Neville and Christine Sugary Staple have reunited with Specials‘ guitarist Roddy Byers, aka Roddy Radiation, for a new single and album.
The single’s release was held up following the fatal stabbing of Neville’s grandson Fidel Glasgow after an altercation outside a Coventry nightclub.
A 23-year-old man has since been arrested over the death of Fidel, 21, who died in hospital after the incident on September 1.
In a news conference Neville said he was struggling to speak about the “shocking” and “tragic” death of Fidel – the son of his daughter Melanie – and appealed for witnesses to contact police.
The Neville Staple Band, which had been on tour when the news broke, have continued to honour all scheduled dates.
The band used a performance at Coventry’s Godiva Festival to give a warning about the dangers of carrying knives.
The delayed single Rebel Down is the lead cut from new album Rude Rebels, which is released on Cleopatra Records on September 28.
Both the single and album feature guitar work from Byers, along with further album contributions from Daddy ‘Nuff Lyrics’ Woody and Alvin ‘Horn-blower’ Davies.
Neatly timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of 2Tone Records in 2019, Christine says the album is a mix of punk, ska, and reggae:
[blockquote]Working alongside Neville on the production was just perfect. He gets me, and he understands where I am at musically and about my promotion of women going for it, regardless of age and situation. We both still have something to say in our productions, while still creating a dancing beat or a sing-along vocal.”[/blockquote]
Christine and Neville wrote and produced the album with the assistance of Tom Lowry (The Specials, Spectrum) at Planet Studios in Coventry.
A founding member of both The Specials and Fun Boy Three, Neville says he enjoyed the freedom of the production process.
[blockquote]I love how we celebrate the great musical genres of my 40-year career. There’s a little taste of The Specials in there, a Clash type of punk vibe and even Trojan Records styles. We’ve been touring some of the songs and the fans have gone nuts for it. Great to have my buddy Roddy on board too.”[/blockquote]
- Rude Rebels is available on both both CD and special clear vinyl with black and white splatter from September 28. The album can already be pre-ordered digitally via Bandcamp and via Cleopatra Records.
- The Neville Staple Band tour continues right up until December 22. For more information on dates visit Neville’s website here.
