the english beat tour review

Utah Concert Review

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The English Beat

The English Beat w/ The Mad Professor• April 29, 2022• The Commonwealth Room

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

There are times when I’ll see a concert on the calendar and know without any doubt that it’ll be a good time.  That’s exactly how it was when I saw The English Beat on the schedule.  I grew up with The Englis Beat, or The Beat, as they’re known in England being played on early MTV and on my brother’s record player.  The songs are so familiar and always take me back to that young time in my life.  As I’ve aged, (boy have I aged!) I’ve been able to appreciate the music more and more. They were one of the major bands of the ska music revival in England and a huge player in the New Wave, Post Punk generation. 

The English Beat has a dedicated fan base here in Utah.  They’ve played everywhere from Red Butte Gardens to the Complex to Soda Row in Daybreak.  Their shows are always well attended and the crowd is always a lively bunch.  

The Mad Professor

Before The English Beat took the stage, a legend in dub music, The Mad Professor entertained the crowd.  I must admit I was not familiar with The Mad Professor.  In fact, when I was waiting for him to come out, I asked around if others were familiar.  Some said they knew the name, others weren’t too sure.  But there was a contingent of fans who were embarrassed for me that I didn’t know him.  They told me that the main reason they came to the show was for him.  I later did some research and realized his impact on dub, and reggae music.  

The Mad Professor was very entertaining.  Consistently using an autotune effect on the mic he would make jokes with the audience.  Joking that he would give away CDs and vinyls if any women would come on stage and dance naked.  He told the crowd that the stage could be a lonely place without a singer.  He brought up a few fans to sing with him.  One man went up and knew the song, but others were not quite familiar.  He gave them parting gifts of CDs and records. 

It seemed like the crowd fell into a similar category as me in not being super familiar with The Mad Professors’ work.  However, they were very appreciative of his style and sense of humor.  At the end of his set, he would play a beat and see if the crowd could guess the song. If they did, he would throw out more merch. It was a fun game but my feeling is the crowd got a little restless. I think they were very excited for The English Beat to come out, and The Mad Professor ran a little long.   

When I first arrived inside The Commonwealth Room there was plenty of space to find a spot.  I didn’t feel like I was there all that early so it surprised me that there was so much room.  But by the time The English Beat walked out on stage, the place was totally packed!  There was a party atmosphere and people were so ready to be taken back to the 80s.  They were not disappointed.  The show opened with “Rough Rider”.  The audience was instantly swaying to the breezy groove.  

My first impression was how good lead singer and only original member of The Beat, Dave Wakeling sounded.  He seemed in such good spirits.  Prior to the band walking on stage he stuck his head out to see if the crowd was ready.  That elevated their excitement instantly.  They kept the energy flowing with “Hands Off…She’s Mine” and “Twist and Crawl”.  The band’s toaster, Antonee First Class addressed the crowd.  He told us we were getting two for the price of one at this show.  He told us we were not only getting an English Beat concert but a General Public show as well. 

For those unaware, Dave Wakeling and original toaster for The Beat, Ranking Roger (RIP), were also in a band called General Public in the 80s.  Must be nice to have two huge bands in the same decade!  With Antonee First Class’ proclamation, the band broke into “Tenderness”.  A great, great General Public song. Before moving on to the next song, Antonee First Class joked that by looking in the crowd he could see how many babies were made to these songs.  

The pinnacle moment of the night came midway through the show. At least for me.  Wakeling asked the crowd ”How many of you remember the 80s?”. Of course, the majority inside The Commonwealth Room roared.  He then mentioned that he was recently daydreaming about the 80s.  That followed with the intro to “Save it For Later”.  I absolutely love that song!  Every time I hear it my spirits are lifted.  I remember being in a movie theater watching Spider-man “Homecoming” when that song came on.  I recall audibly saying, “Yes!”.  Which was then followed by embarrassment because I never talk in movies and people looked at me surprised. 

What can I say, it’s a great song, and it was perfectly placed in that movie, and it was a huge moment in this concert.  I was a little surprised to hear it played so early, but I think it could have been the first song and people would have lost their minds just as much as they did when it was played.  

What I was really surprised by was just how crazy the crowd got.  This isn’t to put anyone down, but if you were a fan of The English Beat when these songs were released, you are most likely in your 50s or 60s.  Generally, at a concert with that demographic, most people aren’t getting too wild.  But during “Save it For Later” the whole venue was dancing and singing as if everyone was in their 20s or 30s.  It was invigorating.  At the end of the song, Dave Wakeling said, “For a minute there I thought I could remember the 80s!”.  

The Commonwealth Room

I really enjoy seeing shows at The Commonwealth Room. It’s a great small venue that doesn’t feel compact.  It’s open, the stage is big, the floor feels bigger than it is, and the sound is good. The one thing I don’t get about that place is it’s so dark!  Meaning the lighting on the stage seems so dark.  It’s really difficult to see the faces of the band.  And if we can their usually in blue or red lights.  I’ve been to so many shows there and rarely am I are the lights are bright enough. 

As a photographer that’s tough.  But I’m not even talking about that. Because I’m not expecting a venue or band to change the lighting to fit my needs as press.  I’m purely talking from a fan’s viewpoint.  Even Antonee First Class asked them to turn the lights up.  And when they did, he asked for more.  I’m not sure what the reason is, but I really think it needs to be addressed.  Love, love, love The Commonwealth Room.  That’s my only issue with the place.  Ok, rant over. 

Following “Can’t Get Used to Losing You”, Wakeling jokingly asked, “Do you know how hard it is to whistle with a broken heart and less than half a liver left?”  The show went on at a high level with songs like, “Too Nice To Talk To”, and “Doors of Your Heart”.  It was fun to see couples and friends dancing together.  I noticed some people who were strangers walking into The Commonwealth Room becoming very friendly due to the fun nature of the music.  There were only good vibes in the room and everyone seemed so happy.  

Dave Wakeling thanked everyone several times for being patient and that it was great to be back performing.  He shared that pre-pandemic people would always say to him that the three most important things are Health, Family, and Friends.  “How much more true is that now” he stated.  When he expressed gratitude for things opening back up he followed with “They let us out just in time for World War Three!”.  

The night ended with another English Beat classic, “Mirror in the Bathroom” and “Jackpot”.  The band played on as Wakeling departed.  Before leaving he said, “Thank you for coming.  Thanks even more for staying!”.  The crowd danced away as the band continued.  Hoping that there was more music to be played.  Eventually Antonee First Class departed as did the rest of the band and we knew the night was over.  

I didn’t think about it until the ride home, but I was surprised “I Confess” and “Tears of a Clown” were left off the setlist.  I guess not realizing it in real-time tells me that the show was so good I didn’t notice until I broke it down later.  It was a really fun night for fans of The E

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Reno fans absorb The English Beat, up-close and personal

“SOLD OUT” announced the marquee over The Saint’s entrance as a crowd lined up along Reno’s midtown on a warm summer evening.

Outside, we tried to recall any scandals or torrid relationship headlines or anything at all involving The English Beat’s frontman, Dave Wakeling, and ultimately couldn’t name a thing. That fact lends itself to Wakeling’s place fitting among the Tom Pettys and James Taylors, those musicians who appeared genuinely disinterested in the industry social circles and instead, simply, seemed focused on passion about the music. And when the band took the stage on Saturday, Aug. 18, this attitude showed.

Wakeling was backed by a six-piece band, all in black Fred Perry shirts, in contrast to his in white, and the musicians were all smiles throughout the set. Pulling from Wakeling’s seven albums with The English Beat and General Public, the band’s song choice made no hesitation in leaning toward the most infectiously dancey songs in his career catalog — “Tenderness” being the first hit that elicited a shockingly giddy round of cheers from the crowd.

