The beginning of a global trad ska revival: Potato 5

2 Tone ska was huge in England. It was also very brief. By the early ’80s, England had moved on to other sounds in pop music. Most of the 2 Tone ska bands had broken up or were playing non-ska tunes. But in this atmosphere in 1983 England, a band called Potato 5 formed. They played ska. But it wasn’t 2 Tone style ska. They were an instrumental band, and they were directly influenced by The Skatalites

This week, we speak to four original members of Potato 5, and we learn about their career, which ended in 1989 (Though it started again as of 2018). During their original run, they ended up having three different lead singers: Floyd Lloyd, Spider Johnson, and the legendary “godfather of ska” himself, Laurel Aitken. Plus, they worked with Mad Professor early in their career. We talk about all of it! 

But we also look at their story as an important early step towards a global traditional ska revival that would blossom in the years to come. Their importance can’t be understated. 

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If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music. 

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Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023. 

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

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