Steel Pulse to Play Tempe Tomorrow; Frontman David Hinds Sends a Video Message to Phoenix-Area Fans

Bob Marley was such an integral part of bringing reggae to the U.S. that when he died in 1981, the commercial life of reggae almost died with him. But the genre has lived on through reggae acts like Burning Spear, Sly and Robbie, and Steel Pulse. The latter is scheduled...

By Niki D'Andrea

May 11, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Bob Marley was such an integral part of bringing reggae to the U.S. that when he died in 1981, the commercial life of reggae almost died with him. But the genre has lived on through reggae acts like Burning Spear, Sly and Robbie, and Steel Pulse.

The latter is scheduled to play in Tempe this Thursday night. Steel Pulse had their most commercial success with their Grammy Award-winning 1986 album, Babylon the Bandit -- but these British reggae purists have never really cared about having hits so much as making statements. Like much of their early works, Steel Pulse's first release for Island Records, the Ku Klux Klan 45 (1978), addressed racism and the plight of blacks in America:

"To let me go was not dem intention/Dem seh one nigger the less/The better for the show/Stand strong black skin and take your blow/It's the Ku, the Ku Klux Klan/Here to stamp out blackman yah."

So obviously, Steel Pulse has never been a soft-spoken band. They're not shy about telling fans to come to their shows, either. Check out the video below, where vocalist and guitarist David Hinds hypes Steel Pulse's upcoming Valley appearance.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Phoenix New Times has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.

Niki D'Andrea has covered subjects including drug culture, women's basketball, pirate radio stations, Scottsdale staycations, and fine wine. She has worked at both New Times and Phoenix Magazine, and is now a freelancer.

Contact: Niki D'Andrea