{"id":6742,"date":"2021-08-19T07:03:26","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T06:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?p=6742"},"modified":"2021-08-19T07:03:28","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T06:03:28","slug":"the-specials-announce-new-album-protest-songs-as-they-prepare-for-uk-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?p=6742","title":{"rendered":"The Specials announce new album, Protest Songs, as they prepare for UK tour"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Specials, who are enjoying an unexpected second coming after achieving their first ever No. 1 album, have announced a follow-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Encore <\/em>was released in 2019, 40 years after they exploded onto the music scene and launched the 2-Tone movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now a new album, Protest Songs \u2013 1924-2012<\/em>, will see the ska legends make a timely return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released on September 24 through their new label Island Records, the album features 12 takes on specially-chosen protest songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still angry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

They show The Specials still care, are still angry and still relevant. And they will prove it on a month-long UK tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Specials emerged from Coventry in the late 1970s as the multi-racial figureheads of a movement which also included Madness, The Selecter and The Beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They sang about racism, unemployment and injustice, making clear political statements every time they stepped on stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s fitting that in 2021, at a time when the world is riven with social, racial and political unrest, that The Specials have made this album of Protest Songs<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"the<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

They’re again reflecting the society we live in and taking a stand against all forms of injustice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bass player Horace Panter – one of three original surviving members – said: \u201cPeople have been using music as a vehicle for protest since time immemorial. Injustice is timeless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February 2020, Panter, Terry Hall, Lynval Golding and co-producer Nikolaj Torp Larsen gathered to begin work on a reggae record, the follow up to Encore<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protest Songs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Then Covid-19 hit and plans were put on hold. When George Floyd’s murder sparked waves of protest around the world, Hall suggested they make a different kind of record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trio started by picking some personal favourites. The Mothers of Invention\u2019s Trouble Every Day<\/em> (Panter), Leonard Cohen\u2019s Everybody Knows<\/em> (Hall), while Golding was keen to sing Bob Marley\u2019s classic rebel song Get Up, Stand Up<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: Staring At The Rude Boys rounds up the best and the rest of the ska revival<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other selections include songs by Talking Heads, Big Bill Broonzy, The Staple Singers and the Dixie Jubilee Singers, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The album was recorded in a West London studio in May this year with regular bandmates Nikolaj Torp Larsen on keyboards, Kenrick Rowe on drums and Steve Cradock on guitar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influential band<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hannah Hu, a young singer from Bradford, fronts one track and sings backing vocals on two more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Specials are one of the most influential and important bands of all time. The new record and success of Encore prove they are every bit as relevant as they were in 1979.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can see The Specials live on The Protest Tour<\/em>, which begins in Margate on August 28, ending in London on September 25. View the dates HERE<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protest Songs 1924-2012<\/em> can be pre-ordered from all good record stores now, or via the band’s website HERE<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Specials, who are enjoying an unexpected second coming after achieving their first ever No. 1 album, have announced a follow-up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6744,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,120],"tags":[2207,2205,2208,2206,2209,2204,539],"class_list":["post-6742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-news","category-ska","tag-encore","tag-horace-panter","tag-island-records","tag-lynval-golding","tag-protest-songs","tag-terry-hall","tag-the-specials"],"yoast_head":"\nThe 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But they enjoyed the experience so much that they're having another tilt at late-career success with this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Album Review"","block_context":{"text":"Album Review","link":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"the specials","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/The-Specials-Protest-Songs.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/The-Specials-Protest-Songs.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/The-Specials-Protest-Songs.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/The-Specials-Protest-Songs.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/The-Specials-Protest-Songs.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6866,"url":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?p=6866","url_meta":{"origin":6742,"position":1},"title":"The Specials show they’re still angry and relevant","author":"Gary Welford","date":"21st September 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"GIG REVIEW: The Specials, O2 City Hall, Newcastle, Monday, 20 September 2021 Back in April 2009, I was one of the lucky 2,000 packed into the O2 Academy across the city for the opening night of The Specials' 30th anniversary tour. 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Formed in 1978 in Birmingham, they were an integral part of the ska revival spearheaded by the likes of The Specials, Madness, The Selecter, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gig News"","block_context":{"text":"Gig News","link":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/the-beat-logo.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/the-beat-logo.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/the-beat-logo.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/the-beat-logo.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/the-beat-logo.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8707,"url":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?p=8707","url_meta":{"origin":6742,"position":3},"title":"Ska-punk stalwarts Faintest Idea announce new album The Road To Sedition","author":"Gary Welford","date":"7th February 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Faintest Idea, a punk band from East Anglia who play politically-charged ska, have announced a release date for their long-awaited fifth album. The Road To Sedition will be released by TNSRecords in the UK and Jump Start Records in the US on 31 March. Their first new album in seven\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Music News"","block_context":{"text":"Music News","link":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"faintest idea","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/faintest-idea1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/faintest-idea1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/faintest-idea1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/faintest-idea1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8925,"url":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?p=8925","url_meta":{"origin":6742,"position":4},"title":"Pauline Black of The Selecter on her ska legacy, staying creative and new album Human Algebra","author":"Mick Burgess","date":"13th April 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Ska legends The Selecter are touring the UK throughout April and May to promote their forthcoming album Human Algebra, which is out on DMF Records on 21 April. We caught up with singer Pauline Black, who's still fronting the band, to talk about the new record, playing live and the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Alternative"","block_context":{"text":"Alternative","link":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"the selecter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/The-Selecter-Live-at-The-Boiler-Shop-Newcastle-20th-October-2019-Photo-By-Mick-Burgess-13-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C889&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/The-Selecter-Live-at-The-Boiler-Shop-Newcastle-20th-October-2019-Photo-By-Mick-Burgess-13-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C889&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/The-Selecter-Live-at-The-Boiler-Shop-Newcastle-20th-October-2019-Photo-By-Mick-Burgess-13-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C889&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/The-Selecter-Live-at-The-Boiler-Shop-Newcastle-20th-October-2019-Photo-By-Mick-Burgess-13-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C889&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ipamusic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/The-Selecter-Live-at-The-Boiler-Shop-Newcastle-20th-October-2019-Photo-By-Mick-Burgess-13-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C889&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4492,"url":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?p=4492","url_meta":{"origin":6742,"position":5},"title":"Record Store Day 2020: Here’s 10 indie, punk and alternative gems to look out for on drop day two","author":"Gary Welford","date":"25th September 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Saturday 26 September is drop day two of this year's Covid-fragmented Record Store Day. The annual collectors' feeding frenzy of hundreds of different limited edition vinyl releases was due to take place in April, but had to be postponed, as the coronavirus pandemic was at its height. 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