Fans still dancing to English Beat's sound

Dave Wakeling laughs when he considers how badly things could have gone.

Wakeling, the frontman for the beloved 1980s British band The English Beat, said he wasn't sure originally about producer Bob Sargeant's desire for a stripped-down sound on the group's records.

“He wouldn't let us use any of the modern doodads,” Wakeling said during a phone interview from his California home. “I worried that he was making us sound stodgy. I kept saying: ‘There's a new wave out there, Bob. There's a new wave!'

“He was on to something, of course. I can't imagine how awful those songs would sound like today if we'd loaded them down with a bunch of synthesizers.”

As it is, the Beat's songs hold up incredibly well. Vintage tracks like “Twist and Crawl” and “Mirror in the Bathroom,” despite being 30 or more years old, still leap out of the speakers and shove you toward the dance floor.

Wakeling will perform a slew of the old songs, and some newer material, when The English Beat visits the suburbs for two shows this weekend.

The band dates back to the late 1970s. The Beat, as the band was known overseas, specialized in concise, danceable bursts of pop that combined traditional ska rhythms and melodies with the edgy guitar sound of punk.

Like The Specials and other ska revivalists of the time, The English Beat was multiracial, and the band's music was a mix of white and black styles. Wakeling said he wasn't aware that there was anything notable about that until The English Beat started to tour the U.S.

“Before then, we never even thought about it,” he said. “In England, we had one national radio station, and it played everything. It was The Rolling Stones next to The Four Tops next to Diana Ross next to The Kinks. We were lucky to get a good education in all sounds, including things like Motown and reggae.

“When we started touring America, though, people suddenly asked us whether we listened to ‘black (radio) stations' or ‘white stations.' It was strange.”

The English Beat released three records and cultivated large followings in both England and the U.S. before breaking up in 1983. Wakeling and fellow Beat member Ranking Roger then formed General Public, a more synth-oriented pop band. Other Beat members formed the group Fine Young Cannibals. Both groups had hits in the '80s and '90s.

Since then, Wakeling has released solo records, produced movie soundtracks and advocated for causes such as the environment. He has also reunited with Roger and the other original Beat members from time to time.

Wakeling said, though, that he loves the current incarnation of the band: Rhythmm Epkins on drums, Wayne Lothian on bass, Raynier Jacildo on keys, Matt Morrish on sax, and Musashi “Moose” Lethridge on guitar. Wakeling plays guitar and sings, and Antonee First Class performs the “toasting” duties. (Toasting is a form of lyrical chanting over music that was popularized in Jamaica.)

“It's great playing with this band I have,” Wakeling said. “I feel like we do the original group proud.”

Performing onstage hasn't gotten any more difficult over the years, Wakeling said. In fact, he enjoys it a lot more.

“I actually look forward to performing now, which wasn't the case back then. I don't fear it,” he said. “Of course, I was usually loaded then. I drank a lot because of the nerves. I'm not loaded anymore.”

It helps that fans continue to dance and cheer for the old English Beat and General Public songs. Wakeling feels like he sees bigger crowds with each tour he does.

“I'm stunned and gratified beyond words that people are still moved by this music,” he said. “For me, ‘I like your music' is the nicest thing anyone can say. And people often tell great stories about what this song or that song meant to them. It gives me such a warm feeling.”

<b>The English Beat</b>

<b>Friday, July 8:</b> The English Beat performs at 9 p.m. at Reed Keppler Park, Arbor Avenue and National Street, West Chicago. Free. (Show is part of West Chicago Railroad Days.) Go to westerndupagechamber.com.

<b>Saturday, July 9:</b> The English Beat performs at 8:30 p.m. at the Montrose Room, located inside the InterContinental Chicago O'Hare hotel, 5300 N. River Road, Rosemont. $20. Go to montroseroom.com.