At the radio meeting we were going through the upcoming gigs and assigning people to go and review them. Up came Aka Ska who no one had heard of, so we had a listen to their stuff and with an open mind (since I’m not a hardcore ska music fan) I volunteered to check them out. And I am so glad I did, what came next was one of the best nights of live music I’ve had for a long time. The band formed in 2006 with what seems to be the sole purpose of bringing the joys of ska music to the wider world and having a blast while doing it. It was a fabulously relaxed gig with everyone (including the band) just having a good time.

It was a strange audience which consisted of a large group of burley bikers, a stag do, a hen party and then everyone else. But once the band had started up (there were no support acts) everyone slowly but surely were all jumping around and dancing. It was such a good atmosphere and the music was brilliant, playing all the classic ska tunes (and even ones the unexperienced ska listener like myself could recognise!) including ‘Monkey Man’ and some classic tunes by The Specials. A highlight for me was the entirity of Cafe Drummonds singing along to ‘Red Red Wine’ made famous by UB40. Even if you are not into ska music I would definitely recommend seeing them when next in town, a band committed to keeping gig prices cheap it makes for a brilliant night out with a difference.

Holly Abbott

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