If you are a music fan of a particular vintage, you may well remember the dance track “Street Tuff” by Double Trouble and the Rebel MC that was a big hit back in 1989. It was released at the Notting Hill Carnival that year, featured a number of times on Top Of The Pops and peaked at number 3 in the UK charts.
It wasn’t really my kind of music but I first heard the song at the carnival that year when I went down on a day trip from Peterborough – where I used to live. It was a baking hot sunny day and there was a bright cheery atmosphere all around. Wherever you went, you heard “Street Tuff” being played by the street DJs who had huge sound systems set up in gardens, on balconies, on trailers and in the backs of vans all around the carnival area, which had all been closed off to traffic.
People were doing a quirky little “side step” dance to it, which meant that you could dance in a crowd without bashing into other people so my companion of the time and I joined in and had a great deal of fun. That was and remains the only time that I have ever danced in the street and is the only time that I ever went to the Notting Hill Carnival, so it remains a very fond memory for me.
As such, despite the fact that it wasn’t my genre of music, I have always had a soft spot for “Street Tuff” and I still play it to this day at ice hockey matches occasionally, when the mood serves.
Now, if you are wondering what has prompted this stroll down Memory Lane, I can tell you that the same people who were behind “Street Tuff” – Double Trouble and The Rebel MC - along with a few other people – have recently brought a new song out. It is called “This Is Ska” and it was launched at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival.
The good news is that you don’t have to sit around waiting until a Thursday evening to see if it is going to be on Top Of The Pops – you’d have a long wait for TOTP these days, anyway… - because, thanks to the marvels of modern technology, you can hear the song and watch the video on demand on YouTube anytime you want.
Right now, in fact.
You can find the video to “This Is Ska” HERE
And, if you fancy a bit of nostalgia, you can see the original video for “Street Tuff” HERE
Although I prefer this TOTP appearance HERE
