The Original Rude Boy Neville Staple, his wife and musical partner The Original Rude Girl Sugary Staple, and Steve Armstrong have joined forces under a new moniker, From the Specials – Neville Staple Band.
Neville Staple is a 2Tone legend, rocking the ska and reggae in touchstone bands The Specials, Fun Boy Three, and Special Beat.
As From The Specials – Neville Staple Band, the Staple’s and Armstrong have released their first single, the relevant “LOCKDOWN,” which shows off a more reflective side of Neville and Sugary and is in keeping with the seriousness of the pandemic and its repercussions.
“LOCKDOWN” arrived on June 19th via Cleopatra Records.
The 2Tone-styled track is sure to please fans of ska and reggae, and win over new followers who plug into the meaning of the song. Neville Staple confides, “Most of us have been quite down about the whole virus thing, so we decided to take it on a more… moody 2Tone reggae route… with some music we had worked on previously with Sledge (Armstrong).”
The song was actually created under lockdown, with the Staples and Armstrong sending files to each other online. Heavily involved in various charities, using “LOCKDOWN” to spotlight the work of Zoe’s Place, a charity run for terminally ill babies and toddlers.
Sugary Staple states, “Charities like these really do suffer at a time like this, as the focus is on other things. But the work they do at Zoe’s Place is like one of a kind and so very special… We will be supporting this, along with other charities we are patrons [of] or ambassadors to, with this single. We also dedicate this song to all those who have been affected by Covid-19.”
“LOCKDOWN” is available digitally or as a 7″ vinyl EP in a limited edition of 250 as part of a special gift set with a CD of rare tracks, fridge magnet, keyring, and protective face-mask. It’s available to order at Kickstarter.
The song is also available as a download from the following sites:
Website: http://www.fromthespecials.com/
https://open.spotify.com/album/1s2wuLNQ3q4wsvq7tOUfVh
