That 2-Tone Beat

<p> The 2-Tone movement made waves when it emerged from the U.K. at the end of the 1970s and was cresting around the time of the recordings collected on the DVD-CD set by the English Beat, <em>Live at the US Festival</em> (released by Shout! Factory). 2-Tone referred to the black-white integrated lineups of bands like the Beat (as they were known in Britain) and the Specials as well as the bi-racial blend of their ska music, which managed to sound entirely British yet thoroughly grounded in Jamaica. </p> <p>The US concerts were recorded in 1982 and '83 outdoors before large audiences, and the Beat, whose music always suggested a dark, smoky club aura, looked a little out of water. Still, they put on an energetic, sweaty concert in the sunshine of San Bernadino, California, performing “Twist &amp; Crawl,” “Mirror in the Bathroom” and other favorites. Ska has come and gone again several times since then, but few bands have matched the Beat for songwriting and spot-on playing.<br /></p>