EXODUS & PUNK: THE CROSSROADS, 1977
On the surface, punk and reggae may have appeared to be culturally worlds apart, but their shared contempt of racism and class division cultivated not only mutual respect between the forerunners of the two genres but, in some cases, a healthy cross-pollination of musical styles.
In the second half of the 1970s, Entec was proud to have several opportunities to work with some of the best artists from each camp, often supplying both lighting and sound services.
From the punk world, the company worked with The Damned, The Clash, Eddie And The Hot Rods, and The Stranglers, as well as American icons The Ramones. Reggae brought Black Slate and Steel Pulse to Entec, but it was Bob Marley & The Wailers’ Exodus tour of 1977 that became both a highlight of the company’s progression in the ’70s and a monument to reggae’s commercial growth in the UK.
BREAKTHROUGH
Enjoying a notable rise in popularity through hit covers of ‘Stir It Up’ and ‘I Shot The Sheriff’ by Johnny Nash and Eric Clapton, Marley & The Wailers were poised for an international breakthrough with Exodus, an album that contained the all-time classics ‘Jamming’, ‘Waiting In Vain’, ‘Three Little Birds’, ‘One Love’/‘People Get Ready’ and the title track..
The tour, which benefitted from the experience of both of Entec’s departments, was one of 1977’s biggest box office successes. Beginning in Paris on May 10th and rolling through Europe until early June, it climaxed with four sold-out shows at London’s Rainbow Theatre – the last was preserved for Keith ‘Keef’ MacMillan’s ‘Live! At The Rainbow’ concert film.
In its review of the film, Time Out wrote: “The climactic high is irresistible – Marley in the spotlight, a chalk-blue bird hovering in the dark, reaching out to the howling crowd, ‘Don’t give up your rights…’”
