The Selecter is led by their iconic frontwoman Pauline Black and co-fronted by original member Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson. Pauline Black is one of very few women in the 2-Tone scene – she is often referred to as the Queen of Ska. Not only a crucial figure in the music community, Black is also a published author, gifted actress and a celebrated style icon.
The Selecter toured over 3 months in the US, Mexico, Europe and the UK in Autumn 2019 with Special Guest and DJ Rhoda Dakar to celebrate their 40th Anniversary. The last show the band played before lockdown was the BBC 6 Music festival at the Roundhouse in Camden in March 2020 alongside Kojey Radical and Róisín Murphy.
The anarchic passion that fuelled Selecter gigs during the original 2-Tone era is still there, except the pair are more driven than ever. Their confidence is sky-high and they’re also writing the best songs of their career, which is saying something given the enduring popularity of hits like “Three Minute Hero,” “Missing Words,” “Too Much Pressure” and “On My Radio.”
The Selecter’s latest studio album Daylight was released to critical acclaim in 2017. Firing on all righteous cylinders Daylight is arguably their most urgent, politically engaged and purely uplifting music since the days of Too Much Pressure and Celebrate The Bullet. The band released Live At Roundhouse in 2018 on CD & Vinyl, with bonus DVD from their sold out London Roundhouse show with The Beat featuring the late Ranking Roger.
