- 1981
- English 2 tone ska revival band, from Coventry
- 2 Tone: British music genre popular in the 80s that fused traditional Jamaican music with
punk rock / new wave
- Ska: Jamaican music genre that combines elements of Caribbean reggae with American jazz
and blues
- The Specials: younger generation, songs focused on social elements such as equality &
politics, themes of rebellion, anti-establishment etc
- Hybridity, diaspora
- Development of bands with multiple races
- Social realism: reflects lives of ‘normal’ working class demographic
Language -
Mise-En-Scene -
Setting
- East London (buildings, roads, tunnels)
^ London typically associated with capitalism, economy, wealth, busyness
^ deserted, isolated - contrasts typical London streets - irony
- Juxtaposition of stereotypical / traditional view of the city
- Emptiness acts as a metaphor for hopelessness, abandonment
Costume
- Suits - traditionally for the upper class, adopted by rude boy subculture as mimicry
^ symbolic of the subculture
- Black and white colours
- One member in floral shirt - links to culture & heritage - diaspora & double consciousness
, Actors
- Artists
^ young
^ different cultures/ethnicities
Lighting
- Dark, streetlights
- Artificial lighting
- Silhouettes of people & the car
^ idea of ghosts, shadows links to horror genre
- Negativity
Props
- Car (Vauxhall Cresta)
^ British manufacture - deindustrialisation & unemployment of 1980s
^ potential loss of identity
Narrative -
- Parallels between lyrics and narrative
- Very simplistic - links to british social realism - focus on message rather than promotion
- Social commentary
Lyrics
- “All the clubs have been closed down” - economic stress, fighting & violence
^ racism, subculture tension
- “Why must the youth fight against themselves?” - youth generation
- “Government leaving the youth on the shelf” - anti-establishment, rebellion
- “No job to be found in this country” - Thatcherism, unemployment
- “Ghost town” - empty streets, counter-typical representation of London
Cinematography -
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