Well 2020 has been a bit of a rum old year hasn't it! Through April and May when we were in lockdown 1.0 the music started to dry up and we were struggling to get you much new stuff. But the time it gave artists to write and collaborate was something else. We have gathered together a few of our favourite releases and put them together for your joy and delectation for an hour long celebration of lockdown ska releases on www.buttondownradio.com from 16:00
the sessions will contain:
Gold Steppers - sensational group featuring ex members of The Dualers. They released 5 tracks as the Lockdown Sessions and are going to be a band to watch out for in 2021
The Downbeat Detonators - great to finally get a full album from this Dutch crew
Tim Timebomb Ft. Jesse Michaels as our chosen track from the incredible Ska Against Racism compilation - one of the best albums of the year
Mango Wood Music - Just wow! Amazing authentic sound from Madrid. Potentially a favourite album of the year
Bite Me Bambi - red hot female driven punky edged, fast paced ska from the states
The Red Stripes - Awesome Hong Kong based 11 piece with their follow up to In The Ska East
Half Past Two - Our second female fronted band from the US. Building on a solid back catalogue, they released this fantastic single.
Drunksteady Beaters - one of several South American bands that caught our attention this year. This album got stuck on repeat in the Buttondown mobile!
The Fanculos - India's premier ska outfit. Spent many lockdown daily exercise strolls listening to this The Beat influenced scorcher
Bad Operation - the latter part of the year gave us this outstanding album - another contender for best album of the year. Considered 'New Tone' ska (although we have been using that phrase since around 2016) it certainly heralds a new direction for ska. Watching these guys with interest
Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra
Adam Flymo Birch & The Vershons - Adam Flymo Birch has quite the ska legacy about him and produced this fantastic Madness feeling track in the summer. Hopefully an album will be coming forth
The-Riffs England - English ska explosion legends blessed us with a fantastic EP which we will hopefully get to hear live in 2021
Prince Alphonso & The Fever - our biggest find if the year came from Original Gravity records. We truly thought we had come across a buried treasure chest from '67 but no, these were brand new tracks recorded this year. Truly phenomena;
Call Me Malcolm - awesome British ska/punk
Proyecto Secreto - This has slipped many people by and we really don't know why - outstanding Belgian rocksteady
The Magnetics - super smooth sultry Italian rocksteady gave us our soundtrack to the summer
Only an hour to sum up a whole year? I know there is stuff we left out:
Brad Turner aka The Manor, Kill Lincoln, Jim Murple Memorial, The Skajects, The King Kong 4, The Skalites, Millie Manders and The Shutup, Shady Street Allstars, Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra, Less Than Jake, Dub Pistols and so many more all producing outstanding music
Next year - hopefully a return to live music and new releases from The Skapones, Death of Guitar Pop, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Specials to name but a few
What a year - cheers - Good health
Tune In - Turn Up - Button Down
Mr P
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