Aside from his own strengths as a songwriter, Wakeling also has demonstrated a skill in surrounding himself with complementary musicians – Ranking Roger being his partner throughout The Beat and General Public years. For the past decade, Antonee First Class, a musician born in London to a musically inclined Jamaican family, has been onstage beside Wakeling assuming MC and hype-man duties, his energetic dancing and tongue-twisting reggae-tinged vocal abilities serving to get the crowd moving and flowing right through any lulls between songs.

Additionally, the show was a bit of a homecoming for former Keyser Soze organist Kevin Lum, who is now a member of The English Beat. Wakeling joked that he essentially poached him for his own band from Reno’s Keyser Soze.

After anecdotes of a love song written for his mother, “even if she’s no longer here to hear it,” as well as jokingly taking credit saying that two different “two-term presidents” had used General Public’s version of “I’ll Take You There” on the campaign trail — followed by a sly smile mentioning that the current president didn’t use it — the band’s set culminated in an extended version of “Mirror In The Bathroom,” which took on an almost climactic feeling following a sweaty dance-heavy set.

With one final burst of appreciative handshakes from the stage – even turning the stage’s electric fans to face the front row of the standing-room only floor – the musicians finally went silent almost two hours after they had begun, still smiling as they left the stage, a fitting reflection of the glow over the crowd.

 — Shaun Astor

Related stories: — Dave Wakeling has new sounds and familiar fragile optimism. — The English Beat to play KAABOO Del Mar.

ABOUT Shaun Astor

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Live Review: The English Beat @ City Winery — 11/15/22

The English Beat perform live. (Photo by Jackie Butler)

For the rarely performed “Never You Done That” by General Public, Dave Wakeling whistled a fine tune throughout the song, impressing the sold-out room at City Winery DC with his melodious warble.

“Dave Wakeling is the last of the original ’80s singers to still do his own whistling!” declared toaster/ hypeman/ cool dude Antonee First Class when The English Beat wrapped the song toward the end of Tuesday night’s set. “Aha!” agreed Dave with his usual jaunty showmanship. “Sting doesn’t do his own whistling any more now, does he!”

Antonee responded, “Look out, Sting! We are coming for you!”

The earnestly droll stage banter was in fact one of the draws of The English Beat, who sell out venues across the nation despite a mighty touring schedule. They sold out City Winery DC on Nov. 15 in their second headlining show in the DC area in 2022, after selling out The Birchmere earlier in the year.

And on this rainy night, City Winery DC proved a wonderful place to catch a performance by Dave Wakeling and The English Beat. The city was drenched in cold rain, but the City Winery was lovely and warm, and the wine flowed nicely. The packed house, skewing toward Gen X and Boomers but including persons of all ages, felt like an old-time tavern and we weary travelers were thankful for the break from the weather. It was a perfect evening.

As great as it was to see The English Beat once again, I honestly cherished the General Public selection, lifted from the new wave band’s 1984 debut record, All The Rage. That same record spawned “Tenderness,” which Dave and the late Ranking Roger introduced to the world after they put the original incarnation of The English Beat on hiatus. Dave calls up “Tenderness” — thankfully! — almost every time he takes his Los Angeles-based Beat on the road these days, and did so early in the set on Tuesday, but the rest of the very good catalog of songs written by General Public tend to be ignored. So, “Never You Done That” was wonderful, and the band should maybe consider adding a few more of those tunes to their live act.

Watch the official music video for “Never You Done That” by General Public on YouTube:

Starting from the top of the show, people were eager to pop out of their seats and skank the night away to The English Beat and their potent mix of new wave, ska, reggae, post-punk, and other influences. The instantly recognizable hit “Save It for Later” got people dancing alongside their tables, in the aisles, and wherever else they could groove. It showcased the talents of Dave’s very good Beat band — in particular Matt Morrish on saxophone and Minh Quad on keyboards. (Antonee First Class introduced Minh as from Los Angeles, and the splendid keyboardist noted he grew up locally in Annandale, Virginia!)

Soon, The English Beat went into an extended mix of “Whine & Grine/ Stand Down Margaret,” which gave Dave an opening to quip about the special “winery and grinery” version of the song. Toward the end of the show, The English Beat played “Ranking Full Stop,” a very first single that declared The English Beat were here for dancefloor domination. At City Winery DC, the audience, already excited, could barely contain their enthusiasm for the number.

For “Ranking Full Stop,” Dave and Antonee First Class sang together quite well, and Antonee’s pleasing delivery in particular really made the moment pop. That song depended a lot on drummer Fritz Zar, who generated some smash power when the chorus called for it but also smoothed the way for its wonderful islander overtones.

The band moved right into Beat smash “Mirror in the Bathroom,” and everyone in the house was on their feet dancing the night away.

Watch the official music video for “Mirror in the Bathroom” by The English Beat on YouTube:

At the end of the set, Dave Wakeling bid us good night. Antonee First Class wrapped the evening with a version of his single, “Gimme Di Ska,” which was super fun and kept people loose in lieu of an encore. Antonee’s toasting and overall lyrical fluidity were in fine form, and the band really brought it home for the full house.

Catch Dave Wakeling and The English Beat for a guaranteed great evening the next time they perform near you!

By the way, the band play at City Winery Boston tonight — followed by a show at City Winery Philadelphia and two shows at City Winery New York City.

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SHOW REVIEW: THE ENGLISH BEAT

The English Beat broke up after only three studio albums. Their music has been featured in several soundtracks, has been covered by countless bands including The Who, and you’d be hard pressed to find a person who hasn’t heard an English Beat song. Over twenty years later, The English Beat was reborn into two separate groups – one led by Ranking Rodger, and one by Dave Wakeling. If you are lucky enough for them to come to your town, you don’t have much choice not to go. Missing this band is like missing a piece of history. Consider them a can’t-miss act! You have to go.

It was eight o’clock on a Saturday. I had just arrived at the Mercury Ball Room on Fourth Street in Louisville. The Mercury Ball Room is hard to miss. It has the appearance of an old church or castle. Castle is appropriate, being that the kings of two tone ska were preforming there on that night. The Ball Room is a pretty large concert hall, but on a typical night, the top floor is usually pretty empty. This wasn’t the case on Saturday. As the show grew closer, the room began to shrink. It began to look like the roomier Louisville Palace down the street would have been a more size appropriate choice in venue.

I found a spot near the stage and waited with burning anticipation that made time crawl by; I thought an hour had passed, and I had only been waiting a handful of minutes. A middle-aged man standing next to me kept telling me stories about Dave Wakeling and how the English Beat had created a genre, and how he had seen the original English Beat on their first U.S. Tour. He assured me countless times that it was worth all the miles he drove to see them. The man was giddy with excitement and the opportunity to teach a young man a few things about the heroes of his youth.  This was a testament to the power of the English Beat’s music. Over thirty years after their first incarnation, people were still coming back with the same filling, the same excitement, the same energy that they had when the saw them when they were teenagers as young adults.  

