AFTER months of planning and working like crazy all the way down to the wire, our latest exhibition ‘Our Town’ is up and running.
Last Thursday the 2-Tone Village opened its doors to some special guests.
I was proud to take the stage with my amazing team that has worked so hard to make this happen.
As I introduced the new exhibition, some thought I had got the name wrong – our display is very much called ‘Our Town’ but it is definitely celebrating all that is ‘This Town’.
Like anything creative and new, it stands to be judged by the public. Most people I have talked to or have seen online love the show, but of course you cannot please all the people all the time.
What’s great is that social media is all talking about this amazingly inventive TV show, and that to me – good or bad – is a positive.
Creator Steven Knight always does things his way and, like Peaky Blinders before, the show grows episode by episode as do the characters and the plot lines.
As a Cov kid from the 70s I can relate to most of the plots and sub-plots taking place, to me it’s a master class of acting by a sublime cast with a killer soundtrack that often dips into the divine well of classic ska and reggae.
Thanks to our close connection to the show, via the legend Mark Almond who is assistant costume designer on the show – he has loaned us some ‘hero’ costume items that were worn by the main cast on the series.
Pub
Also on show you can be a Happy Trooper, the name of the pub that once stood in Birmingham’s Chelmsley Wood and referenced very heavily in the show where a lot of the action takes place. It’s a great photo opp.
On the night we had some very special guests, former Special and Skabilly Rebel frontman Roddy Byers was in attendance.
We have created a special ‘Still Working for The Ratrace’ wall for him and he was kind enough to not only open it but give it his blessing.
Here you can ‘clock in’ and learn about one of Ska greatest guitarists.
Also present was Grammy-award winner Roger Lomas and two of the cast – Ben Rose who plays Bardon Quinn and Freya Parks who plays Fiona. Wow – these two superb actors made their way from London just to be with us and I cannot thank them enough.
They bought a lot of joy on the night and I got the chance to ask them a few questions on the stage of Knight’s at the Village.
Obviously we all wanted to know if a second series if on the cards, no green lights as yet but let us hope it is on the cards as they say.
Massive thanks to our own poet in residence Nick knibb who gave us a superb poem based on the show and our exhibition.
And to top off the night Ska’rnaby Street gave us some great solo Ska renditions.
So now the doors are open Thursday to Sunday and you can take it all in yourselves.
‘Our Town’ is available to stream on the BBC iPlayer – visit bbc.co.uk/iPlayer to watch.
