The Dualers /The Downsetters - O2 Academy, Glasgow 9th November 2024

So, a wee bit of background. The Dualers hail from south of the Thames in London and began life when brothers Si and Tyber started busking in the late 90’s. By 2010 the duo has expanded a bit, numbers wise, and were starting to make a few waves on the music scene. Si decided to go solo but brother Tyber remained with the band and expanded it into a stage filling, nine piece. That’s one of the things I’ve always loved about ska bands, they are not afraid to load the stage and mix up the music input.

Their first recorded offering was very much a homegrown effort, they set up their own label and produced the single “Kiss on the Lips” which they sold through local record stores. Never underestimate the power and popularity of a quality busker – the disc sold well, and they made it to No 22 on in the midweek charts.

Following being picked up by a bigger label, the band had a second hit “Truly, Madley, Deeply” which brought more Top 40 success. A double figure amount of albums, some live offerings and a handful of singles later, I am off to see them at a sold out show at Glasgow’s O2 Academy.

I was in the venue just after 7 o’clock. The place was already filling up and the punters down the front were being egged on by DJ Ska n Mash; an Essex based Geezer sporting a kilt and clearly loving being in Glasgow. Turns out, he was born in Pollockshaws but left for gold paved streets when he was 4.

He did a fantastic job spinning ska and reggae hits to warm up the crowd and set the groove; he certainly gave this Rockfiend a laugh when he introduced UB40’s ‘One in Ten’ by telling the crowd “If you don’t sing the first line, hells angels will rush in and take you to a rock gig…and you don’t want that”. As someone who goes to a few rock gigs, it would be great to see an equivalent DJ warming up the crowd. Ska n Mash did a brilliant job.

Just on 8 o’clock the first band of the night appeared, The Downsetters. This seven piece, ska band hail from Ipswich. They had come a long way for their 35 minutes are were obviously planning to make the absolute most of their time.

It took a couple of songs before The Downsetters had the crowd jumping on demand but when they got them, they had them for the rest of the set. A frontman who kept the ska groove going throughout and a keyboard player who just danced, whether he was playing or not, made them a great watch and listen. It turns out their guitarist was Scottish, and how did we learn that? By listening to him sing a crowd-pleasing version of The Proclaimers “I’m On My Way”. The Downsetters will be welcome here again.

Just on 9:15 the main event arrived and eight of the nine piece band started to play an upbeat, ska instrumental before, main man, Tyber made his entrance. Like guitarist Pete, Tyber was resplendent in a kilt, and few things help connect with a Scottish audience more than a English band wearing kilts!

The first thing that really struck me about Tyber was how good a singer he was. His range was huge and his vocal just hit the sweet spot for the music they were playing. And great music it was too. The ska was front and centre from the get-go and the band were clearly loving it as much as the crowd. The horns in ska and reggae bands are always a great favourite of mine and the three pieces of brass at the back of the stage on Saturday really gave the night a lift. No more so than the trumpet solo in “Amelia”.

The crowd were loving it. There was that constant bobbing sway thing going on across the audience that only really happens at ska shows, the only downside for the crowd was a lack of space to get that full-on ska dancing going!

As the band got to the business end of the set there was no shortage of toe tappers. “Dancing Till the Sun Comes Up” from 2019’s ‘Palm Trees and 80 Degrees’ album was a stick out.

This week has been a challenging one. We recently lost a friend and rocker whose funeral I had been to the day before this gig. When The Dualers banged into the celebration that is “It's a Wonderful Life” I thought of our friend Gordy and smiled as a tear ran down my cheek. That’s music, it can take you through so many emotions and often it manages to strike several right at the same time. Gordy would have enjoyed tonight and, I have no doubt, loved the vibe.

“What a Bangarang” kept the lift going and during “Kiss on the Lips” the band stood in a single line across the stage. Simply looking impressive.

By the time “Red Light” was played the crowd were all in and a ska’d up version of “Sweet Caroline” brough the set to a fantastic end.

Time was tight and the band were off stage for less than a minute before Tyber and Pete reappeared to play a striped back, duo version, of one of the greatest songs ever written, certainly in my view. “Redemption Song” was a highlight of the night for me.

The rest of the band appeared and gave us that Toots and Maytals classic “Monkey Man”. I loved it and, like a number of the crowd who had already moved to the door, thought the night was all over. Oh no. This was an English band, in kilts, in Scotland who had loved their night. We got one extra – a fully ska’d up version of Loch Lomond. Not the last go at the wedding reception version but a well thought out and practiced song with a reggae vibe. It was brilliant, it was a nice touch and the crowd certainly appreciated it.

The house lights came on and just like that, an excellent night was over. The Dualers will be back next November. On tonight’s evidence, it would be good to book a ticket as soon as they hit the box office, that will be a gig that will sell out and sell out quickly.

This was a night of many things. It was a night of old skool ska, based around an ever present upbeat. It was a night of dance and sway. It was a night of mellow grooves and quality musicianship. Most of all it was a night of smiles. This was a ska gig, the whole point of ska, in my view, is to celebrate life, celebrate different cultures and different styles of music; all brought together in a great big, happy melting pot of rhythm.

Tonight, was a night of connection and music. As I pointed the car east, I simply found myself smiling. The music was upbeat, the groove was upbeat, the music was upbeat and my smile was upbeat. Do you know what; that is a combo you just cannae beat. Music just has that effect and The Dualers brought that out in bucketloads for their sold out house tonight.