For men of a certain age, Terry Hall holds a special place in their hearts. The Specials made such an impact, socially and musically, on British culture that their lead singer’s legendary status seems to grow and grow.This explains the frisson of excitement as Terry, looking as hangdog as ever, walked through the back bar. It was a bit of a strange night that started slowly but as more people arrived after midnight the dj in the main room upped his game with a storming set of ska, rocksteady and 2 tone classics.

A mixed crowd of skinheads, mods, scooterists and general punters filled the dancefloor before Terry and his son took to the decks. It looked like Terry was going to take a backseat but Felix was only lending a hand with some reggae tunes before Terry took the reins with a mixed set which ranged from 70s funk, through Trojan classics to early 80s floorfillers including Blondie, Grandmaster Flash and Talking Heads. The latter section divided the crowd slightly, with a few people unhappy that it wasn’t a purely ska/reggae set. Unsurprisingly, Terry didn’t utter a word throughout and didn’t reappear afterwards. Let’s hope he’s in fine voice for next year’s Specials gig at the Brighton Centre.

Terry Hall
Concorde 2
Friday 19th November

Words by Steve Clements