Curated from , written by Robin Valk

“I often think this band reunion thing is like inviting the first five or six people you had sex with… and expecting everyone to get on great.” 

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It’s complicated. Dave Wakeling was a founder member of The Beat, one of Birmingham’s finest original pop/ska bands. Now he’s in California, leading the English Beat, and fellow founder Ranking Roger leads a 21st century Beat at home. Roger was profiled  last year ahead of Birmingham’s  May festival;  are starring this year. 

The original Beat line-up is long gone, but a classic song has echoed down the years of late. Stand Down Margaret got renewed airplay in the weeks leading up to Thatcher’s funeral. I wondered if Dave would want to revisit all that old territory. But, courtesy personified; revisit it he did, especially as it ties in nicely with , a soon come album of covers of original Beat Songs to help .