It was a mild winter night in Sydney’s Inner West, and swarms of Rude boys, Punks and Skinheads flocked to the Enmore Theatre to celebrate 30 Years of ska legends, The Specials.

The Specials are one of those bands that change your life from the second you hear them. Godfathers of 2-Tone Ska since way back in 1979, these guys have not only made some of the most significant and masterful music of their time, but utilised their movement to confront the National Front racism head on. They are proof that music does have the potential to change the world.

From the second we arrived, it was apparant that this was going to be the gig of a lifetime. I have never seen the Enmore so packed. The guys kicked us off with ‘Do the Dog’ and from start to finish, the floor was bouncing from the thousands of revellers getting their skank on. By the time we were treated to ‘Gangsters’, three songs in, the party was well and truly kicking, and never have I seen so many people having such an immense amount of fun.

Taking fun to the extreme and appearing to have the time of their lives was the band themselves. Neville Staple is an unstoppable ball of joy and energy, pretty incredible for a 54 year old man. His hair may be greying, but his body is incredible, and clearly, he doesn’t mind showing it off. Terry Hall was not in such great physical shape (my friend suggested that he looked like a fat frat boy) - but none the less, he was truly on form. The missing presence of Jerry Dammers, one of the founding members, could have had the ‘elephant in the room’ effect, however, the remaining Specials effortlessly concealed the missing piece of their puzzle, to the extent where his image did not even feature on any of the merchandise.

There were so many highlights in this set that it’s impossible to pinpoint one, but personally, the anthem for those who love to party, ‘Friday Night Saturday Morning’ made me smile from ear to ear. Landing crowd pleaser after crowd pleaser to an audience who were absolutely lapping it up, this performance can only be summed up in one word: Epic. Easily one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to; a true experience.

The Specials - no explanation necessary.