Ska, is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, as a precursor to Rocksteady and Reggae music. In 1960 the first Ska record was cut and with the migration of many Jamaicans to the United Kingdom. Ska was picked up by many of the white working class kids when these West Indies immigrants moved into, then predominately, white neighbourhoods. By the late 1960s it became popular and driving force with the British Mod movement. Both Jamaican 'Rude boys' and British 'Skinheads' were young and working class. Both blacks and whites who often worked in factories, both shaved their heads and wore big boots as a matter of necessity; the original skinheads were both black and white. Like the original Rude Boys, Skinheads dressed sharp when they went out, despite having no obvious source of income to support a clothes habit. Whatever cultural differences young blacks and whites had, in the late 60s one thing they did share (other than style) was music: Reggae, Rock Steady, original Ska and Soul music were all on the menu. While political weather and media frenzy demonized skinheads, the 2Tone and Ska movement remembered what skinheads originally loved and focused strictly on the music and antiracism by example; Skinheads who followed ska were unlikely to be racist if they were fans of black music and integrated bands. During this varied and influential spread of Ska music throughout British music and culture, over the past 60 years, a section of dedicated Ska followers stayed firmly true to its original roots. Not only in the music tunes, but also equally as important within Ska's striking visual style, which has become key to this special and stylistically bloody-minded, elegant and self-believing movement. The people photographed by Murray follow Ska music and regularly visit Ska clubs, are not political, they just live for the music and quite simply love to dance.
About the Author: Matthew Murray (Birmingham, 1969) has exhibited internationally, including England, France, China and The Netherlands. Murray's unpretentious and more importantly, unassuming treatment of his subjects, encourages the viewer to feel like a participant, rather than simply an observer.
We are invited to view the world through Murray's unaffected and honest eyes, without judgement, cynicism or sarcasm, as Murray's images are never mocking or condescending, yet a mere celebration of the idiosyncrasies of diverse human nature and the ""characters"" around us.