The audience cheered as the band came on stage. The night began with an appropriate number, “Rough Rider” by Prince Buster. When beginning a ska concert, why not start at the beginning? Speaking of the beginning, next up was The English Beat’s first single, “Tears of a Clown,” a Smoky Robinson cover, and the English Beat’s first single. We had waited quite some time for the show to start, but they made it alright by promising us two hours of live music. Other than Dave Wakeling, there weren’t any original members, but the new guys displayed the same kind of skill and presence as the original members. This was so evident that King Schascha had to continuously remind the audience that he was not Ranking Roger. The new Toaster flirted with the girls and kidded with the guys and jumped around like he had springs in his shoes. He had the voice and the attitude that proved he deserved his spot in the reassembled band. They started playing originals with, “Hands Off…Sh e’s Mine” and “Twist and Crawl.” Next was a song by Dave and keyboardist Mikey Billingham’s band, General Public, “I’ll take You There.”  Dave joked about how out of all their political songs, that was the one that two presidents used during their campaigns. He also said, and maybe he’s correct, that if you want to win election, he’s your guy. After “I Confess” and “Click Click” we got to here one of the many crowd favorites, “Save it for Later.” An excellent political protest song aimed at former British Prime Minister Margret Thatcher was played. “Whine and Grine/Stand Down Margret” still packs a punch.  After “Too Nice to Talk To,” the band did an excellent tribute to Andy Williams with a cover of “Can’t Get Used to Losing You.”

The English Beat handed us “The Love That Lasts Forever,” and after “Two Swords,” Dave talked about all the horrible things we see on the news. He really took the time to tell the truth when he said music is our “Sole Salvation,” the title of the next song. I may try too hard and apply too much meaning to these reviews, but when you see those horrible things on the news, crazed savages with guns and bombs attacking concert halls and soccer stadiums, inner city violence, poverty, prejudice, abuse, and political madness, and you look around this concert hall and see old and young, black and white, male and female, American born and immigrants, together, all dancing to and filled with the love that is the English Beat, maybe I don’t have to try. Maybe it’s already there. Music heals wounds. Music brings people together.  There is no hate in ska.  Maybe music is our sole salvation. If everyone listened to music like this, we might just have a different world.

Vans Warped Tour Band Announcement Kickoff – 3/22/17

They played one more General Public Cover, “Tenderness” and “Ranking Full Stop” before playing the song we’ve all waited for. The last song of the evening was, of course, “Mirror in the Bathroom.”  King Schascha pulled a little girl up on stage to dance with him. I wondered if her parents taught her well enough to know the honor it was to be up there.  By the look on her face, she did. King introduced the band at the end of the song. When it came time to introduce legendary saxophone player, Matt Morrish, he needed a little help from a young man from the audience. He pulled the man up for greatest introduction he would ever make. “Ladies and Gentlemen, Matt Morrish!” he shouted, followed by yet another rippin’ saxophone solo.

[embedplusvideo height=”350″ width=”600″ editlink=”http://bit.ly/1OaDBWE” standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/f_-7fqUMuyg?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=f_-7fqUMuyg&width=600&height=350&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=” id=”ep4840″ /]

The music lasted two hours, as promised. The English Beat are just as good as they were in 1979.  Every member was at the top of his game. We were even teased with the upcoming English Beat album. This will be the first new album since 1983 and will include both original singers. In the late eighties, the ska torch was passed once more to a next generation, Third Wave Ska. The Third Wave included bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, No Doubt, and Less than Jake, who would use harder rock and more horns. These bands are great, but I would like to see The English Beat hold the torch just a little bit longer and watch as the flame still burns bright for them and their original sound of true, two tone ska.

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Review by ted darden, rockrevolt journalist.

I think you mean “Twist and Crawl”. Plus has Roger been confirmed as being in the new album? There are rumours but I’ve not heard any confirmation from sources close to or with in the band.

Thanks for that update! We went ahead and changed it. As far as if Roger has confirmed, no…it was simple teasing, allowing us to speculate what will be up and coming. As soon as we find out though, we will definitely let you know 😉

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GIG REVIEW: The English Beat

Welcome to UK Music Reviews » GIG REVIEW: The English Beat

The English Beat performing their Still Can’t Stop It Tour at Rock City Nottingham on Saturday 16th July 2022

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

The English Beat were at Rock City on Saturday night and they brought with them a whole load of memories for a crowd that never tires of hearing their hits.

Though the band has gone through several musical changes since its inception, its mainstay has always been singer, songwriter and guitarist, Dave Wakeling, and he and the current line up were in fine form, ripping through a hit laden ninety minute set.

Starting the set with a trio of songs from the band’s first album, 1980’s I Just Can’t Stop It, Prince Buster’s cover Rough Rider was quickly followed by Hands Off…She’s Mine that had the crowd belting back the chorus, before an enthusiastic Twist & Crawl had them moving and bouncing across a collectively sweaty dance floor.

A characteristic of an English Beat concert are the band’s smiles and they did not disappoint as the whole band smiled throughout their set. There was a feverish Click Click and a soaring Save It For Later. There was a powerful version of Whine And Grind which morphed into Stand Down Margaret which got a huge reaction from the crowd when the name Margaret was substituted for Boris.

The band’s toaster, Antonee First Class kept the entertainment levels high between songs with his tongue twisting freestyle rhymes and he provided a powerful foundation for Wakeling particularly on the cover of Andy Williams’ Can’t Get Used To Losing You. There was also the propulsive Too Nice To Talk To before the main set was brought to a close with Rankin’ Full Stop and Mirror In The Bathroom with a welcome sing along led by First Class.

The English Beat would not be allowed to leave without performing their first single, The Tears Of A Clown, their version of the Smokey Robinson and The Miracles classic Motown track, and they did not disappoint. Saving it for the encore they followed up with Jackpot.

The show at Rock City illustrated the effort and charisma of Wakeling and the band, as they delivered a catchy and infectious show. There was no doubting that the crowd would agree that they were well worth the ticket price.

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Spring 2024 Appeal - Keep the Fuse lit!

Concert Review: The English Beat at Lowell Summer Music Series

By Karen Schlosberg

Mainstay singer/songwriter/guitarist Dave Wakeling and the band were in fine form in Lowell, whipping through a hit-laden 90-minute set to an enthusiastic crowd.

The English Beat. Photo: courtesy of the artist.

The English Beat has always embraced both love and social justice in its music, from joy to anger. Now in its 40 th year, the Birmingham, England-bred band was born in the punk movement but based its messages and beats in ska (the Jamaican precursor to reggae that blended styled of mento, calypso, and American jazz and R&B), to form what was called the two-tone movement in England. The result was highly danceable and lyrically edgy.

Though the band has gone through musical changes since its inception, including the spin-off band General Public, its mainstay has always been singer/songwriter/guitarist Dave Wakeling, and he and the band were in fine form in Lowell, whipping through a hit-laden 90-minute set to an enthusiastic crowd at Boarding House Park. The set started with a trio of songs the band’s first album, I Just Can’t Stop It (1980)—“Rough Rider,” “Twist & Crawl,” and “Hands Off … She’s Mine”—establishing a tone that leaned more on danceability than on edginess (no “Two Swords” or “All Out to Get You”), which fit the atmosphere of the lovely summer night. The one exception was “Whine and Grine/Stand Down Margaret,” an old favorite anti-Thatcher protest that Wakeling said always goes down well in the Boston area.

The set also dipped into the Beat’s other two studio albums, Wha’ppen and Special Beat Service , plus General Public’s All the Rage . From the propulsive “Too Nice to Talk To,” “I Confess” and “Mirror in the Bathroom” (with a welcome sing-along led by toaster Antonee First Class) to the soaring and incandescent “Tenderness” and “Save It for Later,” the band provided a powerful foundation for Wakeling and Antonee First Class to wind vocals around melody lines, particularly on the band’s covers of “Can’t Get Used to Losing You” (a 1963 hit for Andy Williams) and the Staple Singers’ 1972 hit “I’ll Take You There.” Wakeling’s Vox Teardrop guitars lay a distinctive chunky texture to the sound, rounded off by keyboard players Minh Quan and Kevin Lum, bassist Chuck Elder, drummer Brian Cantrell, and dexterous sax player Matt Morrish, whose lines created lovely counterparts to the vocals.

