This concert was always going to draw a big crowd. People in their hundreds flocked to Exeter’s Phoenix on Saturday 20 January to watch ska legends, The Beat, now fronted by Rankin Jr, son of former band member, Rankin Roger.

With 5 UK top 10s under their belt, The Beat enjoyed major success in the early 80s with hits such as Mirror in the Bathroom, Hands Off She’s Mine and a cover of Andy Williams’ Can’t Get Used To Losing You, which reached number 3 in the UK charts in 1983.

Increased anticipation

On the night of the show, fans were warmed up by DJ Skip who delivered a varied dose of Ska and reggae tunes from throughout the years, which only helped to increase the crowd’s anticipation for The Beat’s arrival.

At 9.20pm members of The Beat entered the stage one by one, each being greeted by cheers and applause from the crowd. The music would gradually build up as each member arrived on stage and would play their respective instruments whilst waiting on the next bandmate to appear. Finally, the frontman Rankin Jr walked onto the stage, receiving the loudest of all applause so far that evening, and after greeting the crowd, gave the cue for the show to commence.

Carry the flag

After the third song of the set had finished, Rankin Jr took a moment to pay tribute to his father, Rankin Roger, former frontman of the band . Within Jr’s heartfelt speech, he declared his love for his father and he explained the impact his father had on him, saying that “he taught me everything he knew”. Ranking Jr then went on to say how he aims to ‘carry the flag’ and continue his father’s legacy alongside his own with the band, and, so, the next song to be played was one of Jr’s solo records called Carry the Flag.

Throughout the show, The Beat’s classic hits were performed, including Too Nice To Talk To, Tears Of A Clown alongside their newer discography from 2016 to the present day.

More recent releases by The Beat see their original ska sound blended with Rankin Jr combining elements of rap with traditional ska and reggae vocals.

Overall, the night was a great success, and the way the band were able to excite and captivate their audience, still to this day, is a testament to the success and the following they still have.

Images: The Beat at the Exeter Phoenix, courtesy of Luke Rawle.

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