The Specials –
Do The Dog

The unexpected invitation

I remember being in the pub after going to a Walsall away game in the FA Cup at Stourbridge when I got a message from my Uncle asking if I wanted to go and see The Specials. He had a spare ticket.

There was just one problem… I didn’t really know who The Specials were.

I’d heard their name once before when I went to see Oasis at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. Liam had mentioned that The Specials were in the crowd. Other than that, I’d never really heard them.

Two days later, on 9th November, I found myself heading to Wolverhampton Civic to see a band whose songs I didn’t even know.

And what happened that night completely blew me away.

Definitely not fitting in

I remember walking into the venue and immediately feeling like I looked completely out of place.

I was eighteen, dressed pretty chav-like, in a room full of skinheads wearing Doc Martens.

My Uncle and his mates looked the part. Cherry-red Docs, Fred Perry polos. They looked cool and completely fitted in… I definitely didn’t.

Then the lights went down, and that moment everything changed.

The intro recording of “You’re Wondering Now” started playing, with the band hidden behind a huge white sheet. The anticipation built. Then the sheet dropped.

And they launched straight into “Do the Dog.”

I was in awe.

Neville Staple was skanking around the stage looking effortlessly cool, while Terry Hall stood almost completely still, looking emotionless.

I remember watching them and thinking:

Lost in the mosh pit

At some point, I’d lost my Uncle. I was with his mate’s son and somehow we’d found our way into the mosh pit.

Then I fell over.

I remember looking up and seeing nothing but Doc Martens thumping against the ground around me.

Then this skinhead reached down, grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

What a moment.

A little piece of history

Towards the end of the gig, I’d somehow made my way towards the barrier, right in front of Lynval Golding.

I was shouting “Rude Boy!” along with everyone else.

The funny thing is, I had absolutely no idea what it meant. I was just joining in.

Then Lynval noticed me and asked security to pass me one of his guitar picks.

I couldn’t believe it.

I put it straight in my pocket, but unfortunately somewhere along the way I either lost it or someone stole it.

I’ve always been gutted about that.

Nothing quite like that first time

I went on to see The Specials loads of times after that night, but none of them ever felt quite like that first one.

And I think part of the reason is that I didn’t know any of the songs.

I didn’t know the history.

I didn’t know what “Rude Boy” meant.

I didn’t even really know who I was watching.

I was just an eighteen-year-old Walsall fan who’d been offered a spare ticket by his Uncle and had somehow stumbled into something completely different from anything I’d experienced before.

And now, knowing all the songs and understanding The Specials so much more, I honestly think I’d enjoy it even more than I did that night.

It’s funny how music works.

Sometimes you discover a song because it means something to you. Other times, a song becomes important because of where you were when you heard it.