beat released a set of old material as well as unreleased material for fans to purchase. “I was thrilled with (the box set),” he said.
The English Beat is scheduled to play at The Loft on Thursday, April 25th.
