Dub Pistols have been confirmed as headliners for this years Watchet Music festival to be held in West Somerset

Notorious party-rockers Dub Pistols head out on UK tour with ska legend Neville Staple and his band thru March 2014..

Thu 6th Newcastle: 02 Academy
0844 477 2000 www.ticketweb.co.uk

Fri 7th Reading: Sub 89
0871 220 0260 www.sub89.com

Sat 8th Cardiff: The Globe
0871 220 0260 www.globecardiffmusic.com

Fri 14th Lowestoft: The Aquarium
08444 771000 www.ticketweb.co.uk

Sat 15th London: Jazz Café
0207 485 6834 www.ticketmaster.co.uk/

Fri 21st Guildford: Boileroom
01483 440022 www.seetickets.com

Sat 22nd Leamington Spa: The Assembly
0844 8541358 www.leamingtonassembly.com

Thurs 27th Bournemouth: O2 Academy
0844 477 2000 www.ticketweb.co.uk

Fri 28th Colchester: Tribal
01206 571 763 www.tribalnightclub.co.uk

Sat 29th Leicester: Streetlife
01162 510785 www.i-want-tickets.com

There’s gonna be some serious skanking going down at all the dates of this twin-pronged ska-tinged tour. Party-rockers the Dub Pistols — who mash-up ska, punk, hip-hop, breaks, dub, drum & bass and more — are heading out for some UK dates in March with ska legend Neville Staple from The Specials.

As a slightly wayward teenager, Dub Pistols main man Barry Ashworth was heavily into multi-racial 2-Tone ska band The Specials. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that one day he would not only work with several key members of the band, but be instrumental in the reformation of The Specials in the late noughties too.

The Specials are one of the most influential bands of all time. Bursting out of Coventry in the Midlands region of England in the post-punk late seventies, their conscious ska tunes caught the imagination of disaffected British urban youth. They quickly had a top ten hit with “Gangsters’ on their own 2-Tone label, which would soon also put records out by The Selecter, Madness and The Beat. These 2-Tone bands — along with the label’s iconic logo, the skinny Walt Jabsco figure in black suit, white socks and pork pie hat — caught the imagination of the nation’s youth and 2-Tone was soon a bona fide movement.

The first Specials album in 1979 was a landmark release. Mixing up a couple of rocksteady covers of Prince Buster, Skatalites and Toots & the Maytals tunes with their own compositions, it’s still featured on many Best Albums Of All Time lists. Deadpan lyrics from skinny white vocalist Terry Hall were offset by the rudeboy toasting of Neville Staple and the animated antics of foregrounded vocalist/guitarist Lynval Golding. The whole ska-punk show was masterminded by keyboard wizard Jerry Dammers, who took the band’s sound into more of a cosmic, easy listening ‘muzak’ territory for second album, ‘More Specials’.

After their seventh consecutive top ten hit, the haunting tale of urban decay that was  ‘Ghost Town’, peaked at No.1 just as the UK was engulfed by inner city riots in 1981, The Specials broke up with Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding going on to found hit-makers the Fun Boy Three for a few years.

Barry Ashworth, meanwhile, formed the Dub Pistols in 1996 after previously promoting parties, singing in acid house band Déjà Vu and teaching himself to DJ. At first the Dubs surfed the big beat wave with block-rockin’ tracks like ‘Cyclone’ and ‘There’s Gonna Be A Riot’, but for their broader ‘Six Million Ways To Live’ album Barry managed to recruit a certain Terry Hall — one of his all-time heroes — to guest on Dubs ska tune ‘Problem Is’.

Terry began guesting with the Dubs at live shows, and soon they started performing ‘Gangsters’ too — the first ever Specials single. Hall contributed a number of tracks to the next Dubs album, ‘Speakers & Tweeters’, and Lynval Golding also joined the Pistols on stage a few times — at Bestival and the anti-racism festival Rise in London — to play guitar and contribute vocals to ‘Gangsters’. Terry Hall is on record as saying that singing live with the Dubs in the noughties made him realise how much love there was out there for his short-lived former band, and this was instrumental in one of the biggest reunions of modern times — The Specials reforming.

