A huge thanks to the MIS (Madness Information Service) for a fabulous review of our debut track
The Skapones - Cradle to Grave Single Review
The Skapones debut self penned track Cradle to Grave is out on itunes January 15th, aiming to make an impact on the Reggae charts. With a launch party gig for a Vinyl release of the track (backed with Big Fat Panda's track Home Street Home on the other A side) on February 9th at the forum in Darlington.
"Unashamedly 2tone" is how lead singer Paul Williams sums up the track, and we'd be hard pushed to disagree or sum it up any neater than that. It's Ska, it's punk powered, English accented, it's got guitar twang Roddy might be proud of or keys Barso might have happily tinkled along in the mode of back in the day, it's a well produced, upbeat and passionate play of a very familiar sound then. It's message is a fandom of 2tone worn heart on sleeve and loved Cradle to Grave. From mentions of Toots and Buster, and 2tone within it's lyrics, like The Prince before it or Gangsters even its a debut single nodding back to where the inspiration began to make this music (near 40 years on). Therefore a fitting place to start their bands catalogue with appeal to many enduring ska fans who agree and/or feel the same about this music themselves, like the thousand or so floor dancers who enthused their support slot at The House of Fun last November. This is the title track of a coming debut album that will hopefully widen the scope of the band, certainly seems it will from the songs Ive heard live, and may it champion a place in your car stereo or ipod, but in your mind might instead take you back to the first excitement of Top of pops, Radio play of needle on vinyl 1979 of black and white sleeved 45's and LP's for as long a music lives in you.
Jon Young... "