From the Archives - Steel Pulse

Reggae Britannia is forthcoming at the Barbican shortly, a concert featuring some of the British contribution to the genre that was ground-breaking if never quite as good as the real thing from Jamaica.

The unlikely joining of forces of young punks with West Indian music was an almighty movement at the time, in retrospect slightly more explainable in terms of the dull, conservative music that one lot were rebelling against and the dumb, uniformed and uninformed control that the other was subject to.

It was an exciting time, even though debates over whether some crossover had happened when The Police and Elvis Costello were credited with playing 'white reggae' now look as if they were trying a little bit too hard.

It wasn't the worst time to be at University, one's room within 5 minutes walk of the concert hall on campus and, when wised-up in the third year, having an understanding with a doorman who will remain nameless - but, thanks, Mick - that if we were outside the back door at exactly 8 o'clock then he could let us in for nothing.

It must have been in 79 that we found our way into the backstage room with Steel Pulse and someone kindly tore their bit of paper in half so that I could get all Steel Pulse's autographs as well. They were most hospitable and shared with us what they were having after the concert. Oh, I had some of their Perrier water and I think there were some biscuits or sandwiches as well. And I bought a T-shirt while I was there. They still like money, these people. It's not just principles they work on.

Nice people, though. Here they are
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yULRZ3zLXc8&feature=related

Maximum Respect.