The Specials announce new single in tribute to “fallen heroes” of ska, ‘When A Light Goes Out’
The Specials have announced that they will be sharing a new single to honour the “fallen heroes” of ska. Find out more below.
The new track is set to be shared by The Specials Family and will be titled ‘When A Light Goes Out’. It has been announced today (March 21), and is set to be shared for the first time this weekend at a special event in Coventry.
Taking place on Sunday (March 23), the single will be aired for the first time during a special event at the 2 Tone Museum in the city. It is co-written by founding members of The Specials Lynval Golding, Mark Adams & Nikolaj Torp Larson, and looks to pay respects to giants of the genre.
This includes paying tribute to the late legends associated with the 2 Tone label, including the late frontman Terry Hall and drummer John Bradbury. It also pays homage to The Beat and General Public singer Ranking Roger, renowned trombonist Rico, acclaimed saxophonist Saxa, The Selecter’s Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson and Dave Jordan.
Already the event is fully sold out and will take place between midday and 4pm at the museum. It will also feature an exhibition dedicated to the fallen heroes of 2 Tone, a meet & greet with Lynval Golding, a DJ set and a Q&A session.
Proceeds will go to the Specialized Project & Tonic (Music For Mental Health) charities too. Visit here for more information on the charity and here for more information on the event. The single will be available on streaming platforms from Monday (March 24).
The event over the weekend comes just days after the late frontman Terry Hall would have celebrated his 66th birthday.
Hall died in December 2022 after being diagnosed with cancer months earlier. He was 63 years old.
This week, the rest of the band celebrated the milestone with a post on Instagram, wishing the singer a “happy heavenly birthday”. Check it out above.
Following Hall’s death, his Specials bandmate Horace Panter revealed that the pair and Specials guitarist Lynval Golding had been planning to record a reggae album in Los Angeles in early November 2022. However, Hall fell ill when the musicians were meant to enter pre-production and, soon after, was diagnosed with cancer.
He was laid to rest in Golders Green Crematorium in January, with the service attended by the likes of Tim Burgess and Ocean Colour Scene’s Steve Cradock.
Last spring, Gorillaz and Blur star Damon Albarn recalled his first encounter with the singer in an interview, calling the late star “the coolest human being on earth”.
The post The Specials announce new single in tribute to “fallen heroes” of ska, ‘When A Light Goes Out’ appeared first on NME.
Liberty Dunworth
NME
