Steel Pulse's Handsworth Reggae Revolution

The revolution was not be televised, but it couldn't be kept off the record. British reggae band Steel Pulse spoke their truths on society’s ills on their debut album, Handsworth Revolution, to critical-praise, community endorsement and classic status. 

Released in 1978 amidst racist police brutality, a rise of the far-right political party National Front, and the year before the Margaret Thatcher-led Conservative Party election, the Birmingham collective captured the under-represented voice on this UK Top 10 album.

Roots reggae’s anti-racist message found kinship with the rising punk-rock movement. Bands like Misty in Roots and Aswad often appeared on concert line-ups and in record collections alongside the Sex Pistols and the Stranglers.

This was during a time when Black kids and white descendants from neighbouring Ireland regularly saw the sign, ‘No Irish. No Blacks. No Dogs.’ in the windows of shops, pubs, and homes for sale.

Punks felt a bond with Rastafarians who also faced prejudice for their anti-establishment views and radical appearance. Love songs weren’t the answer to their pressing problems—protest was the solution and, ultimately, the soundtrack.

Steel Pulse continue to tour the world today, with band member Mykaell Riley also holding down the esteemed posts of Director for The Black Music Research Unit and Principal Investigator for Bass Culture Research at the University of Westminster.