Steel Pulse returns for a homecoming show in Birmingham celebrating 50 years

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Steel Pulse, Birmingham’s iconic reggae band, is celebrating 50 years in music. Founder David Hinds discusses the band’s legacy, their powerful social messages, and their upcoming homecoming show at the O2 Institute.

Transcript

00:00Steel Pulse, one of Birmingham's most influential reggae bands, is marking 50 years in music.

00:08Formed in Handsworth in 1975, they've taken their message of unity and social justice

00:14across the world. Now the band is back for a homecoming show at the O2 Institute. I'm

00:19joined by David Hoynes, the band's founder, to talk about the milestone and what it means

00:24for Birmingham. So David, it's great to be able to speak to you. Steel Pulse has been

00:30making music for half a century now. How does it feel to bring that journey back to where

00:35it all began?

00:37Well, bring the journey back, it never left us in the first place. What it does feel like,

00:43I mean, I feel delighted that, you know, the band's message and the band's style of music

00:49has remained current, has remained relevant. And, you know, we're still a force to be

00:57reckoned with. So obviously I feel delighted and still in good health. That's another plus

01:02for the whole thing.

01:05Great stuff. So looking back, what were some of the biggest challenges the band faced in

01:09those early days?

01:10Well, to me, the early days was mostly with record labels, I would say. The early years,

01:21the record labels, reggae was not a fashionable entity at the time. And to know, you know,

01:29as we went on, it was getting more difficult, especially when we started to climb as an

01:34act and started getting onto the bigger record labels who, the bigger we got with the bigger

01:40record labels, the less they were informed about reggae music and how to operate it and

01:46everything else. So that was the biggest challenge, I'd say, trying to convince the record labels

01:51what the music was really about and how to go about, you know, the marketing of the music.

01:56So your music has always had a strong political and social message. How do you think those

02:01messages resonate with people today?

02:04A lot of people reckon it's like a prophecy being foretold and, you know, words have come

02:11to pass, if you see what I'm saying. To know that the people have recognised our efforts

02:18over the years, it keeps us going. It keeps us thinking, well, you know, there's a reason

02:25for us to be around and still exist and still, you know, be like a momentum for the masses

02:32that are out there that are in favour of reggae music and most in particular our style

02:36of reggae music because, you know, our political messages were a little bit different than,

02:42you know, the standard of reggae music that was out there at the time.

02:45So do you see similarities between the issues people faced when the band started and those

02:51that affect communities now?

02:53Oh, most definitely. I mean, there is, we know one of the biggest problems when we started

02:58out and what made us current and sort of an interesting point of view to look at was

03:08the fact that racism was pretty much rampant, you know, in the mid seventies, you know,

03:13with the likes of Enoch Powell and, you know, Eric Clapton when he made a little statement

03:21in Birmingham back in the mid seventies also in regards to migrants coming into Britain

03:28and et cetera, et cetera. And as you can clearly see, Brexit came into being because of the

03:35same scenario where Britain doesn't feel as if it needs to have other minorities trying

03:43to get their foot up on the, you know, financial ladder, if you see what I'm saying. So it's

03:49pretty much the same. And we've, like I said, people are beginning to recognise that. And

03:54the good thing about it as well, that the older generation that cottoned on to Steel

03:57Pulse back in the day, have brought forth their children, have brought forth their children.

04:02So we've got grandchildren now that are all about Steel Pulse, which is a, it's a plus.

04:08It's a good thing.

04:10So Birmingham has changed a lot over the years. How do you feel about the city today compared

04:15to when Steel Pulse was first making a name for itself?

04:22The city is a lot more cosmopolitan than it ever used to be. I mean, I remember as a kid

04:28growing up, there was like a lot of no-go areas when it came to the same thing we were

04:33talking about racism. I mean, Stetford was one of the places where it was a no-go area.

04:38Quinton wasn't much favourable either. Bartley Green, King's Standing. And to know, you know,

04:47you travel all over the place and you're seeing families from different ethnic backgrounds

04:52all living together in these areas that were, you know, 20, 30, 40 years ago, were no-go

04:57areas for minorities like ourselves. So Birmingham has boomed and has become more cosmopolitan.

05:05The city has a very buoyant nightlife, especially on the Broad Street, along, you know, that

05:11side of it, down in the city centre itself where the Bullring shopping centre is. It's

05:17pretty much, it's an up and up. Positive vibrations right now when it comes to, you know, people

05:23living and moving with each other in a harmonious kind of a way.

05:29So do you think the city still has the same spirit and energy that inspired your early music?

05:36It's hard to say because we've been out of the country for the most part, doing tours

05:42all over the world, you know, the US, South America. Those are the main stomping grounds

05:48and of course Europe. And to, I'm not quite sure. And it's simply because I don't know

05:56of any other band that has formulated and have come, you know, with the kind of lyrics

06:02that we sort of generated so many years ago, where they've seen like a fresh version of

06:08the racism and a fresh version of the, you know, all the unemployment and police brutality.

06:16All these things were the things to bellyache about at the time and qualms. Those are the

06:23qualms, you know, the quagmires, you know, in our communities at the time. So I don't

06:29really know of any band as such that has sort of taken over the mantle, so to speak.

06:37Fantastic. So your homecoming show is a major event for fans. What can people expect from

06:43the performance?

06:46Because the band hasn't been around, you know, on a regular basis, you know, like year in

06:53year out. I mean, we have been for the past two, three years, but we're still growing

06:58in the whole scheme of things when it comes to re-introducing ourselves back into the

07:02British market. So I can only say we're going to start from where we left off, but in regards

07:08to what the songs that Britain recognised us for, which is basically the first three

07:13albums, we'll be touching one or two of the newer songs. But I think it's only fair to

07:18give them songs that they've been familiar with from, you know, the days of yesteryear.

07:25Which is pretty much a tall order for us because we haven't done it for a long time. So there's

07:29going to be a bit of a challenge in itself. You know, I mean, I'm going to be dusting

07:33off songs like Hands of Revolution and songs like Prodigal Son. Prodigal Son hasn't been

07:39played for decades, if you see what I'm saying. But those are the songs that came from the

07:43first album, which as you know, was in the top 10 back in 78. So it'd be good to know

07:49that we could sort of exercise the mind to remember these songs and see how they come

07:58out and how they, you know, see how the fans appreciate them and such. And how well we

08:05do them because, you know, the voice has changed, you know, the band members have changed. The

08:11energy is of a different kind. And we just hope that the audience can, you know, still

08:17recognise it's a still pulse that came out 50 years ago that they gravitated towards

08:22when we put out our debut album.

08:25Great stuff. So do you have a message for your fans in Birmingham who've supported you

08:30over all these years?

08:32My message is this to the Birmingham fans that although we've been out for quite some

08:39time, we've never left you out of our minds and hearts. And you still mean ever so much

08:46to us. And we're thanking you for the years of believing in us. And I'm sure you sort

08:53of been carrying our names all over the place on your sleeves, in your mind, in your heart.

08:59Whereas, you know, someone mentions the name Still Pulse, you go, oh yes, I remember those

09:03guys, they were our boys, that kind of thing. So I know Birmingham, you know, is about that

09:08in so many ways. So I'm thanking you for the support you've given us over these years.

09:13And if it wasn't for you, it would never be us. And we won't forget that.

09:20So I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us today, David.

09:24God bless.

09:25Thank you. You take care.

09:28So Still Pulse's music has stood the test of time and their message of unity is as relevant

09:33now as ever. Their 50th anniversary show is a celebration of the band's legacy and the

09:38city that shaped them. For more on the impact of Still Pulse and their milestone performance,

09:43check out their website.

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