Karen Schlosberg is a veteran journalist and editor. Her work has appeared in such publications as The Boston Herald , The Boston Phoenix , Rolling Stone , Musician , Creem , and Trouser Press . She can be reached here or on Twitter @karen1055.

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Drew's Reviews

Music reviews you won't get anywhere else – concert reviews, album reviews, sometimes a book review and the occasional artist interview when the timing hits just right., concert review: the english beat just can’t stop the rhythms in portland.

The English Beat thoroughly entertained a joyous sold-out crowd for nearly two hours on Saturday at the Aladdin Theater in Portland as heads bobbed up and down through 20 songs of old favorites, their popular covers and a couple of new tracks.

Dave Wakeling’s transcendent vocals for this ska/rock infused band among a handful of other incorporated genres needs no introduction for anyone who explored potential musical tastes during the 1980s. He is the sole remaining founder of the The English Beat, yes hailing overseas from Birmingham, England, which has seen numerous line-up changes over the years, a really long layoff and includes an alternative grouping that tours Europe under different personnel.

The English Beat appeared on my “see-live” radar several years ago as they regularly pass through Portland. I knew the hits and one of their songs was on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but little else. Admittedly, I was unprepared for the abundant influx of reggae and ska. Yes, I did some homework as I was not terribly familiar with their catalog but those songs played on Los Angeles’ KROQ during the 80s didn’t exactly reflect the pure style of The English Beat’s repertoire. Not that I don’t like or appreciate the form (it feels to me like authentic rap – a category that should have stayed put within those boundaries) but it seldom, if ever, appears on my personal rotation of musical choices.

As such, it was mostly an enjoyable evening and a well-received schooling in a genus of music from a band fronted by a guy who looks like the next door neighbor that enjoys local bowling leagues. Perfectly nonchalant, the left-handed Wakeling found his groove from the start opening the evening with the covers “Rough Rider” and “The Tears of a Clown” before the original “Hands Off…She’s Mine.” A radio voice if there ever was one, his baritone vocals never wavered and sounded no different than when the band emerged nearly 40 years ago. Don’t be surprised if Wakeling, 61, still fronts The English Beat in 20 years.

The evening’s setlist included “Never You Done That” and the beloved “Tenderness” by General Public the band Wakeling founded along with fellow English Beat co-founder Ranking Roger, who leads his version of The Beat in England; a solid version of “Save It For Later,” “Sole Situation,” of course, “Mirror In the Bathroom” which unfortunately didn’t rise to the catchy original (which I was looking forward to) and a “goodbye” with “Jackpot.”

Everyone on the floor stood for the duration of the show and many in the balcony as well. Indeed, it is hard not to bounce a foot, hand and/or head to the rhythm. It’s a bit addictive, truly relaxing but it sounds so similar. The variation of notes and of course the lyrics and their delivery all afford different contexts and arrangements but with some exceptions like “Tenderness” the amorous “Never Die” and “I’ll Take You There” after an hour or so much of it harmonizes together. To each his own, as they say!

However, what’s missing (for me anyway) is made up for in the live show which Wakeling does effectively. Backed by seven others, singer King Schascha who toasts thoroughly entertains often interacting with the crowd, dancing and the occasional dreadlock windmill when he swings his head around. And, Matt Morrish on saxophone nearly steals the show!

The English Beat recently wrapped a new record, Here We Go Love, and is expected to appear on Later…with Jools Holland a BBC variety show later this month.

The English Beat Setlist at Aladdin Theater in Portland

• Rough Rider
• The Tears of a Clown
• Hands Off…She’s Mine
• Twist & Crawl
• Rude Boy Skank
• Save it for Later
• Too Nice To Talk To
• Best Friend
• Whine & Grine/Stand Down Margaret
• I’ll Take You There
• Sole Salvation
• Can’t Get Used to Losing You
• Never You Done That
• “How Can You Stand Man” (new)
• The Doors of Your Heart
• Ranking Full Stop
• Mirror In the Bathroom

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Concert Recap and Photos: The English Beat bring ska power to the Odeum

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Question: How do you get a sold-out crowd of skanking rude boys and girls (OK, youngish boomers) on their feet for a 90+ minute concert?

Answer: Bring a high-energy show from the iconic UK band The English Beat to town. That was the scene in East Greenwich Saturday night April 1 when the band, led by founding member and lead vocalist Dave Wakeling busted on into RI. Formed in 1978 on the streets of Birmingham, England, The Beat blended ska, rock, and reggae for an entertaining show on their return visit to the Odeum.

The concert featured many of the band’s legendary hits, including “Save it For Later,” “Twist and Crawl,” and “Can’t Get Used to Losing You.” They also breezed through a fine version of “Tenderness,” from the Beat’s daughter band, General Public, followed by a strong cover of the Staples Singers “I’ll Take You There.” Lots of friendly banter and warm vibes kept fans on their feet through most of the show – smiles all around, all night long.

Lifestyle Editor Ken Abrams was there and shares a few photos of the evening below.

BourbonAndVinyl

Rock 'n roll, drinking and sometimes both at the same time, concert review: adam ant (with special guest the english beat), kansas city’s uptown theater 3/22/2024.

*Photo of Adam Ant taken by the Rock Chick

You know that feeling when you wake up after a great concert. You might have a slight hangover, you’ve been up way past your bed time but you feel great. It’s like you’ve just had this wonderful communal, quasi religious experience. Music is running through your head and you’re smiling a lot. That’s how I feel today. And I have to admit, my first thought of the day was, “Well, I certainly didn’t expect that…”

It was the Rock Chick who discovered that Adam Ant was going to be in KC at the venerable Uptown Theater ( where I saw the Cult in ’22 ) last night. She’s always been a fan and wanted to go. When I saw the English Beat was opening, I thought, “Hell, yes, I’m in.” Buy the ticket, see the show – that’s my motto. And since I just discovered Billy Idol’s new song, “Love Don’t Live Here” from the Rebel Yell sessions, I’m in an 80s mood these days.

I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t have a long history with Adam Ant. I’m like most people, I remember seeing him dressed like a pirate (or whatever that costume was?) in the “Goody Two Shoes” video. I always liked that song and the chorus, “Don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?” Who doesn’t love a good innuendo? And let’s face it, we all have a vice or two, hidden or not. Adam had his face painted in the video and it wasn’t screaming loud rock guitars or blues in the least so I just kind of noted it and moved back to my latest Van Halen record.

Over the years as my musical tastes have expanded I became more aware of some of Adam Ant’s music. “Stand And Deliver,” which is running through my head today, popped out at me. No Doubt actually covered that song when I saw them a few years back. “Strip” was good. One of his latter day tunes, “Wonderful” is one the Rock Chick turned me onto and I love that song. I assumed we were in for an evening of new wave, post-punk pop. Nothing could have prepared me for the guitar/drums assault I just witnessed last night…What a show!

I would be remiss if I didn’t pause, and give a shout out to all those folks who showed up last night dressed as pirates. Not a lot of you did, but for those who did, take this as a tip of my tri-corner hat. There was one guy I walked into the venue behind who was dressed in shiny patent leather from head to toe. I’m not sure what his expectations for the evening were, but they were certainly different than mine. I can’t imagine what that guy spends on talcum powder… Cheers, leather-clad stranger! I’d never seen so much velvet. The couple sitting next to us – the dude had on a blue velvet jacket and the lady had a blue fuzzy fur coat on – left right after the English Beat played…I couldn’t help but think, what fun! And what a devoted fan base! How have I been missing out on this.

