Latest news with #NevilleStaple
BBC News
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Godiva Festival 'a must' for The Specials' Neville Staple
"I love being on stage and I had to do Coventry."Despite serious health concerns, there was no way The Specials' Neville Staple was going to miss playing the city's Godiva one of the founders of the legendary ska revivalists, has been told he can only play five gigs a year, after having to cancel several gigs and festival sets last year when he was diagnosed with a serious heart Godiva performance on Saturday saw him back in the city where The Specials first took to the stage after forming in 1977. "I've missed being on stage so much," Staple told BBC CWR, explaining that after discussions with his wife and his doctor he accepted he had to cut back on wife and fellow musician Christine "Sugary" Staple knew his heart was immediately set on playing Godiva, where she also played in the band's line-up."He said I've got to do Coventry – out of the five [shows], Coventry is a must," she said. The three-day Godiva festival, which showcases local acts as well as famous bands, will end later with a headline set from Ocean Colour Specials were at the forefront of the 2 Tone movement that started in Coventry in the late 1970s, quickly gaining national acclaim. The genre blended Jamaican reggae, ska, and British punk with the likes of The Beat, The Selecter and Madness, the band captured the mood of the late 1970s, when future prospects for young people looked bleak. Now firmly fixed in Coventry's cultural heritage, 2 Tone continues to inspire successive generations, with tributes posted across the city when The Specials' frontman Terry Hall died in of Hall's piano's has been on display at Godiva this year, alongside a stall from Tonic Music for Mental Health, a charity he supported. "Sugary" Staple described the gig as "a homecoming" and added that "we love Godiva, we've got history at Godiva."The couple have also been involved with anti-knife crime campaigning in recent years, after their grandson Fidel Glasgow was fatally stabbed in Coventry in Saturday, Staple's message to people in the city was: "Stay positive, love one another, and put away those knives." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Godiva Festival-goers in Coventry with fancy dress and flowers
The annual Godiva Festival has kicked off in Coventry, with tens of thousands of people due to three-day event, at the city's War Memorial Park, started on Friday and runs until Almond headlined on Friday, with sets from Neville Staple of The Specials, Clean Bandit, and Ocean Colour Scene to come over the weekend."We've come to dance and that's what we've been doing," said Leanne, a festival-goer from Nuneaton, who was dressed up as a butterfly and has been coming to the event for seven years. The festival is also known for showcasing local acts, with groups such as the Coventry-based Phase One Steel Orchestra, who are playing on which began as a one-day event in 1997, is a family-friendly festival that includes dance performances and craft sessions. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Neville Staple to perform one-off charity gig in Birmingham
The Specials singer Neville Staple is returning to the stage for a one-off performance at a charity gala in Birmingham next year the Coventry frontman was diagnosed with a serious heart defect, for which he was advised to take a complete rest from live gala will raise funds for Acorn Children's Hospice, which has sites in Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester, and provides palliative care for families with children with life-limiting will celebrate the drama series This Town, which focuses on the music scene in the 70s and 80s in Birmingham and Coventry. The evening will see guests experience a journey through 1980s Birmingham, the hospice said, with entertainment, live music and fine will round off the gala dinner with a headline the event is Steven Knight, creator and writer of Peaky Blinders, who also created and wrote This Town, and grew up in Birmingham. Knight is a patron of the hospice, and the gala will also be supported by Kudos, the production company behind the local guests include Birmingham-born comedian, actress, and writer Shazia Mirza, who will host the event, and the city's Poet Laureate 2020-2022, Casey Bailey."We are thrilled to have such an extraordinary line-up of local talent, led by none other than ska legend Neville Staple," said Trevor Johnson, chief executive of the hospice charity."But amidst the style and glamour, it is important to remember that at the heart of this truly special event are the children and families we support. "This night is for them and will enable us to continue to provide the care and support they can't get anywhere else."It will be held at Birmingham's International Convention Centre on 28 February. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
