In early 1980, The Specials were still basking in the glory of putting Too Much Too Young, and the sound of their 2 Tone label, at No. 1. Along with other ska-revival bands The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, The Selecter, Bad Manners and Madness, they capitalised on the moment by embarking on a frenetic schedule of gigs.
There to capture performances from Portsmouth to Sunderland for his film Dance Craze (1981) was American director Joe Massot, along with British cinematographer Joe Dunton, and Sussex photographer Toni Tye, whose photographs feature in a new exhibition at Coventry’s Herbert Art Gallery and Museum looking at the history and significance of the label.
An image from 2 Tone: Lives & Legacies
– Credit: Toni Tye
Massot had directed the psychedelic, George Harrison-soundtracked Wonderwall (1968) and the Led Zeppelin concert film The Song Remains The Same (1976), but such kaleidoscopic imagery and rhinestoned rock bombast were far removed from what he encountered in Britain’s post-industrial cities, places as monochrome as 2 Tone’s logo and in…
