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SKA EXPLOSION 20
LAUREL AITKEN sally brown

On March 23 1989 London's world famous Astoria played host to one of the biggest Ska festivals ever staged. The cream of contemporary British Ska were assembled along side several veterans of the scene. Much more than a mere revival this was a celebration of a musical form that has set peoples hearts on fire and feet in motion since the early sixties. We're talking big fun here.

Your MC for the night is the legendary Judge Dread; a rude boy in every sense of the words, he proves why he enjoyed a career that spanned nearly 30 years. The atmosphere is buoyant as the one after another the young shining lights of Bluebeat hop and bop around the red hot stage sending the crowd into a frenzy. Veteran star of Ska Laurel Aitken adds a touch of authenticity to the proceedings with blistering renditions of Sally Brown and Skinhead that bring tears to the eyes of some of the older members of the audience.

The bands -- The Hotknives, The Deltones, The Loafers, Potato 5 and Gaz Mayall's ground breaking Trojans -- all pay their dues to the past masters of Ska, simultaneously breathing new life into a music that simply refuses to lie down. Above all this was a showcase for a new generation happy to embrace the music with sunshine at its heart. A vibrant scene filled with sharp suited, beat crazy and, above all, fun loving youths.

A Skantastic, Skalubrious, Skalection of the sharpest sounds around ... SKANK IT UP!

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