Indeed, the Dub Pistols were asked to support The Specials at some of their early reunion shows, and in the summer of 2013 Neville Staple asked Barry to sing ‘Gangsters’ onstage with him at his Glastonbury show.

Mixing up drum & bass, dub, ska, punk, hip-hop and electronics, the Dub Pistols are like a 21^st century version of The Specials. Their love of 2-Tone might only be one element of their sound, but their next single — the lead track off their forthcoming ‘White Lines’ album on Sunday Best — is a collaboration with Neville Staple himself. Seeing as Neville also has a new album out on Casablanca Records in March, it made perfect sense for the Neville Staple band to head out on tour with the Dub Pistols. Neville’s band performs many classic Specials tracks along with some choice ska, reggae and rocksteady standards.

DUB PISTOLS sound system featuring Barry Ashworth and Rodney P have been confirmed as the headliners for Ghetto Funks massive Shindig Weekender

Seasoned festival organisers + Award winning record label = a Shindig

What’s a Shindig?

“A small party, not quite full scale. Generally a shindig consists of people hanging out at the host’s house, but they may be held at other locations such as in the woods. Shindigs almost always involve alcoholic beverages, usually beer. Often, includes dancing.

A shindig usually does not escalate into a large full scale party because it is meant to be a low key night, avoiding any complications such as cleaning up vomit, unwanted guests, picking up rubbish the unwanted guests leave lying wherever they drop it, eliciting attention fom neighbours and local law enforcement etc.”

(quoted from the URBAN DICTIONARY)

So we found an enchanted wood and called some friends and are having a little shindig, if you want to join us.

Lineup so far…

First Announcement

Pub:-

Dub Pistols (Barry Ashworth & Rodney P)
Graeme Park (Hacienda Club Classic Set)
Stardust DJs
Mr Tea and The Minions
Plucky Purcell
The Duckworths
Luke Stereo

Nightclub:-

A.Skillz
The Allergies – Krossbow
B-Side – Goodgroove
Second Hand Audio – Howla
Father Funk – Profit – Natty

Cocktail Bar:-

Sammy Senior – X-Ray Ted – Detta
FunkyDrop – Shaka Loves You – Bass Funk Bandits

Scour Records Takeover Feat:
Hong Kong Ping Pong – Spinforth – The Phunk Junkies
Leo – J-Sound – The Fritz

Join the Shindig?

Dub Pistols have been confirmed as co Headliners at this years Buryfields Festival alongside artist including Finley Quaye, tickets for last years event sold out weeks in advance so make sure you get yours early.

Dub Pistols Barry Ashworth begins and 8 date DJ tour of Canada this week, first show is at Level 2 Lounge tonight in Edmonton. full listings will be available over the next few days

Dub Pistols have just returned from an amazing time in India after putting on their first 2 shows of the year. The band played at the Sula Festival and at the Blue Frog in Mumbai, both shows where rocking and the Pistols have made new fans across India. Check out the action from Mumbai by clicking the link below

Some great images from our show in Mumbai, India last week Blue FROG Dub Pistolshttp://whatsthescene.com/photograph/dub-pistols-gaudi-at-the-blue-frog-mumbai/

Dub Pistols Barry Ashworth recorded a breaks mix for Lady Waks radio show in January you can download it here for free

https://soundcloud.com/dubpistol/barry-ashworth-breaks-mix-18

Dub Pistols have been confirmed to play the main stage on the saturday night at the awesome Secret Garden Festival

Gardeners we are delighted to announce our initial lineup, brand spanking new website, boutique camping, Head Gardener Xmas mix and more…

Little Dragon, Fat Freddys Drop, Martha Reeves Dub Pistols and The Vandellas, Deap Vally, Morcheeba, Jagwar Ma, Clean Bandit, Max Raabe and Palast Orchester, Fat White Family, Southern, Champs, Honeyblood, The Correspondents, Bat and Ball and MT will all be joining us in the Garden next year with many many more to be announced…

For all the details click here: www.secretgardenparty.comand don’t forget to sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear about news and competitions .

