10. MatumbiPoint Of View
Your reggae outfit Matumbi were formed in 1971 but had to wait until 1979 to score a first chart hit and successful album with Point Of View, despite reportedly ‘blowing away’ the Wailers after a 1973 support slot…
That upset us – they were our heroes! When we started Matumbi, reggae was a music that people heard on the radio or saw on TV but really couldn’t see live. We were pretty much the only working reggae band in the UK and backing up visiting reggae singers was a real education. Backing up Pat Kelly, Tony Flowers, Dennis Brown, I-Roy: toasters normally only toasted with sound-systems but it taught us all so much – rubbing shoulders with people like that, and having to learn their songs and perform them really inspired us to think – let’s do some of our own. The other tour that really taught us so much was being on the road with Ian Dury & The Blockheads in the late 70s. I’ve always been fascinated by those artists who are just unique, and themselves, and that’s what drew me to a lot of the bands and artists I’ve worked with over the years.
