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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