The Beat (known in North America as The English Beat and in Australia as The British Beat) is a band founded in Birmingham, England, in 1978. Their music fuses ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock. Their lead man, Dave Wakeling is a hell of a nice guy! Dave loves to tell you the stories behind his songs, either from stage or after the show. Ask any of the thousands of fans who have met him over the years and that’s what you’ll hear. Never mind that Dave is the singer/songwriter from the two of the most popular bands of the end of the millennium, The English Beat and General Public. Notable singles from the first album included "Can't Get Used to Losing You", "Mirror In the Bathroom", "Hands Off She's Mine" and "Best Friend". The second Beat album, Wha'ppen? was supported by extensive touring, including a US tour with The Pretenders and Talking Heads. The album yielded more UK hits, with "All Out to Get You," "Drowning" and "Doors of Your Heart", all of which broke into the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. We've been huge fans of them ever since their first record and were extremely excited to work with Dave. We invited him in Studio A to talk about his legacy and his current project that he’s finishing up as we speak. It’s been a pleasure having him at the studio and we’re thrilled to share this exclusive interview with you today.
