Pama International @ Soundhouse 28th November 2010

After starting my weekend watching brutally beautiful instrumental music I was heading to Birmingham to watch something completely different. Over the last ten years Pama International have been instrumental in the sound of ska, dub and reggae in the Uk and were the first band in thirty years to release a record on the legendary Trojan Records. The show was the second of the last five Pama International are playing before they take an indefinite break.

Despite having the services of Sir Horace Panter and Lynval Goulding of the Specials for their live shows, Pama International deserve to take all the plaudits as a band and after ten years of hard work they have earned the right to this.

After two reasonable support acts Pama International took the stage and caused the room to instantly fill out. The sign of a good band is to attract a vast range of fans, and the age range within the venue was great to see and showed that, despite being relatively young for a reggae or ska band, Pama had obviously balanced their sound perfectly.

The blend of soulful vocals, heavy bass, choppy guitars and smooth keys was enough to make you forget about the cold weather outside and transport yourself to warmer climates and better times. From the off it was apparent that despite it being time to take a break Pama International wanted to go out with a bang and everyone put their all into the entirety of the show. As tracks flowed into each other effortlessly I realised just how many great tracks the band have released during their extensive career. It was also interesting to hear how the bands sound has developed throughout the years and managed to stay fresh and exciting.

It is always a mixed bag of emotion watching a band play a farewell show, and this was no exception, no matter how intense the live set was everyone knew it would be one of the last. However, with such a talented group of musicians on a stage together it can only be a matter of time before they decide to record something new, either as a band or with other projects.

It was an honour to see one the most underrated bands in the country again, and a shame that it will be the last time for a while, but as far as live performances go this was the highlight of the five I have been lucky enough to see, each with a different line up.

I can only wish everyone involved in Pama International every success in whatever they choose to do in the future and hope for a reunion sooner rather than later.

Many Thanks to Andy Hall for the Pictures