Formed in Coventry in 1979, The Selecter has become synonymous with the 2 tone ska revival movement in Britain, epitomising the movement’s core values with their multi-racial and multi-gendered lineup. Influenced by Jamaican ska music of the 1960s, bands such as The Selecter and The Specials combined the rocksteady beats of ska with new wave and punk, creating a genre that brought together not only two distinct types of music but also two races of people , thereby effectively acting as a frontline against racial violence and hatred.

Fronted by Pauline Black, who remains the group’s voice and leader to this day, the band shot to prominence in the UK with the release of three singles in 1979; “Three Minute Hero”, “Missing Words”, and the hugely popular and successful “On My Radio”, and followed this initial success with their debut album Too Much Pressure, released the year after in February 1980. Another album, Celebrate the Bullet, was released the year after but, due to the unfortunate timing of the release of the lead single (of the same name) and John Lennon’s murder via gunshot, the album sadly failed to see the success of their first, peaking at number 41 on the UK Albums Chart, and ultimately played a part in the subsequent break-up of the band in 1982.

Watch The Selecter perform their hit single “On My Radio” on TopPop in 1979 below:

After a stint as a TV presenter and actress, Black led a reformation and the band reunited in 1991, and have subsequently put out another 13 albums over the past 32 years. The current lineup features Black, of course, along with other founding members Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson (vocals) and Charley ‘Aitch’ Bembridge (drums).

Human Algebra, Black states to The Observer in an interview, is packed “with lyrics covering all the things I was thinking about“, including police brutality and racism (‘Stay Rebel’), knife crime in the UK (‘Human Algebra’) and fake news (‘Big Little Lies’), and such cultural consciousness will not be unfamiliar with lovers of The Selecter and 2 tone alike, given the genre’s close connection with cultural and class issues since its’ emergence in the late 1970s.

Watch “Human Algebra”, the lead single from the new album, below:

Human Algebra is available to pre-order now here.

The 1st of September was an unforgettable night for Dave, real name David Omoregie, as the rapper was given the award of Best Contemporary Song. It was Dave’s monumental track, Black, that secured the No Words hitmaker with the prestigious award. 

Defiant, powerful, and thought-provoking, Black mediates on the struggles of Black people from historical suffering to the plight of modern times. Covering modern racial inequality, stereotyping and the history of slavery, to say that Black was deserving of Best Contemporary Song would be a gross understatement. 

Amongst the panel of judges for the Best Contemporary Song award were singer-songwriter Noa, rapper Ghetts and Pauline Black of ska revival band Selecter. The talented artists all described Black as “important, eloquent and a song that not only empowers but is borderless in its musicality.”

The Album of the Year Award went to Little Simz, aka Simbiatu Ajikawo, for her defiant record Grey Area. The award was shared with producer Inflo.

Tackling issues such as violence, self-certainty, and growing up, Simz’ third studio album pairs razor-sharp wit and lyricism with electrifying, experimental production. Including tracks like Offence, Venom and Pressure, Grey Area demonstrates that Little Simz is a maverick of rap, who is only on the rise. 

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Another one sitting pretty. Just won Best Album at the @ivorsacademy 2020 for GREY Area !! Mate , so thankful. One time for flo on this one , my family , team and everyone that has been the foundation of support every artist needs. Been a long journey but more on the horizon to come. For now I’ll be enjoying the fruits of my labour. Blessings and thanks again, simma

A post shared by simz (@littlesimz) on Sep 2, 2020 at 3:49am PDT

The judges for Album of the Year Award included Idles frontman Joe Talbot and Jessie Ware. Simz relayed to The Guardian newspaper yesterday that “This award is really special, because it’s about the power of the pen, and to know that my pen is being respected and acknowledged is a good feeling.”

Little Simz took to social media to share news of her victory with her ever-expanding fanbase. Posting a photo of the Ivor Novello award, the rapper and singer reflected upon her music making journey.

Writing in the celebratory post on Instgram: “It’s been a long journey but more on the horizon to come. For now, I’ll be enjoying the fruits of my labour. Blessings and thanks again.” Garnering over 17,000 likes, the post has been met with a joyous reception from Little Simz fans. 

Calvin Harris also won big last night, scooping up the Award for Most Performed Work for his collaboration with Rag ‘N’ Bone Man on Giant. Calculated from collected data by royalties organisation PRs for Music, Harris shared the award with co-writers Troy Miller and Jamie Hartman. 

Singer Jamie Cullum was successful in winning in the “best song musically and lyrically” category for his moving song, The Age of Anxiety. Delving into topics such as Brexit, social media, and immigration, the track was described as “beautifully emotive, with an exceptionally crafted melody” by judges Lily Allen and Joan Armatrading. 

