Dance Craze

Released in 1981, DANCE CRAZE is a fitting tribute to the cultural phenomenon which became known as the 2Tone movement. Shot by BAFTA-award winning cinematographer Joe Dunton, the film captures the best of British Ska while at the same time, it could also be considered as a social document of the times. Presented for the first time in a Dual Format (Blu-ray and DVD) and re-mastered in 4K, the live performances feature The Specials, The Selecter, Madness, The Beat, Bad Manners and all-female outfit The Bodysnatchers.

The 2Tone movement originated in Coventry of all places – traditionally the place to send someone who would be ignored and ostracised. Only that this new musical and social movement would not be ignored! Although the spark was ignited in the late 70s and early 80s and back then, the political landscape was of course very different from nowadays political climate, you will discover that, upon closer inspection, those apparent differences bear an uncanny similarity: then as now, the working classes in particular are made to suffer courtesy of the Tory Party. From 1979 onward it was the Thatcher era and now it’s, well, the Boris/Truss/Sunak era – leading to ever more strikes and disenfranchised citizens, not to mention a massive drop in living standards (can’t blame it all on Brexit or the war in the Ukraine).

With social unrest comes protest in its various guises and the 2Tone movement could be described as a musical protest like punk. When The Selecter’s Pauline Black addresses a sweating crowd of adoring teenagers with the words, “Right, who here gets up at seven o’clock in the morning? Are you working in factories?” before diving into the working class anthem 3 Minute Hero, we get an inkling as to what the spirit of this new movement was all about! We also get a rather odd ‘interlude’ courtesy of Pathé depicting 1950s/1960s teenagers and the bands and music they loved to listen to!

Filmed in various venues across the UK over a period of several months, what truly stands out is not just the enthusiasm and raw energy of each band but also how they connected with their audience and broke down social barriers in the process. Off-stage and of course on-stage, white kids mixed with black kids of predominantly Jamaican roots. Whilst racist attacks in Coventry were commonplace, the new 2Tone craze (the first wave of Ska had been around before) offered opportunities for artistic collaborations. The Specials (with the late Terry Hall on main vocals) featured Neville Staple on percussion and Lynval Golding on guitar while The Beat saw Ranking Roger on lead vocals. We also get larger than life Buster Bloodvessel (Bad Manners) sweating it out on stage and the short-lived Bodysnatchers – a seven-piece all female band headed by Rhoda Dakar, set an early example of grrl power! As for Madness, well, talk about a success story!

Well then, put on your dance shoes and join the craze.

SPECIAL FEATURES include the 34 min docu ‘Rudies Come Back’ (a rare episode from 1980 of the BBC series Arena) during which music journo Adrian Thrills explores the 2Tone movement in Coventry), Outtakes, rare clips, restoration demo, various audio options and illustrated booklet (first pressing only).
To tie in with the release of DANCE CRAZE, Chrysalis Records simultaneously releases the re-mastered soundtrack on Vinyl and CD.