The beginnings of The Selecter arose in 1977, when Neol Davies, John Bradbury and Barry Jones recorded what would become “Kingston Affair” whilst in session. They then decided to form a band, becoming “The Selecter,” with this first track being featured on the b-side to the Specials’ single “Gangsters.” Neol Davies (guitar) then recruited Desmond Brown (hammond organ), Charley Anderson (bass), Compton Amanor (guitar), Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson (vocals), Charley ‘H’ Bembridge (drums) and finally vocalist Pauline Black, completing the lineup in 1979.
The band went straight into the studio, recording and releasing a string of singles, “On My Radio,” “Three Minute Hero” and “Missing Words’ before the end of the year. Their debut album, “Too Much Pressure” was released in February 1980, by 2 Tone Records and Chrysalis Records. The album was a success, peaking at number five in the UK charts. Their second release, “Celebrate the Bullet,” came out a year later. However it did not achieve the same success and the band crumbled apart.
The band split in 1982, with Black pursuing a career in theatre, TV and film as well as music. However, this was not to be the end of The Selector, as Davies and Black reunited in 1991, continuing to tour and perform live, supporting No Doubt on their North American tour in 1997. Throughout the 90s and 2000s, varying lineups under the guise of The Selecter released albums intermittently, led by front woman Pauline Black. In 2010, Black and Hendrickson again played under the name of The Selecter, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album. In celebration, they performed the whole album in its entirety. In 2014, The Selecter was again mobilized for a show at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Subsequently, they embarked on an extensive tour of the UK, Europe, New Zealand and Australia.
Birmingham was always known during the 80s for having an influx of ska and reggae artists including UB40, The Specials and Madness all breaking out from the scene. A little further north in the city of Coventry, The Selecter were crafting their own brand of two-tone ska which included a huge amount of instrumentalists and musicians.
Headed up by Pauline Black, the band has gone through a number of lineups and session musicians and even a couple of hiatuses yet fortunately for the fans everything seems relatively calm at the moment. Much to their delight, everybody onstage is solely focused on the great music and recreate it to a brilliant standard. You imagine you could record one of these performances and release it straight on vinyl and very few people would notice it had not been mixed and mastered. The good vibes continue as the group runs through 80s favourites including 'The Whisper' and 'On the Radio' before a crescendo in the form of 'Too Much Pressure' ends the night perfectly.
sean-ward
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