As UK's legendary ska/punk/pop/soul band ENGLISH BEAT readies Here We Go Love (its first album of new material in over three decades for release this year), Dave Wakeling and band are currently on the road, touring the US. They have also announced that they will be joining Howard Jones, Men Without Hats, Paul Young, Modern English, and Katrina of Katrina and the Waves (with Annabella of Bow Wow Wow filling in for Paul Young on a handful of dates) for the RETRO FUTURA TOUR. (tour dates below)
Appropriately called "a singer-songwriter as savagely witty as Elvis Costello" by Rolling Stone, Wakeling has been at the forefront of Ska's Second Wave which propelled peers like The Specials, Madness and The Selector throughout the 80s into the 90s and continues today. "The Beat are one of the most underrated bands of all time," wrote respected writing legend Simon Price for The Quietus, "and Dave Wakeling ought to be spoken of in the same breath as Weller and Strummer in the post-punk pantheon of heroes."
The English Beat's irresistible blend of Pop, Soul, Ska and Punk made them one of the most undeniable breakout stars throughout the last three decades and have had their music covered by such musical luminaries as Elvis Costello, Pete Townshend, and Eddie Vedder, among many others.
Compared to other UK Ska acts who found fame in the 80s, Paste Magazine called them "the most ambitious" and The Wall Street Journal said "the English Beat had the best chops." Originally breaking up in the late 80s, Wakeling formed General Public who continued their mainstream takeover with massive international singles like "Tenderness", "Never You Done That", "Hot You're Cool" and a cover of Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There." Proving Wakeling's undeniable songwriting as well has his longevity in the industry, national retail chain Target featured "Tenderness" in a TV commercial campaign and Hanna Barbera's wildly popular cartoon Scooby Doo featured the band's music in a recent episode.
English Beat Headline Dates
Mar 01 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
Mar 03 The Hall at MP- Brooklyn, NY
Mar 04 Wolf’s Den @ Mohegan Sun- Uncasville, CT
Mar 05 Underground Arts- Philadelphia, PA
Mar 08 Ponte Vedra Hall - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Mar 09 Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL
Mar 10 Flogging Molly’s Salty Dog Cruise
Mar 16 Skully’s - Columbus, OH
Mar 17 The Magic Bag - Ferndale, MI
Mar 19 SPACE - Evanston, IL
Mar 22 High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
Mar 23 The Waiting Room - Omaha, NE
Mar 24 Knuckleheads - Kansas City, MO
Apr 22 Freestyle Explosion Festival - Long Beach, CA
Apr 23 Freestyle Explosion Festival - Long Beach, CA
Jun 22 John Hughes Fest - Lake Forest, IL
Retro Futura Tour
w/ Howard Jones, Men Without Hats, Modern English, Paul Young, Katrina
(* signifies no Paul Young. Annabella Lwin of Bow Wow Wow on line-up)
Jul 18 Greek Theater - Los Angeles, CA
Jul 19 Orange County Fair - Costa Mesa, CA
Jul 20 Cal Coast Credit Union Theater - San Diego, CA
Jul 21 Mountain Winery - Saratoga, CA
Jul 22 Downtown LV Events Center - Las Vegas, NV
Jul 24 Bellco Theater - Denver, CO
Jul 28 Chastain Park - Atlanta, GA*
Jul 29 Metro Credit Union Amph. - Charlotte, NC*
Jul 30 Pier Six - Baltimore, MD*
Aug 01 Van Andel Arena- Grand Rapids, MI
Aug 02 White River State Park- Indianapolis, IN
Aug 03 Wisconsin State Fair- West Allis, WI
Aug 04 Meadow Brook- Detroit, MI
Aug 05 Hard Rock Live (Cleveland) - Northfield, OH
Aug 06 The Fraze Pavillion- Kettering, OH
Aug 09 State Theater- New Brunswick, NJ
Aug 10 Dunkin Donuts Center- Providence, RI
Aug 11 Borgata Casino- Atlantic City, NJ
Aug 12 Oakdale- Wallingford, CT
Aug 13 Times Union Center- Albany, NY
Aug 14 Lynn Auditorium- Lynn, MA
Aug 17 State Theater- Minneapolis, MN
Aug 18 Star Plaza Theater (Chicago)- Merrillville, IN*
Aug 19 Family Arena (St. Louis)- St. Charles, MO*