The English Beat came out right after 8pm and opened the show. Again, the only tracks I knew were “Tenderness” and “Save It For Later.” I must confess I always dug Pete Townshend’s live cover of that latter track from Deep End as much as the original. I dug the almost-an-hour long set they played, heavy on reggae beats. They tended to stretch out the tunes quite a bit which became vexing. And they had an MC, Ranking Jr, who kept trying to hype up Dave Wakeling. I get it, he’s an “O.G.” Sigh.

As they set up the gear for Adam Ant’s band, I realized they had not one but two full drum sets. I haven’t seen a band with two full on drummers since the Allman Brothers rumbled through town back in the days before the Rock Chick. And I saw the Dead once, who always had two drummers…but I digress. They also had free-standing, big drums set up on both sides of the drummers. Beyond the two drum sets, there were just four microphones set up at the front of the stage… there was nary a keyboard in sight. I was thinking, well, two guitars and a bass and then Adam’s microphone? This thing might rock a little harder than I realized.

A little after 9:30pm the band rolled out on stage: the two drummers who came out first, Jola (who was a dead ringer for Amy Winehouse with her beehive wig) and alas, I didn’t catch the second drummer’s name; the guitarists came out next, A.P. Leach and lead guitarist Will Crewdson; and finally bassist Joe Holweger. They were all followed by Adam himself, clad in a black double button shirt and leather pants with knee high boots, spare bandana flowing from his back pocket like a tail. He wore a big cowboy hat over a bandana. The dude is 69 years old and looks trim and fit. I must say, he danced around the stage like a man half his age.

They opened up with “Antmusic” with the guitar players beating along to the drummers on the big spare drums. It was so… tribal. I can’t say enough good stuff about the drummers – they propelled me into next month. Crewdson, on the lead guitar started shredding! That guy was awesome. After “Antmusic” they played another song I’m familiar with “Vive Le Rock” and man, we were off and running. Crewdson was stage right, bent over and attacking the guitar. Adam was dancing to the music like he was connected to the drums through some magic wiring. Adam wasn’t terribly talkative but he did thank the crowd after almost every tune. And believe me, this was an almost sold out, 1700-seat arena where the crowd was what I’d describe as adoring. That always makes for a good show, when the crowd is into it.

There’s no other way to describe last night’s show other than a full-on guitar and drums onslaught. I could feel the music in my clothes. It RAWKED! I was surprised. This was more full on punk than post punk. During “Friend Or Foe” Ant appeared to be beating along to the drums on his body. “Prince Charming,” which elicited a huge reaction from the crowd saw Ant getting the crowd to join in a big sing-along. It was a cool moment between singer and audience. “Cartrouble” melted my face off as did “Killer In The Home.” He lost me a little during “Kings Of The Wild Frontier,” probably because I wasn’t terribly familiar with that one.

The latter half of the set was all the hits the casual fan like me would know. “Puss In Boots,” “Desperate But Not Serious,” and “Strip” were all great. That led up to perhaps my favorite performance of the night, “Wonderful.” Such a great song. The main set ended on a spirited, drum-filled version of “Stand And Deliver” and it was another great moment.

The encore was short and sweet and a bit confusing. The first song was the big hit, “Goody Two Shoes,” and it had the crowd into it. They’d been spirited all night in their pirate costumes but “Goody Two Shoes” set them off. But then Adam strapped on his electric guitar – which he’d done intermittently during the evening – and they went into “Physical (You’re So)” which can only be described as a heavy-metal dirge. It kinda took the life out of the crowd. Were I Adam Ant, I might flip the running order of those two encore songs. End on a high note. The crowd just kinda stood there, mouth agape during the guitar onslaught.

And with that Adam and his band left the stage. I was drained but in a good way. These guys put on a good ol’ fashion, ass kickin’, rock n roll show. This band takes no prisoners…much like pirates. If I had any complaint on the night, I would have liked Ant’s vocals to be boosted just slightly in the mix, nothing drastic, but I’m splitting hairs. Say what you want about some of these older bands, these guys can play. If you’re out there in a city where Ant is playing, I can’t recommend this show strongly enough. I tend to focus on those big tours – the Stones, Pearl Jam – but it’s these smaller shows where rock n roll is surviving… Me, I’m gonna spend the day “pretending that you’re Al Green, Al Green.”

p.s. Buy the ticket, see the show.

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24 thoughts on “ concert review: adam ant (with special guest the english beat), kansas city’s uptown theater 3/22/2024 ”.

Nice! I’ve never seen Adam Ant but I totally would given the opportunity! I did get to see The English Beat last month at a private party, they still put on a great show! Rock on! 😎

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Wow, sounds like a very cool private party! I will say, if you ever get the chance to see Adam Ant, it’s well worth it! Thank you for sharing! Cheers!

*LOVED* this show!! Very Awesome! I’ve been an Adam Ant fan for over 40 years and was so glad he came to Kansas City! Totally agree on wishing his vocals could have been heard a little better, but overall one of the best shows I’ve ever seen!

Thank you so much for the comment. I’m admittedly a more casual fan, but man, I loved this show as well. It was such a wonderful, unexpected knock-out of a show. His band is fabulous. I thought his vocals were strong they just needed to turn them up in the mix!! Agree with you completely! Cheers!

I just saw him in Milwaukee on 3/25 and it appears that something changed in the 3 days since you saw him. Unfortunately, Adam was incredibly flat and pitchy, which seemed to mess up the background vocalists. Also, I don’t know how you can do a show without horns. Even if you had to play a recorded version, that would be better than not having any horns. The horns are such a big part of their sound and to not have them was super disappointing. Musically, they appeared to be spot on and who doesn’t love 2 drummers? For me, this was a very disappointing show.

OHhman, I’m sorry to hear that! As a more casual fan I was just impressed with the guitar and drums but yes, horns would have only made it better. Adam’s voice was spot on in KC, although admittedly I’d have appreciated it being turned up just slightly in the mix. Thanks for the feedback!

I hate being critical but based on how he sounded on Monday, you would not have wanted his vocals to be turned up. During the show, I didn’t think it was all that bad but when I listened to a couple of videos that I took on my iphone after I got home, I was surprised at how flat and off he was. Hopefully, it was just a one-off bad performance and that he’ll rally for the remaining dates and others will enjoy the show.

Was at show last night in Indy – English Beat was energetic and engaging – great show! The musicians accompanying Adam Ant were incredibly talented & high energy, but sadly, Adam was not at his best (his mic may have been turned down on purpose) – vocals and energy were both rather flat. Sixth show of tour in seven days had to be tough – hope rest of tour goes well!

I’ve heard something similar from a reader in Milwaukee. Sounds like the grueling road schedule might be taking its toll. I guess I was lucky to see him on only the 2nd night of the tour. Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I don’t know why these older bands cram so many shows into the schedule. Gotta rest those older vocal cords. Maybe you’re right and there’s a reason the vocals were turned down… Cheers!

Agree completely – tough road schedule for anyone really, especially in your late 60’s! Hoping Adam can rest up a bit and catch his breath.

I agree about the vocals. But the band more than made up for it. I’m seeing bith bands in DC next month, so I hope it will be a do over.

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Saw the show last night in New Hampshire. The English Beat were completely awesome! Great tunes and excellent performance all the way around. Adam Ant’s band was first class, really fantastic, but his singing was wayyyy off pitch. It was hard to listen to. He didn’t seem to be wearing any in ear monitors, and perhaps the loud drums and guitars made it so that he couldn’t hear himself. He really should get that sorted out. It kinda wrecked an otherwise outstanding show.

