The Daily Swarm

UPDATE: Marco on the Bass:

I had briefly met Lynval before, but I walked over to say hello and while he tuned his guitar, I asked him about The Specials rumored reunion. So here is the scoop and it seems pretty legitimate. It turns out Lynval and Terry Hall are the driving force behind the reunion and that Neville, Horace, Brad and Roddy are all on board. According to Lynval he has rehearsed with Terry, Brad, Horace and Roddy and the songs they have played sound amazing. Unfortunately a lot of the band meetings have included lawyers and managers and that has made it slow going to pull it together. Lynval said that he and most of his band mates recognize that this reunion is for the fans and they all realize that the time is right to do this. Initially they plan to play 12–13 shows around the UK this October and November and based on how the shows go they will discuss booking shows in the US.

In terms of how everyone is getting on, it sounds like Jerry is the major stumbling block here. Lynval mentioned that Jerry has “a lot of baggage” and that while they have told him they want him to be the musical director of the band, he is having trouble accepting that all 7 band members are now on equal footing and its not his band anymore to say what will happen and when. That seems to jive with the recent interview with Jerry I posted here recently where he expressed his concerns that the band was not ready to play out live. Lynval confirmed that the other members are committed to playing together and that the reunion will go forward with or without Jerry.

UPDATE: Billboard:

“It’s weird because we’re all living all over the place, so it’s difficult arranging to be in the same place at the same time,” Hall admits. “We’re doing a block of rehearsals in June and then once we’ve done that, we’ll see when we’re ready.”

“We’re going to play just the first and second album,” he continues. “The first album probably in full and half of the second one. That’s all we want to do—just get together and play the songs once more.”

At present, the band only intends to play a series of theatre-sized venues in the U.K. “That’s the kind of venue where we started,” explains Hall. “I don’t like arena dates, at all. They’re just soulless. The very nature of this band, we shouldn’t go and play sit-down theatres. It would just be weird. I think we should carry on where we left off.”

UPDATE: BBC:

We brought you news of The Specials reunion last month, well now founding member Jerry Dammers has said he isn’t too keen on the whole idea.

Despite the positive reaction to a reunion from band mates Terry Hall and Neville Staples, on a tour in September/ October, Jerry is a little less optimistic:

“We’ve had one attempt at a trial rehearsal, which at no point was all seven people in the room at the same time.

It’s very early days you know we’re talking but there’s nothing definite at the moment at all.”

[...]

“There are still people out there who would love to see the original Specials.

They have an idea in their heads about what the original Specials are.

If we can live up to that, then we should do it, if we can’t, we shouldn’t.”

BBC:

The Specials have been talking to the BBC about reforming officially, for a reunion tour.

No dates as yet, frontman Terry Hall says they need to get into the studio first:

“Well we’re still trying to put dates together, but hopefully September/ October time. We need to spend the Summer rehearsing… I think it’s taken me 30 years to realise we could do it really well.”

Terry Hall and Lynval Golding made surprise appearances at last year’s Glastonbury Festival.

The pair appeared onstage with Lily Allen to perform Gangsters, and later on a different stage, with Damon Albarn on piano and a beatboxer, performing A Message To You, Rudy.

Terry Hall says that seeing other artists on the reunion trail has been an inspiration:

“Because I saw Patti Smith do Horses, and I saw The Pixies reforming… you do it with dignity or don’t do it at all”.

UPDATE: Specials on SNL: