NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
Normally, I’d say that moving from NYC to Buffalo makes it more difficult to see all the bands I want to see but somehow this year, I’ve been lucky enough the have the English Beat hit Buffalo twice!! First, they opened for Culture Club this summer at ArtPark and, on Tuesday, they graced us with their presence at Town Ballroom. Having missed a record snowfall in the Buffalo area by just a week, the heat from their performance was sure to help melt some of the remaining snow!
There was no opener per se but a local DJ played some tunes from the 80s before English Beat’s set. It was nice seeing an old school DJ with turntables and vinyl rather than a laptop and it was definitely a nice way to get into the 80s mood.
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As usual, the band kicked off the show with Rough Rider, always a fan favorite. Watching the English Beat never fails to get my feet moving so it was odd to see so many people just standing around. There were some obviously huge fans at the barricade and the venue was pretty full but not as energetic as I would have thought. Nevertheless, the English Beat put on a great show with David Wakeling and Antonee First Class leading the charge. As with the ArtPark show, I was surprised when “Save It For Later” was played so early in the set. One of my favorites “Tears of a Clown” was also missing but it was still a solid albeit short fourteen song set. But I still walked out of the venue happy as a clam, having seen one of my favorite bands twice in one year!
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