It’s wall-to-wall ska

LEE HOLLISTER, popular with the local music scene.

CRACK tribute act the Manchester Ska Foundation are gearing up for arguably the band’s biggest ever gig this summer.

Fronted by hugely popular Failsworth vocalist Lee Hollister, the loud and proud Ska Foundation are always a huge draw.

They pack out pubs and clubs on a weekly basis, generally around Oldham and Manchester, but also as far afield as Stoke, where they have a rapidly growing fan club.

A Manchester Ska Foundation gig is always a huge treat for dedicated purveyors of ska music, of which there are many.

Scene

On August 20, however, Hollister and his super-tight, super-raucous outfit face a huge test of their credentials as a tip-top tribute act.

On that date, Manchester Ska Foundation will play alongside some of the genre’s true legends at the Great Northern Ska Festival at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Trafford Park, and Hollister can’t wait.

He told me: “I was first approached after we played at the Bowlers Soul Festival last year. I was asked to play an advisory role initially, offering thoughts on which bands to book, who was big on the scene, that kind of thing.

“We’re booked on to play, and it’s going to be 12 hours of wall-to-wall ska and reggae music, from three in the afternoon until three the next morning.

“There’ll be fun fairs on, trade fairs, three huge stages – it’s just going to be phenomenal.

“The Selecter are on, the Beat, Neville Staples (ex-Specials and Fun Boy Three), Dawn Penn, Jeramiah Ferrari, the Jewellers, the Toasters – you name the top bands on the scene and they’re going to be on, on that day.

“The capacity is around 6,000 at Bowlers and, to be honest, I think they’ll be close to that there.

“The early bird tickets – which were £20 each – sold out within a fortnight and I know they’re now selling very quickly at £25 each. I’m not surprised, though. For the line-up that’s on, that’s absolute peanuts, and for us to be part of it will be amazing.

Popular

“It is a great venue with brilliant sound systems and, despite the size of the place, it’s all enclosed and under one roof.

“The sound in there is just awesome. The guys who work on it there don’t mess about, they’re professionals, so everything is spot on.”

So there will be some huge ska names at the Bowlers festival, but punters will also be there in numbers primarily to catch the Manchester Ska Foundation. They are proving as popular now as they have ever been.

Hollister added: “What is good and refreshing these days is that not only are we seeing people who have been down supporting us for years at gigs, we’re seeing new, fresh faces at the shows.

“There’s younger people who are getting into ska music, so that’s refreshing, and as a band we’re now looking into playing new areas, bigger venues, bigger pubs and even festivals.

“The thirst for ska is not only out there, it’s growing. The scene just gets bigger and bigger, scooter clubs are on the increase, it’s just huge and it’s taking off again.

“Just look at the amount of people who are going out to see the Selecter, the Specials, Madness, the Beat, Bad Manners.

“Everywhere we go we get such a good reception. It’s just a great scene and everybody’s into it and enjoying it.”

Contact Hollister for Great Northern Ska Festival tickets. His number is 07900 554857.