The Specials Score UK No. 1 With New Album ‘Encore’
Reacting to the news, the band said: “A real thanks to the fans who have stayed with us for all this time. We all share in this, thank you.”
The Specials’ new album Encore has reached the top of the Official UK Albums Chart on its first week of release.
Encore is the legendary band’s first record of new material in 20 years. It also features a new version of The Valentines’ ‘Blam Blam Fever’ and a cover of The Equals’ ‘Black Skinned Blue-Eyed Boys’.
In a press release, the band said: “Recording the album has been one of the most amazing trips of our lives. What can we say? It couldn’t have been better timing. A real thanks to the fans who have stayed with us for all this time. We all share in this, thank you.”
The iconic Coventry outfit reached the top spot after a close race with Busted, whose Half Way There album allegedly missed out on the top spot by only 1060 sales.
Encore features ‘Vote For Me’ and the recent single ’10 Commandments’, which includes an appearance by activist Saffiyah Khan. On the track, she gives 10 rules to live by, including: “Thou shalt not tell a girl she deserved it because her skirt was too short.”
As uDiscover Music previously reported, The Specials previously confirmed that they will head out on the road later this year in support of Encore and in celebration of the band’s 40th anniversary. The UK leg of the tour will kick off in Bournemouth on 15 April and culminate with two gigs at London’s O2 Academy Brixton in May. For tickets and further information, please visit the band’s official website.
The Specials play the following UK shows:
April 2019:
15 – BOURNEMOUTH O2 Academy Bournemouth
16 – PORTSMOUTH Guildhall
17 – BRIGHTON Dome
19 – PLYMOUTH Pavilions
20 – EXETER University Great Hall
21 – CARDIFF University Great Hall
23 – BLACKBURN King Georges Hall
24 – LEICESTER De Montfort Hall
26 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
27 – LIVERPOOL Eventim Olympia
28 – MANCHESTER Academy
30 – LEEDS O2 Academy Leeds
May 2019
1 – CARLISLE Sands Centre
2 – GLASGOW Barrowland
4 – NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE O2 Academy Newcastle
5 – MIDDLESBROUGH Town Hall
6 – SCARBOROUGH Spa
8 – SCUNTHORPE Baths Hall
9 – YORK Barbican
10 – SHEFFIELD O2 Academy Sheffield
12 – CAMBRIDGE Corn Exchange
13 – SOUTHEND Cliffs Pavilion
14 – MARGATE Winter Gardens
16 – LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
17 – LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
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