The Beat live at O2 Academy Bournemouth (25.10.2026) with Neville Staple supporting.
Sixth night in a row at a gig for me. My 60th gig of the year. Yes, I am tired but the legs are still willing, surprisingly. This is all made easy by the ska rhythms of, first, Neville Staple and his band and then The Beat, fronted by Dave Wakeling, the original.
It is not that full this evening. Top two balconies are shut and the ground floor is maybe at quarter capacity, but there are a 200-300 in and near enough everyone is moving – even I am managing a shuffle, and for both bands I might add.
Rhoda Dakar (Bodysnatchers) is tonight’s DJ, from the stage to get the ska mood going.
Neville Staple has been included as the support act on two dates on this Beat tour – here and Bristol – and it’s a very welcome bonus to have.
Neville is now 71. He did stop playing live for a while recently due to ill health, so I am very pleased to see him back. He clearly enjoys this support slot and seems very cheerful as he introduces the songs – smiling and waving to individual audience members occasionally. He is quite frail and is helped on and off stage.
What a great band he has with him – all really going for it – and there’s wife, Christine Sugary Staple on vocals with him.
The classics were out..Gangsters; Message to You Rudy; Monkey Man and Ghost Town. Remembering Neville’s Fun Boy Three days, The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum) was in there also.
I wasn’t expecting this and it was such a lot of fun. I look round and everyone’s smiling and dancing. DJ Rhoda Dakar joins in on vocals near the end.
Then we leap to another juke box of ska pop tunes from The Beat. A cheery, chatty Dave Wakeling introduces every song… Mirror in the Bathroom; Twist and Crawl; Hand of She’s Mine; Save it for Later..… so many hits and they just keep coming.
The delivery is somewhat quieter and calmer than the old frantic style – a more mature lounge style performance, very suited to the audience and the evening. We are dancing, stomping and in my case shuffling, gently, not punching the air – it is Sunday night.
The toaster, Antonee First Class, gives intros and bigs up Dave – “the original” – but there is respect expressed for Ranking Roger RIP, who split off and toured with his ‘Beat’. He introduces the band – Dave Wakeling’s touring band does change around. Very much the sort of professional backing band you can imagine in a US blues lounge gig. The bassist was actually in General Public with Dave, after The Beat split.
My Beat experiences go back a long way, to my years in Birmingham and the 2-Tone city of Coventry. I couldn’t miss out on this one to add to the list, with it being a local one.
Last time out for me and The Beat was Cardiff 2023, when Dave let me and some friends on the bus for a chat, thanks to Bow Bow Wow’s Annabella who was supporting on that tour.
All in all a lovely evening. Nothing wild, just friendly and nostalgic.
Six gigs in six days done. Only bettered that once with eight in eight..and that was a monster tour around three cities.
Dave, Neville: thank you. Lovely to see you again.
A few weeks ‘gig rest’ for me now.
