The Selecter: Too Much Pressure Is Alive and Well! – Review

Governor Hindmarsh, Wed Oct 15

After having their appetite for ska suitably whetted by local outfit Fistful of Trojans, the fittingly-attired audience members assembled at The Gov expectantly await the return of The Selecter. There are more present this evening than the modest number that managed to turn up for the band’s first Adelaide concert back in 2012; perhaps word of that brilliant show has gotten around.

Opening with The Selecter, their first-ever release, the band is immediately in the groove. Singer Pauline Black invites those still seated to stand up and move closer to the stage. The request is met universally and without any reservation. From that moment, the party starts for real. The catchy, crisp ska music of one of Coventry’s finest exports inspires a wave of movement throughout the crowd. The dancing is energetic down at the front, slightly less so towards the rear, but everyone is bouncing to some degree. One of The Selecter’s great strengths is that they manage to maintain the great danceable tradition of ska while sending powerful social and political messages. They have always been a band of consequence; they’ve always had something to say.

The next 11 selections all come from the Too Much Pressure album; appropriate as this tour is all about celebrating the LP’s 35^th year. The songs sound as fresh in 2014 as they did upon release. The lyrical imagery and messages of numbers like They Make Me Mad and Black and Blue still resonate. The timeless, brilliantly-crafted, Missing Words transcends the genre, as it always has done, and remains a most impressive work.

Vocalists Black and Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson keep the audience involved both during and between songs, augmenting the evening with insights as to the origins of some numbers, as well as exhortations to sing and dance. The eight-piece band is pretty much faultless in terms of musicianship and on-stage antics. Each member contributes to the show and, at various times during the evening, draws some of the focus away from Black and Hendrickson – no easy feat, given their own powerful personal presence. The overall level of enthusiasm for the music and for this particular concert is evident. This is a most engaging performance.

The band leaves a couple of songs from Too Much Pressure in reserve and presents a selection of their other numbers, including 1980’s Celebrate the Bullet, Prince Among Men (from 2011’s String Theory album), and the underrated Train To Skaville. The songs from more recent times still carry the essential elements of what makes The Selecter so distinguishable.

The bouncy James Bond brings the band back to the landscape of the Too Much Pressure LP, and the set concludes with The Selecter’s first hit record, On My Radio, a song that featured on many overseas versions of the album.

An encore is requested, and the band returns to the stage to play three more songs, the overwhelming favourite of which is the title track of the album people have come to hear. The fabulous, warm rhythms of Too Much Pressure fill the room with joy. A significant part of the evening’s experience is firmly rooted in those vibrant days of the late-seventies and early-eighties, but this show demonstrates that The Selecter are still very much a relevant, going concern.

by David Robinson

The Set List – according to David… well, most of it!

• The Selecter
• Three Minute Hero
• Everyday (Time Hard)
• They Make Me Mad
• Missing Words
• Danger
• Street Feeling
• My Collie (Not a Dog)
• Murder
• Black and Blue
• Out On the Streets
• Carry Go Bring Home
• Celebrate the Bullet
• [Song from String Theory: one of these two was Prince Among Men]
• [Song from String Theory: one of these two was Prince Among Men]
• James Bond
• Train To Skaville
• On My Radio
• Unknown
• Too Much Pressure
• 667 (The Neighbour Of the Beast)

– Songs in bold are from the Too Much Pressure LP: