A BIT ABOUT US

TOOT eNf SKAMEN SKAMEN ORIGINALLY FORMED IN DECEMBER 1985 BY JOE MASTERS (DRUMMER) AND STEVE WELSH (BASS GUITARIST) CUT THEIR MUSICAL TEETH PLAYING THE SKA AND ROCKSTEADY HITS FROM THE LATE SEVENTIES REVIVAL MUSIC THEY HAD GROWN UP TO AND BEEN GROOVING TO FOR YEARS.

MEDWAY LADS BORN AND BRED THEY STARTED OFF PLAYING AT FRIENDS PARTIES THEN LOCAL PUBS AND CLUBS IN AND AROUND KENT AND SOON PICKED UP QUITE A FOLLOWING.THE 90ŒS SAW A CHANGE IN THE BANDS LINE UP, REPLACING FRIENDS IN THE BAND FOR TRUE MUSICIANS AND THE BAND THEN CHANGED FROM BEING JUST A HOBBIE INTO A SEMI PROFESSIONAL OUTFIT.

TOOT eNf SKAMEN LANDED MANY OPEN AIR SUMMER FESTIVALS INCLUDING MEDWAYS PARKLIFE, MAIDSTONEfS RIVER FESTIVAL AND GRAVESEND WATER FRONT PLAYING TO A CROWD OF OVER 12,000.THINGS BEGAN TO MOVE ON FOR THE BAND WITH SEVERAL LARGE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGE GIGS THROUGHOUT ENGLAND, THE MOST FAMOUS BEING ASTON UNIVERSITY IN BIRMINGHAM, ONCE THE BACKDROP FOR THE LEGENDARY SPECIALS GIG OF 1979 , INTEREST THEN GREW FROM SCOOTER CLUBS AND THE WHOLE SCOOTER SCENE RESULTING IN HEADLINE APPEARANCES AT SCOOTER RALLYS, THE BEST BEING AT SANDFORD HOSTED BY THE DORSET MODRAPHENIACS.THROUGH THEIR MANY YEARS OF PLAYING THE BAND HAVE ALWAYS STILL PLAYED THE PUB AND CLUB SCENE, CLOSE INTIMATE GIGS THAT THEY REALLY ENJOY BUT NOW ITS OVER THE LENGTH AND BRETH OF ENGLAND.

THE LAST FEW YEARS TOOT eNf SKAMEN HAVE SUPPORTED SKA LEGENDS BAD MANNERS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND THE SELECTER THREE OR FOUR TIMES, OF LATE THEY WERE ASKED TO PERFORM AT THE OFFICAL SPECIALS AFTER SHOW PARTY SOON TO BE FOLLOWED BY THE OFFICAL MADNESS AFTER SHOW PARTY IN MARGATE, THIS IN TURN LEAD TO THE BAND PLAYING THE HOPE AND ANCHOR PUB IN ISLINGTON ( LOCATION OF THE FIRST EVER GIG BY MADNESS ) AND THEN FOLLOWED THE DUBLIN CASTLE IN CAMDEM TOWN ( THE HOME OF MADNESS ). THIS SUMMER ( 2010 ) SAW THE BIRTH OF THE SKABOUR FESTIVAL, A THREE DAY EVENT IN FOLKSTONE WITH APPEARANCES FROM MANY SKA BANDS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, TOOT eNf SKAMEN HEADLINED BY CLOSING THE EVENT ON THE FINAL DAY.\R\N\R\NRECENTLY COVENTRY HAS BECKENED ( THE BIRTH PLACE OF 2TONE ), THE BAND PLAYED THE NEWLY OPENED 2TONE CENTRAL THE FIRST MEETING PLACE OF HORACE PANTER AND JERRY DAMMERS ( 2TONE CREATOR AND LEGEND ).

STILL WITH ITS TWO FOUNDER MEMBERS FROM 1985 AND STILL AS HUNGRY AS THEY WERE 25 YEARS AGO, TOOT eNf SKAMEN STRIVE TO BE THE BEST, THEY PLAY TO SUCH A HIGH STANDARD THAT THEY HAVE OFTEN BEEN COMPARED TO THE ORIGINAL ARTISTfS. IN A NUT SHELL, TOOT eNf SKAMEN LOOK GREAT AND SOUND GREAT, THEIR PERFORMANCE ON STAGE IS WHAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS HIGH ENERGY WHICH RESULTS IN A HIGH DEGREE OF AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION. ALL IN ALL THIS ADDS UP TO BE A TRUELY MEMORABLE 2 TONE EXPERIENCE WHICH IS SIMPLY SECOND TO NONE.