I can’t fathom why any singer would try and sing over that band without in-ear monitors. It defies explanation. As I said, when I saw him he sounded fine but his voice was way down in the mix. I’m starting to get the idea that was on purpose. Glad you enjoyed the show!! Cheers!

I have to disagree with some of the comments. I saw Adam in Milwaukee and his performance was fantastic. Yes the band helps with the vocals, but Adam was great. Some songs were adjusted to accommodate his lower range as he can’t hit those higher notes at 69. In 2019, Milwaukee was the first show and they had similar issues with his mic being too low, but not this year. Amazing night of Antmusic! 🐜. Looking forward to seeing Adam and the band again in Vegas!!

Your experience was more like mine! I thought the vocals were buried a bit in the mix but I thought Adam’s vocals were fine. Who can hit the high nights after 40 years? I’d go see Adam Ant again in a heartbeat. Enjoy that second show in Vegas! Cheers!

Saw the show last night in Glenside, PA. It was very fun — I was so excited for it. I’d seen him in both 2017 and 2018, and based on those performances, I knew I’d love it again. Don’t get me wrong … I did love it and had so much fun. But, something was definitely off for Adam. Sometimes he seemed to be playing catch-up on the lyrics, sometimes missed lyrics altogether, often times was way off on the tunes. He was unable to hit both low and high notes and stayed pretty much in the middle, but was pitchy. The band was super and I do agree with others that the guitars were too loud and the sound system should have been better (the sound wasn’t great for the openers, The Beat, either). I think he simply seemed tired, and I don’t blame him. Maybe he wasn’t feeling well? The concert schedule is grueling with a show almost daily for a few months. Anyway — Glenside is still better off after the Ants Invasion! ❤

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!! Still sounds like a great show! Cheers!

It WAS a great show — have loved Adam since 1980!

Seeing the show tonight in DC. Been loving Adam and the Ants since “Kings of the Wild Frontier” when I was in 8th grade and this will be my first occasion to see him. Hope I get the “good vocals” version…

Yeah it seems like feedback has been back and forth on his vocals. I do envy you getting to see Adam tonight!! Enjoy it! Let us know which version you get!! Cheers!

Briefly, English Beat were amazing. Lots of engagement with the audience, high energy and tons of fun. Dave Wakeling was the only original member but we got what was called a two-for-one show as they played English Beat and General Public songs. Can confirm the hype-man Ranking Jr. Kinda’ fun. Kinda’ annoying.

The setlist for my show was similar if not the same as yours. And the opening number – Antmusic – was amazing especially the intro with 4 people drumming that distinctive beat. . But as the show wore on two things became clear: 1) Adam has clearly aged and while he did move around a bit on stage I was genuinely concerned that some of his “hop and turn” moves might result in a tumble and broken hip; and 2) his vocals were strained and he wasn’t able to hit all the notes. And I do think they turned down his mix. Until the encore when it seems like he thought to himself “OK, only a few more left. I can go for it now having been restrained for the bulk of the show.”

All of this said, musically they were amazing. I usually spend my time focused on the lead singer but in this instance I couldn’t take my eyes off the dual drummers. Watching them was mesmerizing.

Ultimately I walked away with a similar feeling I had after seeing New Order last fall. I was glad to have gone and seen the show; no regrets. But Adam’s vocals, like Bernard Sumner’s, just didn’t age well.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I have to admit to you, I’m beginning to think I was lucky to see Adam Ant in KC when I did – only the 2nd show of the tour. He’s got a pretty grueling schedule and perhaps is showing signs of that. Having never seen him before, I’m like you, I’m really glad I went to the show! Cheers!

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Friday 31 March 2023

The English Beat

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44th and Broadway 10036 New York (NYC), NY, US

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Doors open: 19:30

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Taylor Swift Eras Tour review, Edinburgh: Like mainlining dopamine for three hours straight

Swift pushes past a painful hand cramp to deliver a sprawling, 45-song set that doesn’t miss a beat, article bookmarked.

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As Taylor Swift emerges on stage , stepping out from a billowing shell of pastel sheets like Venus herself – a Botticellian blonde in a bejewelled bodysuit – it dawns on me that I’ve seen this before. I know on what exact beat she’ll turn her head and flip her hair. The world’s most useless soothsayer, I can see precisely 30 seconds into the future of this evening at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, where Swift performs her hugely anticipated Eras Tour for the first time in the UK.

The show’s mammoth three-hour duration has been sliced, diced and fed to the people, willing or otherwise, in videos, photos, and front-page spreads that have circulated endlessly since it kicked off in Arizona in March 2023 . The Eras Tour – immortalised last year on the big screen ( the highest-grossing concert film of all time ) – has already made a billionaire out of Swift , and an omnipresent one at that. Because although tonight may be the first time I see Eras in person, virtually, it’s the gazillionth time Swift has beckoned me, and the 73,000 others in the crowd, with the fast flick of her wrist to the woozy tones of set opener “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince”.

You’d be wrong to think that familiarity breeds boredom. As the onstage clock strikes midnight (in reality, it is 7.15pm), we all watch, our collective breath held, as though it’s the first time she has ever stepped onto a stage. The excitement reaches fever pitch as Swift charges into the synth pop chords of fan favourite “Cruel Summer” as she surveys her 18-year ascent from Nashville prodigy to culture-dominating pop behemoth.

Setlists with more than 20 songs are typically reserved for legacy acts; Swift performs 45. Some arrive abridged, while others play out in full as she traipses her way through eight albums. Her magnum opus, the 2021 breakup track “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) ”, is allowed to run in its entirety, as long and luxurious as its title.

It’s been 14 years since her breakup with Jake Gyllenhaal ( the actor about whom it was reportedly written ), but it might as well have been yesterday. There are few things Swift does as well as telegraphing righteous rage and hurt: her voice snags on the silky simplicity of the song’s arrangement, backed by her 10-piece band known as The Agency. As a song, “All Too Well” is a showcase for the heartbreak that animates her finest songs. As a performance, it’s a testament to how Swift, at her best, can harness big-tent power and small gig intimacy in a single note.

It is one of several songs that will conjure tears on Friday night. Across the evening, I see girls wailing, swooning, hugging. But more than anything, I see girls crying. There are some Beatlemania-style sobs. Not only during the lovelorn ballads, but at seemingly random points, too. Even the coquettish sugar rush of  “Love Story” and “Fearless” yield wet, mascara-strewn cheeks.

Away from the internet, where it can quickly grow teeth, the Swiftie fandom is wholesome. Compliments are traded between strangers as freely as homemade friendship bracelets. It’s like Burning Man without the drugs (or the alcohol, apparently; it’s the shortest bar line I’ve ever seen). For all the moaning we do about the death of communal cultural experience, the camaraderie on show tonight is a balm. We can still enjoy things together, Swifties prove.

Staging-wise, it is a spectacle. If this was a film, it would be a Spielberg production. The effects, albeit big, are considered. Pyrotechnics are reserved for the venomous bite of “Bad Blood” and confetti doesn’t burst out of cannons, but is released in soft showers. Despite myself, I’m still bewitched when Swift appears to swan dives into a glistening pond of pixels.

That said, one can’t help but imagine this taking place in a closed stadium: how the lilac lights of “Lavender Haze” or the enchanted everglade of “Cardigan” might pop if they were set under a canopy of darkness. But the moon doesn’t fall under Swift’s jurisdiction – despite what the vastness of her influence might suggest.

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There is a gilded veneer to Swift that is tough to penetrate, but the crowd has a good go at it, showering the musician with three minutes straight of deafening adulation at the end of “Champagne Problems”. A crack shines through, too, when part way through strumming “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”, her hand cramps and she has to stop. “It’s forming a claw,” she laughs. “Does anyone relate?” Everyone roars in agreement. It’s her first time playing in Scotland for nearly 10 years, and it is a toasty welcome.