And if you haven’t already check out our SGP 2013 video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoLmtRkJqLI

Big Love xxx

Dub Pistols announce joint headline tour with Neville Staple from The Specials

Notorious party-rockers head out on UK tour with ska legend

There’s gonna be some serious skanking going down at all the dates of this twin-pronged ska-tinged tour. Party-rockers the Dub Pistols — who mash-up ska, punk, hip-hop, breaks, dub, drum & bass and more — are heading out for some UK dates in March with ska legend Neville Staple from The Specials.

As a slightly wayward teenager, Dub Pistols main man Barry Ashworth was heavily into multi-racial 2-Tone ska band The Specials. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that one day he would not only work with several key members of the band, but be instrumental in the reformation of The Specials in the late noughties too.

The Specials are one of the most influential bands of all time. Bursting out of Coventry in the Midlands region of England in the post-punk late seventies, their conscious ska tunes caught the imagination of disaffected British urban youth. They quickly had a top ten hit with “Gangsters’ on their own 2-Tone label, which would soon also put records out by The Selecter, Madness and The Beat. These 2-Tone bands — along with the label’s iconic logo, the skinny Walt Jabsco figure in black suit, white socks and pork pie hat — caught the imagination of the nation’s youth and 2-Tone was soon a bona fide movement.

The first Specials album in 1979 was a landmark release. Mixing up a couple of rocksteady covers of Prince Buster, Skatalites and Toots & the Maytals tunes with their own compositions, it’s still featured on many Best Albums Of All Time lists. Deadpan lyrics from skinny white vocalist Terry Hall were offset by the rudeboy toasting of Neville Staple and the animated antics of foregrounded vocalist/guitarist Lynval Golding. The whole ska-punk show was masterminded by keyboard wizard Jerry Dammers, who took the band’s sound into more of a cosmic, easy listening ‘muzak’ territory for second album, ‘More Specials’.

After their seventh consecutive top ten hit, the haunting tale of urban decay that was  ‘Ghost Town’, peaked at No.1 just as the UK was engulfed by inner city riots in 1981, The Specials broke up with Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding going on to found hit-makers the Fun Boy Three for a few years.

Barry Ashworth, meanwhile, formed the Dub Pistols in 1996 after previously promoting parties, singing in acid house band Déjà Vu and teaching himself to DJ. At first the Dubs surfed the big beat wave with block-rockin’ tracks like ‘Cyclone’ and ‘There’s Gonna Be A Riot’, but for their broader ‘Six Million Ways To Live’ album Barry managed to recruit a certain Terry Hall — one of his all-time heroes — to guest on Dubs ska tune ‘Problem Is’.

Terry began guesting with the Dubs at live shows, and soon they started performing ‘Gangsters’ too — the first ever Specials single. Hall contributed a number of tracks to the next Dubs album, ‘Speakers & Tweeters’, and Lynval Golding also joined the Pistols on stage a few times — at Bestival and the anti-racism festival Rise in London — to play guitar and contribute vocals to ‘Gangsters’. Terry Hall is on record as saying that singing live with the Dubs in the noughties made him realise how much love there was out there for his short-lived former band, and this was instrumental in one of the biggest reunions of modern times — The Specials reforming.

Indeed, the Dub Pistols were asked to support The Specials at some of their early reunion shows, and in the summer of 2013 Neville Staple asked Barry to sing ‘Gangsters’ onstage with him at his Glastonbury show.

Mixing up drum & bass, dub, ska, punk, hip-hop and electronics, the Dub Pistols are like a 21^st century version of The Specials. Their love of 2-Tone might only be one element of their sound, but their next single — the lead track off their forthcoming ‘White Lines’ album on Sunday Best — is a collaboration with Neville Staple himself. Seeing as Neville also has a new album out on Casablanca Records in March, it made perfect sense for the Neville Staple band to head out on tour with the Dub Pistols. Neville’s band performs many classic Specials tracks along with some choice ska, reggae and rocksteady standards.