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(The Bionic Rats Present)
The 2Tone Klub
a night of high-energy featuring veteran musicians with over three decades of experience across Ireland’s ska and reggae scene.
Combining precision, stagecraft, and an unmistakable passion for 2 Tone, the band delivers authentic, crowd-driving performances across Europe.

The lineup includes current members of Dublin band The Bionic Rats
and former members of Irish reggae and ska legendary bands Keltic Posse, Kingsativa, Gangsters, and The Dodgy Few.

Their setlist is a celebration of the 2 Tone era’s biggest hits and enduring classics,
including four UK No. 1 singles and over twenty UK Top 10 tracks.

Audiences can expect iconic songs such as
One Step Beyond, Baggy Trousers, On My Radio, and Night Boat to Cairo, Ghost Town
and many more big hits alongside a full repertoire of fan favourites.

Rooted in the legacy of 2 Tone Records—founded in Coventry in 1979 by Jerry Dammers of The Specials—the band channels the genre’s signature fusion of Jamaican ska, punk energy, and new wave attitude, while honouring its enduring message of unity and cultural connection.

2Tone Bands

The Specials

Popular Specials songs
A Message To You Rudy, Do Nothing, Rat Race, Monkey Man
including 2 UK No. 1 singles
Too Much Too Young (1980)
Ghost Town (1981)

Madness

Though they later moved to other labels,
their early single The Prince was released on 2 Tone.

Madness had 21 UK Top 20 singles between 1979 and 1986.

Popular Madness songs include One Step Beyond, Night Boat To Caio, It Must Be Love
and the 1 UK No. 1 single – House of Fun

They were one of the most commercially successful bands to emerge from the 2 Tone era,
with consistent chart success throughout the early 1980s.

The Selecter

Fronted by Pauline Black, they blended ska rhythms with sharp social commentary.
The Selecter had 5 UK Top 40 singles (1979–1981)
3 UK Top 10 singles
Popular Selecter songs include
On My Radio, Three Minute Hero, Missing Words & Too Much Pressure

They were one of the key bands of the 2 Tone movement,
though their chart success was concentrated in the early years of the label (1979–1981).

The Beat

Combined ska with pop hooks and socially aware lyrics, also left the label after one release.
The Beat had 9 UK Top 40 singles
Popular Beat songs include
Mirror in the Bathroom , Too Nice to Talk To, Can’t Get Used to Losing You

They were one of the most consistent chart performers of the 2 Tone era,
blending ska rhythms with pop and socially conscious lyrics.

The Bodysnatchers

An all-female group who recorded early on the label.
Members went on to form 80's chart topping act The Belle Stars.

Bad Manners

The London band only appeared on the 2Tone label on the Dance Craze live album
but are forever associated with the movement.
Still touring with the indomitable front man, Buster Blood Vessel.

Popular Bad Manners songs
Ne-Ne Na-Na Na-Na Nu-Nu, Lip Up Fatty, My Girl Lollipop

The 2 Tone Movement

The label sparked the 2Tone movement, a multicultural youth subculture that promoted racial unity
(symbolised by the black-and-white checkerboard imagery)
It revived Jamaican ska for a new generation by merging punk’s DIY ethos with danceable rhythms
with lyrics reflecting working-class frustration in Thatcher-era Britain.
It emerged during a period of economic hardship, rising unemployment, and racial tension.
The movement stood in direct opposition to racist groups active in the UK at the time, making it both a musical and social statement.

Legacy

Although 2 Tone Records was short-lived in its original form (roughly 1979–1985),
its impact was long-lasting. It helped launch the ska revival in Britain and influenced later waves of ska around the world, including American third-wave ska in the 1990s.

2 Tone was more than a label
it was a cultural statement combining music, fashion, and anti-racist politics
into one of the most distinctive British movements of the late 20th century.