Radio: This Are 2-Tone, Radio 4 Saturday 10.30am

By Roz Laws

IT’S hard to believe it, but 2- Tone is 20 years old. In 1978, The Coventry Automatics changed their name to The Specials and a new form of music was born, which briefly put the Midlands at the heart of the most happening sounds around.

In this documentary, Phill Jupitus celebrates the blend of black ska and white punk that championed racial unity in a divided Britain. The likes of Madness, The Beat and The Selecter stormed the charts and the dance floors, with The Specials reaching number one with the politically-charged Ghost Town.

The movement has recently enjoyed a major resurgence, with both Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse covering tracks at last year’s Glastonbury Festival.

Phill Jupitus was there first time round and says The Specials played the best gig he’s ever seen. Now he meets up with some of the key players from the bands to find out what life was like on the inside of the 2-Tone story.

(c) 2008 Sunday Mercury; Birmingham (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.