Some eras translate better than others. Her companion albums, folklore and evermore , are muted affairs with fingerpicked ballads and fluttery ditties that get lost between the libidinous thrust of Reputation and the Eighties bubblegum pop of 1989 . The ghostly remove of Swift’s vocals on “august”, for example, is swallowed by the stadium’s acoustics.

The penultimate portion of the evening, a six-song selection from her latest release The Tortured Poets Department , fares surprisingly well. Not least because the crowd appear to know the new lyrics as comprehensively as the old stuff (on the train, I spy a pair of teens diligently studying the words to “But Daddy I Love Him” on a cracked iPhone). The country-tinged track, fiddle and all, recalls Swift’s roots. She’s brilliant as she channels brattish, youthful defiance.

The way Swift dances on tour has become a talking point among fans and critics. When she sings of money, she rubs invisible notes between her fingers; when she complains of a lover’s tardiness, she points to an imaginary watch on her wrist. It’s a style that recalls countless adolescent afternoons spent choreographing dances with friends. “Edinburgh, are you ready to go back to school with me?” she asks the crowd.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing and tonight, Swift uncorks bottles and bottles of it, spraying it like champagne on an obliging, adoring audience. It’s like mainlining dopamine for three hours straight.

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Taylor Swift v The Beatles: As the Eras tour hits the UK, how does the star compare against the biggest band of all time?

Album sales, awards, guinness world records... how do you crown the biggest music artist of all time - and is it definitely taylor swift with the eras tour hitting the uk, it certainly feels that way at the moment - but beatles fans might just have something to say about it..

By Gemma Peplow, culture and entertainment reporter, and Saywah Mahmood, data journalist

Wednesday 5 June 2024 17:08, UK

Are you ready for it? Because this week, Taylor Swift rolls into town for the first UK dates of her record-shattering Eras tour, to dominate front pages, social media, and a large proportion of the national conversation for the foreseeable.

Something has shifted in the Swiftverse in the past few years. She now transcends even the highest echelons of pop fame, massively boosting everything from music sales to, well, the entire global economy.

The Eras tour is a cultural and economic juggernaut; the first to cross the $1bn mark, according to Pollstar's 2023 year-end charts, and already beating the record set by Sir Elton John and his Farewell Yellow Brick Road goodbye, which ran from 2018 to 2023 and grossed $939 million . Several experts predict it could generate more than $4bn by the time it finishes.

Swift is the first arts and entertainment star to be named Time's Person of the Year . The first ever music billionaire to reach the milestone solely through her songwriting and recording. A slick pop star who understands the power of This. Sick. Beat, but also a songwriter and lyricist whose words are studied as poetry around the world. She has long been the biggest modern music star on the planet - but could she now be the biggest of all time?

To answer that question, you have to look to The Beatles . The band that changed the nature of the industry, long regarded as the most influential music act in music history.

In October last year, Swift re-released her fifth album, 1989, the record that really marked her crossover from incredibly successful country star to pop phenomenon. Featuring re-records of tracks that remain among her biggest hits to date, including Shake It Off, Blank Space and Bad Blood, 1989 (Taylor's Version) inevitably followed all her others in skipping to the top of charts around the world.

Three weeks later came reissues of The Beatles' classic Red and Blue album collections following the surprise release of Now And Then, the first original single in years , finally finished by Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr after more than four decades.

Now And Then topped the singles chart, naturally. But when it came to taking on Swift on the album chart, the star held her spot - denying the biggest and most influential band in history an extension to their record-breaking UK number one tally of 16.

The unstoppable force of Taylor Swift

Of course, The Beatles albums were reissues, but it's worth noting Swift's re-recordings are also not entirely new - she is re-recording much of her early work to reclaim her rights, with the addition of "from the vault" tracks - plus, fans had already been buying 1989 (Taylor's Version) for three weeks by this point.

To Swifties, she is undoubtedly the biggest music artist of all time. To fans of the Fab Four, there will never be another act that comes close. Can their achievements be compared?

It's tricky. Swift and The Beatles reached the height of their fame (and Swift might not even be there yet) in different - ahem - eras. There are multiple caveats - inflation, population growth, streaming and the affordability of music, live music becoming more lucrative, social media, do we include the individual Beatles' solo output (we haven't), and so on - that mean there is no exact science here.

But, we've given it a go...

Topping the charts

In the battle of the number ones, The Beatles get the points.

When it comes to singles, surprisingly, Swift hasn't had as many as you might think topping the charts in the UK. Her first was Look What You Made Me Do in 2017 - Shake It Off, her biggest-selling hit, reached number one in the US, but number two here. Anti-Hero, from Midnights, became her second UK number one in 2022, with Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version) and Fortnight, her recent collaboration with Post Malone, adding to the pile in the last year.

The Beatles, on the other hand, started scoring number ones early on. The first, From Me To You, was their third single, released in 1963, and was followed by hits including She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Can't Buy Me Love, Help!, All You Need Is Love, Hey Jude... the list goes on.

Album chart-toppers are more evenly matched. The Beatles actually have more in the US than they have in the UK, as different versions and more records were released across the pond. All apart from one of their 12 studio albums topped the charts in the UK - Yellow Submarine peaked at number three in 1969 - and they have also reached the top spot with live and compilation albums.

Apart from her debut, Taylor Swift, released in 2006, all of Swift's albums have reached number one in the US. In the UK it was her fourth album, Red, that became her first chart-topper, and all others since have followed.

Record sales

This one is a tricky one as not all sales are certified. According to Guinness (and we'll come to world records later), The Beatles have amassed the greatest sales for any group, with all-time sales estimated by record label EMI at more than one billion discs and tapes to date. Note this is worldwide, and estimated.

So we've looked at certified sales of the music stars' studio albums - no compilations or live album sales - in the UK and US. In the UK, The Beatles take the win, with more platinum and gold sales than Swift. But in the US, she's way ahead.

Interestingly, they both add up to just under 295 million certified sales in the UK and US.

In the UK, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) rates platinum sales for albums as those that reach 300,000 units, with gold sales at 100,000. In the US, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) rates diamond sales for albums at 10m units, while platinum is 1m and gold is 500,000.

The trophy cabinet

Swift wins this one - but there are a lot more awards up for grabs nowadays. She has 26 Teen Choice Awards, for example, and 40 American Music Awards, and neither were around in the 1960s.

The Grammy Awards were, though, and Swift is definitely the winner here - with 14 wins out of 52 nominations. Earlier this year, she became the first and only artist to win the Grammy for album of the year four times , for Midnights (2024), Folklore (2021), 1989 (2016), and Fearless (2010). She also has the most nominations for song of the year, with seven, but interestingly has never won in this category.

The Beatles have seven Grammy wins from 23 nominations, including best new artist and best performance by a vocal group, for A Hard Day's Night, in 1964.

Despite her Grammys success, Swift is by no means the ceremony's biggest winner - that accolade goes to Beyonce, who has 32 gongs from 88 nominations.

Deep space and earthquakes: Who's the biggest record breaker?

In 2021, Swift's re-recorded version of Fearless became the star's third to top the UK charts in less than 12 months, breaking a long-held record by The Beatles.

In February, she surpassed their record for holding the most weeks in the Billboard 200's Top 10 in the last 60 years. In April, she topped the UK album chart with The Tortured Poets Department, outselling the rest of the top 10 combined and beating The Beatles for the record of fastest artist to rack up 12 UK number ones.

