Neville Staple - Koko Gorillaz, Cardiff - Easter Sunday 24th April 2011 (Live Review)
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Written by Alice Pattillo
Voice of legendary ska anthem ‘Ghost Town’, Specials’ cheeky chappy Neville Staple graced Cardiff with his presence at Easter Extraveganza ‘Skanival’ at Koko Gorillaz in Cardiff on Easter Sunday. Koko’s a small venue, and lends itself to a crowd of friendly ska-loving folk.
Staple was joined by an army of ska bands: Ell of a Fro’, ‘Appy Dayz, The Ghettones and Captain Accident. Ell of a Fro warmed up the crowd with an array of Sublime covers, ‘Appy Dayz were a brilliant marriage of early No Doubt and Reel Big Fish. The Ghettones were my personal favourite, opening with a ska cover of Nancy Sinatra’s 'These Boots Were Made for Walking', their following covers were incredibly eclectic including a punked up Beatles track and a Police cover that would make Sting proud - A genuinely unique gem of a band. The last band before Staple were the reggae influenced Captain Accident. Captain Accident proved they have the biggest local fan base with the best crowd reaction so far. Their set was enjoyable and mellow and got most people up on their feet for a slow sway.
After a long interval, one that seemed probably twice as long as it was, Staple finally got up on the stage. Best known for his vocal talents in both The Specials and The Special Beat, The Original Rude Boy started with some microphone, technical difficulties but after cracking some jokes, he has the crowd moving non-stop, well, except for my boyfriend, apparently, who he kept shouting at down the microphone telling him how ‘his woman’ can dance better than he can! After a brilliant set including classics such as ‘Monkey Man’ and ‘Too Much Too Young’, Staple continued with ‘Ghost Town’ because walking back through the crowd and waiting for an encore would have taken too bloody long!
With everyone dancing and singing along, you’d expect nothing less from the original rude boy, he’s definitely worth checking out, whether a ska fan or not and especially if you sadly can’t afford the prices of the Specials’ reunion tour later this year, or even if you can!
Gig Rating: 7.5/10
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After a long interval, one that seemed probably twice as long as it was, Staple finally got up on the stage. Best known for his vocal talents in both The Specials and The Special Beat, The Original Rude Boy started with some microphone, technical difficulties but after cracking some jokes, he has the crowd moving non-stop, well, except for my boyfriend, apparently, who he kept shouting at down the microphone telling him how ‘his woman’ can dance better than he can! After a brilliant set including classics such as ‘Monkey Man’ and ‘Too Much Too Young’, Staple continued with ‘Ghost Town’ because walking back through the crowd and waiting for an encore would have taken too bloody long!
