The Drifters bring decades of rhythm and blues and soul history to Gateshead.
One of the most celebrated vocal groups in American popular music, The Drifters became associated with classics including Under the Boardwalk, Up on the Roof and Save the Last Dance for Me.
Their story connects gospel, doo-wop, rhythm and blues and the emerging sound of soul — musical traditions created and developed within African American communities.
The group’s recordings also became enormously popular in Britain and helped influence generations of British soul and R&B performers.
Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, The Drifters remain part of the wider story of Black musical innovation that changed popular music internationally.
This October performance at The Glasshouse offers audiences the opportunity to revisit that extraordinary catalogue live.
The Beat – Dance Crazed Too UK Tour
Tyne and Wear
Saturday 10th October 2026
NX Newcastle
Westgate Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
Tyne and Wear
NE1 1SW
6:30pm – 10:00pm
Tickets: £40 + booking fee
Age guidance: 14+
Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult
With The Selecter and DJ Rhoda Dakar
Tickets & Information:
The Beat brings the energy of Britain’s ska and 2 Tone movement to Newcastle.
Formed in Birmingham in 1979, the band combined Jamaican ska and reggae with punk, soul and pop, creating a sound that reflected the multicultural Britain emerging around them.
The original line-up brought Black and white musicians together, including Ranking Roger, Everett Morton and Jamaican-born saxophonist Saxa.
Joining The Beat in Newcastle are The Selecter, fronted by Pauline Black, and DJ Rhoda Dakar, formerly of The Bodysnatchers.
Together they represent an important period in Black British music when Jamaican musical traditions helped reshape British youth culture.
With its mix of ska classics and 2 Tone favourites, this October show offers a lively celebration of music, migration and multicultural Britain.
The Beat – Dance Crazed Too UK Tour
Tees Valley
Tuesday 13th October 2026
Middlesbrough Town Hall
Albert Road
Middlesbrough
TS1 2QJ
Doors & bars: 6:45pm
Show: 7:45pm
Tickets: £43 including booking fee
Age guidance: Under-14s must be accompanied by an adult
Tickets & Information:
The Beat brings its Dance Crazed Too tour to Middlesbrough Town Hall this October.
Emerging from Birmingham at the end of the 1970s, the band helped create a distinctive British sound combining Jamaican ska and reggae with punk, soul and pop.
The Beat became one of the leading groups associated with the 2 Tone era alongside The Specials and The Selecter.
The movement reflected the multicultural communities of cities such as Birmingham and Coventry, while introducing a new generation of British audiences to musical traditions rooted in Jamaica.
Songs including Mirror in the Bathroom, Too Nice to Talk To and Hands Off… She’s Mine became part of the soundtrack of the period.
The Middlesbrough performance offers audiences the opportunity to experience the music of a band whose story sits firmly within the history of multicultural Britain.
Support line-up should be checked before publication, as current ticketing sources differ.
The Dualers
Tyne and Wear
Saturday 17th October 2026
NX Newcastle
Westgate Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
Tyne and Wear
NE1 1SW
6:00pm – 10:00pm
Tickets: £29.50 + booking fee
Age guidance: 14+
Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult
Special guest: Skandals
Tickets & Information:
The Dualers bring their blend of ska, reggae and Jamaican rhythm and blues to Newcastle.
The South-East London band has built a large following through energetic live performances and a sound strongly influenced by Jamaican music.
Ska and reggae have had an extraordinary impact on British culture since Caribbean communities brought the music and sound-system tradition to Britain during the twentieth century.
Those influences helped shape everything from 2 Tone and lovers rock to jungle, drum and bass and modern British bass music.
The Dualers continue that musical relationship, introducing new audiences to sounds inspired by Jamaican rhythm and blues, ska and reggae.
Taking place during Black History Month, the Newcastle show offers a lively celebration of a musical tradition that has played a major role in shaping modern British popular culture.
House of Fun – The Ultimate 2Tone & Ska Revival Experience
Tyne and Wear
Friday 30th October 2026
The Fire Station
High Street West
Sunderland
Tyne and Wear
SR1 3HA
Doors: 7:00pm
Show: 7:30pm
Tickets from £27
Age guidance: Under-14s must be accompanied by an adult
Accessible seating available
Tickets & Information:
https://www.thefirestation.org.uk/whats-on/house-of-fun-lscg
House of Fun celebrates the music and energy of Britain’s ska and 2 Tone era with a live show at Sunderland’s Fire Station.
The production features music associated with The Specials, The Beat, The Selecter, The Bodysnatchers, Madness and Bad Manners.
Behind those familiar songs lies an important story of cultural exchange.
Britain’s ska revival was heavily influenced by Jamaican music brought to the country by Caribbean communities. By the late 1970s, Black and white British musicians were combining those sounds with punk and pop to create the distinctive 2 Tone movement.
Artists including Pauline Black, Ranking Roger, Everett Morton, Saxa and Rhoda Dakar became important figures within that story.
Taking place on the final Friday of Black History Month, House of Fun offers audiences a celebration of the music that helped define multicultural Britain.
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