And remember her billionaire status? Well, Sir Paul is also in the club - but having reached that point only earlier this year, a month after Swift, it's taken him a lot longer to gain membership.

According to Guinness, Swift currently holds at least 77 records, while The Beatles hold at least 29. However, there is a chance there could be even more than this as records are constantly being set and broken - and it should be noted that with streaming, inflation and more awards shows now, it is easier to keep breaking records now than it was back in The Beatles' day.

Some of Swift's records include several for Spotify, such as being the most streamed act in 24 hours following the release of Midnights in 2022; most US singles chart entries (263); most million-selling weeks on the US albums chart; plus the greatest seismic activity caused by a music concert (equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake).

The Beatles' records include the best-selling group ever worldwide; most consecutive weeks at number one on the UK albums chart - 30 weeks in 1963 for debut Please Please Me; most viewed Wikipedia page for a music group; and first song to be beamed into deep space with Across The Universe in 2008, courtesy of NASA.

Can't Buy Me Love - but musicians can boost an economy

Now this one is pretty difficult to compare. So we won't. But there are some impressive stats.

According to Barclays' Swiftonomics report, released in May, the UK leg of the Eras tour is set to boost the UK economy by almost $1bn.

Eras Tour tickets sparked a 15.8% year-on-year increase in UK spending on entertainment when they were released last July, the bank says, and now the dates are here, nearly 1.2m fans attending 15 gigs taking place in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Liverpool and London are predicted to spend an average of £848 in total on tickets, travel, accommodation, outfits and other expenses.

The Beatles' economic impact is harder to quantify. But there is information available on the band's continuing boost to Liverpool alone - £81.9m to their home city's economy each year, according to a report commissioned by Liverpool City Council in 2016.

This was set to grow by up to 15% each year, the report found at the time, with the band's legacy also supporting more than 2,300 jobs.

Help! Is Swift bigger than The Beatles?

We asked some experts for their thoughts.

Dave Fawbert, founder of the Swiftogeddon club nights playing Swift, and nothing but Swift, says she is unmatched at the moment.

"She really does have it all," he says. "She's incredibly gifted melodically... you listen to Shake It Off, there's literally about eight incredible hooks in that song.

"Most of the tracks, you hear the choruses once or twice, they're so well written, you'll be able to sing along by the third chorus. The other thing about her songs is they're arranged so brilliantly, there's never any wasted space in them."

And then there's her lyrics, he says, her ability to pick out universal emotions, specific details, and express them in song. "And she's done it across virtually every genre. She's a genius and she's got the genius to work with good people as well."

He says he would compare her dominance now to that of Michael Jackson in the 1980s and 1990s. But what about The Beatles? "I mean, they're the best, I'm not sure they'll ever be surpassed," he admits. "But Taylor's close."

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UK tribute band The Bootleg Beatles say it's too early to make a call.

"The music of The Beatles has already stood the test of time. The reaction we get as we continually tour around the UK - we're back this month - and indeed the world, is testament to that," they say. "So, while Taylor Swift is undoubtedly a wonderful talent, it's probably around 50 years too early to judge her against the Fab Four."

Hits Radio presenter Tom Green says they are two artists that "owned the zeitgeist" of their times. So is the comparison fair? "Yes and no."

He elaborates: "I think it was probably a bit easier to be the whole zeitgeist in the '60s, because there was only so many media outlets. Everyone was watching the same thing."

Now, it's a lot harder to create something that everyone is looking at, but Swift is constantly keeping our attention, he says. "I think the comparisons are really hard to do and music is so subjective. But I think the interesting thing about The Beatles is they brought in a genre of music, they ushered in the genre of rock and roll into pop music."

Read more: The hidden meanings in Swift's new album How a country girl took over the world

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Dr Clio Doyle, a lecturer in early modern literature at Queen Mary University of London, teaches a module on Swift's lyrics as literature. In her field, she says she would draw comparisons with artists such as Bob Dylan rather than The Beatles.

"It's this kind of body of work that is really self-examining and self-revising and revisiting in a way that feels very dynamic and alive and intellectually interesting," she says of Swift's music. "I also think that one thing Swift has always done throughout her career is, she's often talking about literature - from a very early song like Love Story, which is rewriting Romeo And Juliet, to a later song like The Lakes, which is thinking about romantic poetry."

Dylan became the first musician to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 2016, she points out, a decision deemed controversial due to arguments over whether lyrics count as literature. "I think we have to say they do because they're written texts," says Dr Doyle. "I think those are very interesting conversations. And I think we see some of those conversations also now around Taylor Swift."

And Dr Amy Skjerseth, a lecturer in audiovisual media and a member of the Institute of Popular Music at the University of Liverpool, says that like Swift, The Beatles also had different eras, but Swift's experience in the industry will have been different to theirs, as four male stars.

"For women-identifying pop stars, eras often are about survival in a music industry that does not make space for them, especially for artists of colour and queer artists," she says. "There are also significant differences in class between Swift and The Beatles - Swift's family had the means to support her career.

"And while Beatlemania was heavily stereotyped back in the day, Swift's fans have an increased ability to push for social justice and social change, connect with each other, and create a larger sense of community.

"Beyond Taylor Swift, the Eras concept might help attract wider attention to artists who have worked tirelessly under the radar to transform their musical messages across changing times."

So are we any closer to saying whether Swift is the biggest artist of all time?

Some of the stats suggest she might be. Beatles fans will disagree.

Will there be an answer? Maybe in 50 years, as The Bootleg Beatles say. For now, we'll let it be.

U.S. Open Big Board: After Scottie Scheffler, how does the field stack up at Pinehurst?

• Follow live coverage of the second rounds at the U.S. Open today

PINEHURST, N.C. — Something worth thinking about as we prepare for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst. If Scottie Scheffler had not been arrested in the early morning hours of May 17, before the second round of the PGA Championship, would we be looking at Scheffler’s pursuit of the third leg of golf’s grand slam this week?

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It’s a question worth at least pondering — Scheffler finished tied for eighth despite the incredible distraction, and comes to Pinehurst on the heels of his fifth win of 2024 at the Memorial Tournament. But because he did not win at Valhalla, Xander Schauffele was able to grab a career-changing major championship victory.

Both are among the top contenders to win the U.S. Open this week. They’re not the only ones.

Rory McIlroy remains in vigorous pursuit of his next major win, one that’ll end a decade-long drought. Viktor Hovland caught fire at the PGA and reignited talk around when his first major win will come. Bryson DeChambeau and his 3D-printed irons cannot be ignored. Brooks Koepka loves hard golf courses, and Pinehurst No. 2 should be a wicked test.

How do they all rank? We took a stab at that, with our U.S. Open Big Board, ranking the top 40 contenders in order.

All strokes-gained stats are courtesy of DataGolf. Voting was conducted prior to the Memorial Tournament and LIV Houston.

Scottie Scheffler

Xander Schauffele

Rory McIlroy

Bryson DeChambeau

Ludvig Åberg

Brooks Koepka

Wyndham Clark

Collin Morikawa

Viktor Hovland

Sahith Theegala

Tommy Fleetwood

Patrick Cantlay

Cameron Smith

Justin Thomas

Will Zalatoris

Matt Fitzpatrick

Tyrrell Hatton

Hideki Matsuyama

Cameron Young

Russell Henley

Jordan Spieth

Shane Lowry

Keegan Bradley

Byeong Hun An

Brian Harman

Denny McCarthy

Corey Conners

Robert MacIntyre

Min Woo Lee

Sepp Straka

Nick Taylor

Dustin Johnson

Harris English

Dean Burmester

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic: Photos of Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy: Christian Petersen, Andy Lyons, Dylan Buell / Getty Images)

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