In a chat with The Guardian, the Twenty-Something hitmaker said that he was “extremely honoured…as someone who’s had a long journey as a songwriter, I’m particularly proud of this one.” Cullum also spoke on the song’s lyrics that refer to immigration, stating “We have a duty to show compassion to people who are in the greatest kind of need.

Dave will be heading across the UK in support of his forthcoming debut album, ‘Psychodrama’, which is set to arrive, on the 8th of March 8 2019. The South London rapper has confirmed that he will commence his 15-date tour, in Dublin, at the Olympia Theatre, on the 9th of April 2019, before heading across the UK. The rapper will conclude the tour, with two shows, in London, at the O2 Academy Brixton, on the 2nd and 3rd of May 2019.

PSYCHODRAMA THE TOUR. Tickets on sale Thursday at 9am. pic.twitter.com/wFItVpuT4B

— Santan (@Santandave1) February 25, 2019

The tour announcement comes after the London-based artist, whose full name is David Orobosa Omoregie, announced the release of the album along with the video for his latest single, ‘Black’, which follows on from his breakthrough LP ‘Game Over’, in 2017. The powerful video features a number of the 20-year-old’s heroes including Stormzy, Manchester City and England footballer Raheem Sterling, Radio 1 DJ Tiffany Calver and British athlete Dina Asher-Smith.

Previewing ‘Psychodrama’ with the release of its lead single, ‘Black’, on the 21st of February 2019, Dave has now shared the video for the track. Directed by Nathan James Tettey and Edem Wornoo, the video, was filmed in London; Manchester; and Lagos, Nigeria, is described as “a profound exploration of black identity, excellence and the diaspora”.

The rapper paved his way to the top of the Grim scene with millions of his rap songs on YouTube, not to mention a ground breaking collaboration with global music star Drake. Dave, who is also known as Santan Dave or Dave Santan, received his breakthrough, in 2015, on a platform named, Black Box, which saw him drop a single, ‘Blackbox Cypher’, with just audio on a mixtape.

Dave has established himself as one of the most promising young talents to emerge on the UK rap scene, in recent years. In 2018 he became the youngest-ever winner of an Ivor Novello award for his politically charged single, ‘Question Time’. As an independent artist, he has achieved more than 600m streams before releasing a full album and has performed several major collaborations, including with fellow London artist AJ Tracey.

The London-based artist, whose full name is David Orobosa Omoregie, announced the release of the album along with his brand new video for his single, ‘Black’, which follows on from his breakthrough LP ‘Game Over’, in 2017. The video features a number of the 20-year-old’s heroes including Stormzy, Manchester City and England footballer Raheem Sterling, Radio 1 DJ Tiffany Calver and British athlete Dina Asher-Smith.

Previewing ‘Psychodrama’ with the release of its lead single, ‘Black’, the 21st of February 2019, Dave has now shared the video for the track. Directed by Nathan James Tettey and Edem Wornoo, the video, was filmed in London; Manchester; and Lagos, Nigeria, is described as “a profound exploration of black identity, excellence and the diaspora”.

The South London rapper paved his way to the top of the Grim scene with millions of his rap songs on YouTube, not to mention a ground breaking collaboration with global music star Drake. Dave, who is also known as Santan Dave or Dave Santan, received his breakthrough, in 2015, on a platform named, Black Box, which saw him drop a single, ‘Blackbox Cypher’, with just audio on a mixtape.

Black, the first release from my debut album Psychodrama, is out now. Link to pre-order Psychodrama in my bio pic.twitter.com/q1TTlV7f9A

— Santan (@Santandave1) February 21, 2019

Musically, Dave does a lot more than just rap, if you have ever listened to his music you will know he also plays the piano. Speaking about this, Dave, said: “I started playing piano before I started rapping. It was after that the rap took off and it works well so now I do both. I taught myself. I kept practicing and learning by ear and then gradually got better and better, eventually I incorporated it into my music and now it works. I’m learning the guitar now, getting some help from Fraser T Smith.”

After the release of a number of successful singles, Dave released his debut EP, ‘Six Paths’, in 2016, to critical and commercial success. He went on to release his breakthrough EP, ‘Game Over’, in 2017, with its lead single ‘No Words’ charting within the top 20 on the UK Singles Chart. Dave achieved chart success, last year with his Fredo collaboration, ‘Funky Friday’, which hit number one in the UK singles chart, in October 2018, which became his first number-one single as a lead artist. This success made Dave only the second artist to debut a track at number one in the UK, with the first being Drake.

Dave has established himself as one of the most promising young talents to emerge on the UK rap scene, in recent years. In 2018 he became the youngest-ever winner of an Ivor Novello award for his politically charged single, ‘Question Time’. As an independent artist, he has achieved more than 600m streams before releasing a full album and has performed several major collaborations, including with fellow London artist AJ Tracey.