Coventry’s nod to its music heritage: 2 Tone mosaic at Pool Meadow Bus Station 

The Ska’d for Life mosaic/mural surrounding the entrance to Pool Meadow Bus Station in Coventry was commissioned after the city was awarded UK City of Culture 2021. 

2 Tone, a fusion of Jamaican ska, punk and new wave music, originated in Coventry in the late 1970s and early 1980s and the artwork was created as a celebration of the city’s long-standing association with the genre. The piece is named after the autobiography of Horace Panter, the bassist and one of the founding members of The Specials. The art was created by Carrie Reichardt, a contemporary British artist who, along with other works, is known for Mosaic House, her amazing mosaic-covered home in Chiswick, West London. With Ska’d for Life, Carrie took inspiration from artwork associated with the 2 Tone music scene, including record covers and archive photos from that time. Situated directly above the entrance to the bus station, the collage also features the iconic ‘Walt Jabsco’ logo, the sharp-suited, pork pie hat-wearing monochrome dancing mascot inspired by a photo of the Jamaican reggae musician, Peter Tosh and developed by 2 Tone’s founder and pivotal member of The Specials, Jerry Dammers. The name is derived from an old American bowling shirt owned by Dammers.

As an aside, we both grew up listening to 2 Tone Records – bands such as The Specials, Selecter, The Beat, and Madness, in particular. We got talking to the guy sitting underneath the artwork and it soon became clear that his knowledge of 2 Tone and music in general in Coventry was second to none and we spent quite a while listening to him recant his memories and kindling a few of our own.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like to see our street art blog posts and or read about other mosaics we have seen on our travels.