What makes a protest song? The Specials should know. First time around, back when the 70s were lurching into the 80s, they sang of racism, war, unemployment and the rough edges of urban life, and never in the same way twice. As the multiracial flagship of the 2 Tone movement, they made a political statement every time they stepped on stage. June 2021 saw the 40th anniversary of their last and greatest protest song, Ghost Town, a record that will retain its eerie power as long as there are concrete jungles, empty dancehalls and desperate spasms of violence.
 
It's fitting, then, that in 2021 the Specials are releasing Protest Songs 1924-2012, an unpredictable collection of unique takes which celebrates the long history and endless versatility of the form, from folk to post-punk, from righteous uplift to biting satire, and from Kingston to Alabama. It’s a potent reminder that there are no fixed rules to templates for a protest song. All that’s required is the combination of something that needs to be said with music that needs to be heard. “People have been using music as a vehicle for protest since time immemorial,” says bass-player Horace Panter. “Injustice is timeless.”
 
“2020 was the year of protest, wasn’t it?” says Horace. “It was in the air. The hardest part of the whole record was deciding what songs to use.” Following the musical liberation of Encore, genre was no obstacle. Each song demands a different arrangement or tone of voice. “We thought, let’s throw out the musical constraints of the Specials. There’s not a tonic suit or Fred Perry in sight. We don’t want to deny our past, because that enables us to do what we do now, but we have our own creative minds to make up.”

Dave Lee aka Jakatta, Doug Willis, Raven Maize, Sessomatto, formerly Joey Negro as well as being part of The Sunburst Band and many more. 

Bookings: Tim@zrecords.ltd.uk

02.04.26 160 more or less #7 @corleone w/ xoxosasha + Moebius
26.03.26  160 more or less @ Radio80000 8-9 pm CET
05.02.26 160 more or less #6 @corleone
15.01.26 tamtam-Treppenbar 
11.12.25 160 more or less #5 @ Corleone w/ lots of DJs
08.11.25 City Club, Augsburg
06.11.25 160 more or less @ Radio80000 8-9 pm CET w/ D2E3
30.10.25 160 more or less #4 w/ D2E3 + Laloakaii @ Corleone
18.10.25 Baader Cafe 9-late
09.10.25 HÖR Berlin 7-8 PM CEST 
04.10.25 Mad Odysee @ Corleone w/ Coco Hoe + Subshell
11.09.25 160 more or less @ Radio80000 8-9 pm CEST
04.09.25 160 more or less #3 me all night
09.08.25 Radio 80000  Sommerfest w/ Coco Hoe
19.07.25 @ Hole Closing w/ Sam Space
17.07.25 160 more or less @ Radio80000 8-9 pm CEST
26.06.25 10centsadance @ Radio80000 w/ Subshell 8-10 pm CEST
30.05.25 @ KADE/ StuStaCulum
22.05.25 160 more or less @ Radio 80K w/ DJ ENDS 8-9 pm CEST
17.05.25 MAD ODYSEE @ Corleone w/ Subshell + Sykiq
17.04.25 160 more or less #2 @ Corleone 
04.04.25 Booty Licks @ Unter Deck w/ Coco Hoe + Tabibi
02.04.25 160 more or less @ Radio 80000 8-9 pm CET
07.03.25 Festival mit V @ Hole w/ Cosimoto + Alphacunt
06.03.25 TamTam Treppenbar @Kammerspiele
21.02.25  AAJA@ AfterWerks, London
05.02.25 160 more or less @ Radio80000 8-9 pm CET
23.01.25 160 more or less #1 slow dance thursday edition @ Corleone

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