Steel Pulse

Steel Pulse will perform on 22 August 2026 at SPOT/De Oosterpoort in Groningen. Since 1975 the band from Handsworth, Birmingham, has carried the British reggae sound with a clear roots foundation. Founders David Hinds, Basil Gabbidon and Ronald McQueen came to prominence in the late 1970s, in an England where reggae and punk intersected and Rock Against Racism set the tone. Their early records, such as Handsworth Revolution and Tribute to the Martyrs, marked a sober, driven approach: deep bass, offbeats, choral vocals and lyrics about racism, inequality and the realities of the Caribbean diaspora.

Over the years Steel Pulse broadened their palette without abandoning their core. True Democracy, Earth Crisis and Babylon the Bandit introduced a production that sounded more expansive, with hints of soul, pop and early dancehall. Frontman David Hinds remained the steady anchor on international stages, with later releases such as African Holocaust and, more recently, Mass Manipulation. On stage the band links the early roots sound with later experiments: pulsating bass, offbeat guitar, harmonized vocals and lyrics that focus on social and political realities.