The Selecter

Daylight

Alternative

DMF Records
2017

Music

2-tone ska legends the selecter look to the future on their latest album ‘daylight’

October 16, 2017
491 Picks

“Sometimes angry gets things done.”

Over the course of their almost 40 year career, The Selecter has never shied away from saying what needs to be said. Led by outspoke activist Pauline Black, the band has outlived almost every other band from the 2 Tone era. Their potent mix of political lyrics and infectious ska rhythms standing the test of time, when so many others have faded. On their 12th studio album, Daylight, The Selecter sound as focused and driven as ever.

 

 

It doesn’t hurt (by which I mean, ugh fuck everything) that the political situation in the UK looks more like 1979 than ever. Hard right conservatism is all the rage, while a revitalized radical left battles austerity and racist policies. Tackling the racist motivations behind Brexit (“Frontline”), and austerity (“Paved With Cold”), Pauline Black’s lyrics remain rooted in her activism, while the band holds down the kind of classic ska and reggae they’ve been spitting out for as long as many of their fans have been alive.

 

 

Daylight saves some room for hope though. The two records’ biggest highlights are also the two that find hope for the future. The title track is a spectacular joyful anthem, as Black explains “I’m with Billie Holiday. There’s happy blues and there’s sad blues, and this one’s a happy blues.” The closing track “Pass The Power” finds hope in the new generation of activists and radicals fighting to change the world.

The Selecter just wrapped a US tour with Rancid and The Dropkick Murphys, and will be on tour through Europe all fall with The English Beat.

October 13 @ o2 Ritz in Manchester, UK
October 14 @ Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells, UK
October 19 @ The Apex in Bury St Edmunds, UK
October 20 @ Pavilion Theatre in Worthing, UK
October 21 @ The Engine Shed in Lincoln, UK
October 26 @ Depot in Leuven, Belgium
October 27 @ Melkweg in Amsterdam, Holland
October 28 @ De Casino in St Niklaas Belgium
October 29 @ 013 in Tilburg, Holland
October 30 @ Musikbunker in Aachen, Germany
November 1 @ Faust in Hannover, Germany
November 2 @ Z-Bau in Nuremburg, Germany
November 3 @ Das Bett in Frankfurt, Germany
November 4 @ Dynamite Ska Festival in Leipzip, Germany
November 10 @ De Montfort Hall in Leicester, UK
November 11 @ Great Hall in Exeter, UK
November 16 @ The Ironworks in Inverness, UK
November 17 @ o2 ABC in Glasgow, UK
November 18 @ o2 Academy in Newcastle, UK
November 24 @ 02 Academy in Bournemouth, UK
November 25 @ William Aston Hall in Wrexham, UK
December 22 @ G Live in Guilford, UK
December 23 @ Olympia in Liverpool, UK

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