The English Beat

Related Content

• CSS: From "Snoopy Dogg" to Paris Hilton
  September 28, 2011
• Ann Rule's Sloppy Storytelling
  July 20, 2011
• What Rick Swart Failed to Tell Us About This Week's Cover Story (UPDATE)
  July 28, 2011
• Hackers Are Gathering in Seattle This Weekend and It's For Your Own Good
  December 3, 2010
• "Occupy" Facebook Supporters: Seattle (20,000 ) Loses to Sesame Street (35,000 ), But Beats Bellevue (1)
  October 20, 2011

More About

• Paris Hilton
• Dave Wakeling
• Birmingham
• Ska
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

“Skanking” has nothing to do with Paris Hilton or any of her celebrity/ho ilk. The dance originated in Jamaican dancehalls in the ’60s, where clubgoers grooved to bluebeat, ska, rocksteady, and, eventually, reggae. It’s not hard to do—you stand square, slightly bent at the waist, rocking from one foot to the other, arms right-angled, swinging in an uppercut motion (don’t hit anyone; it’s not a mosh pit). Expect an open-air outbreak of skanking this afternoon. The English Beat are the second of 23 scheduled bands in the downtown Out to Lunch summer concert series (which runs most Wednesdays and Fridays through Sept. 3). The Beat, from working-class Birmingham, made their mark in the late ’70s/early ’80s as a wildly popular, multiracial, second-generation ska band. With chugging rhythms and punk energy, they and offered up a message of peace, respect and unity—plus some sharp criticisms of Thatcher’s England. There’s only one original member left, vocalist/guitarist, Dave Wakeling, but his backing band is tight, and songs like “Save It for Later” and “I Confess” are timeless. (Westlake Park, 401 Pine St.) MICHAEL MAHONEY
Wednesdays, Fridays, 12-1:30 p.m. Starts: June 18. Continues through Sept. 3, 2010