Listen: Hiawatha / The Belle Stars
Hiawatha / The Belle Stars

I guess Two Tone spawned The Belle Stars. Never in all my years, until tonight, did it hit me that ‘Hiawatha’ is based on a ska beat. Having formed off the back of The Bodysnatchers demise, it’s with fondness I recall seeing them for the first time at Dingwalls, with Madness and The Selecter and God knows who ruling the Camden Town in crowd roost. The lineage becomes pretty clear. Only took thirty years to dawn on me.

And if memory serves me well, it was Naomi on WNYU’s New Afternoon Show, who played the grooves off ‘Hiawatha’ around Christmas of ’81. This weather brings that all right back.

Listen: On My Radio / The Selecter SelectorOnMyRadio.mp3

The Ska Revival, that was it, the thing that followed punk. (see The Psychedelic Furs post below). Now I remember what we did on New Year’s Eve that Christmas holiday in London ’79. Went to Dingwalls to see The Selecter and The Bodysnatchers. What a scene. Everyone was way into making sure they looked the part. Oh yes, punk was very yesterday and the ska crowd was here to let you know it.

There was nothing not to love, yes it was a blast. The two bands just leveled the place. It was a dance party plus. Dingwalls was heaving, and it’s probably the thrill of it all that I recall to be honest. But I definitely remember The Selecter being tight and sharp.

Listen: Let’s Do Rock Steady / The Bodysnatchers BodysnatchersRockSteady.mp3

The Bodysnatchers were a mostly female band, I think a few of them went on to form The Belle Stars. And they looked super snazzed with really crazy thrift store rags proudly sewn into riches. Great singles.