This Town

This 'ode to 2 tone' missed the mark for me unfortunately as a viewer.

It set out with good intentions but was not executed properly. It was trying to do too many things at once which can be done effectively however this is not an example of this being done.

It touches touches on a myriad of issues and themes such as youth subculture, racism, ira, police brutality, concrete jungle in the Midlands in the late 70s and early 80s

But this was not done effectively with lukewarm story which is a bit murky in places and jumpy with no real grit nor proper emotion in conveying such themes.

It does resemble some of the hallmarks of this period with the fashion and bleakness - true - but they do not convey this properly - felt like dress up of a thing trying to be impactful which it wasn't...

It is a real shame as it looked like it had a good budget. I liked the clothing although they could have done a little better with the music tracks. The only real redeeming feature of this is David Dawson's performance which is commendable.

As another reviewer said, they tried to do too much and failed to do anything. They could have done so much more with the music of the time and they failed. But most of all the original music is terrible. The band as such would never have been popular.

Then they tried to shoehorn the IRA into the show. Great, do an IRA show or do a Two Tone show. Not both. Then they tried to add M Thatchers in to the mix. Add a dollop of soap opera and you end up with an uneven pile of crap.

I did enjoy quite a few parts of this but I would have to be convinced about a second series. More Ska/Two Tone and less IRA.

I'm not really sure why was the promoted about the 2-Tone record label and the Ska music movement of 1979-81. 2-Tone was massive for those two glorious years of fantastic music thanks to the legend Jerry Dammers. However this series has nothing at all to do with 2 Tone, a few Trojan tracks a few tracks from The Selecter and that's it, I was expecting more about the legendary era.

This drama is OK in itself, a good watch, not fantastic but a good watch none the less but it's more about the IRA troubles of the time which to be honest I think most people would rather forget.

The other side of the story is about the band they are trying to form and to be honest they would have got no where, no talent there like there was in the actual 2-Tone bands where the music is still loved today some 40 years on.

Personally I think they dropped the ball on this one, it should have been 100% about the beginning of 2 Tone and how it affected kids, why they got it to it, how it became so massive, the culture, the music, the fashion and the hot hatch cars of that era, we don't need the IRA.

It's music it's racism, it's immigration, it's political, it's oppression, it's religion, it's addiction, it's neurodivergence, it's coming of age, it's family obligations and independence, it's heartbreak and redemption... Everything! And it's done superbly. This show sucked me in and still hasn't spit me out. This was nothing like I expected and I just might re-watch it immediately after I finish it. The acting was on point with only a few moments that were awkward but every show has that. Nicholas Pinnock and Michelle Dockery shine. Watch this. You won't regret it. I laughed, I cried, I cheered and I loved.

This just hits the spot. There was such edginess at that time in the 70's/80's, inequality, racism, skinheads, the awful troubles in Ireland, industrial strife and the general failing of society to look after people that needed help. 'This Town' picks bits of that and melts it together in a glorious understanding of it all, with a great core story, fabulous tunes and poetry from the lead actor. He stood so tall he made me feel proud to be British. Please give us more of this raw, untamed, shout out feel good of life. There are stories still to be told. A wonderful TV show. Rock on BBC, you can make great drama.