“Dorian’s Going Gray” – The Skapones new single

The Skapones are a band from Darlington in North East England. They started out in 2013, but as it sometimes happens, it took them some time to stabilize the line-up. They released their debut album “Cradle To Grave” in 2018 on their own label Cosa Nostra Records. Roddy Radiation, the guitarist of the original line-up of The Specials, is featured in one of the songs.

The 2 Tone legends are the biggest inspiration for The Skapones. And when I am to give an example of a contemporary band playing in this style, I think of the guys from Darlington. Last year they played a great gig in Gdansk (they are famous for being energetic on stage in Great Britain). To the extent that their versions of The Specials hits sounded in my opinion more authentic than at the performance that Terry and the company gave a month later in Berlin. It’s a pity that The Skapones weren’t supporting them then, as they did during two other concerts of this jubilee tour.

But a girl lives not only for live shows (and during the pandemic, it’s basically everything but them). The Skapones are working on a new album scheduled for later this year. In 2019 they released a single “When It’s Gone It’s Gone” and on February 29 their latest song – “Dorian’s Going Gray”.

It’s a story of a guy named Dorian, who, unlike the original character from Oscar Wilde’s novel, is getting a little old. He remembers well the time when Rico Rodriguez played the trombone with The Specials, but even with gray hair here and there, he still has fun at the shows.

The single was released on a CD with the second tune, “Song For The Man Of England”. “Dorian’s Going Gray” is also available on Spotify.

Photo: the cover of “Dorian’s Going Gray” single