Wakeling: “It doesn’t change that much. The cover versions we chose, the lyrics I wrote at the time, they were heartfelt then. I meant them then and stood by their basic philosophy. I still stand by them. The late-‘70s/early-‘80s was a turbulent time” – and the Beat wrote about that turbulence – “and the (lyrics)  have a social relevance here and now. The world has turned around to fit the lyrics.” England was going through its post-empire phase, “and there’s a post-empire feeling as well, growing in America. America can’t hang around in somebody’s back yard all year; the face of warfare has changed. China is making our food and toys. There’s this growing sense that we’re just one country in world instead of the most important country in the world. It’s a theme that ran through the Beat lyrics, especially with Margaret Thatcher in power. The people didn’t feel represented in their dreams and wishes, and we see a growing sense of that now here. It’s why Barack Obama is being treated like a messiah. He’s talking about real things in real ways to real people. I am a big fan. And I’m optimistic, I think everybody’s gonna start helping each other. Call me old fashioned.”
 What do you think fans are getting from shows?
 “People at the concerts say it means a great deal. It’s a stroll down memory lane and staying in moment at same time. bringing your past and present together at same time, a youth injection, if you will. We’re seeing half original and half new ska fans that have joined the train.”

Why does the Beat work so well when so many other bands from the era, if they come back, make you groan?
Wakeling: “ There was an inclusionary side of the lyrics, an upbeat style of music, a mixture, of punk reggae and ska. You can sing about things being terrible – and aren’t they? - but feel life is still exciting. Life might be crappy, but it’s still beautiful. The music seems to generate a great sense of togetherness among people coming to be the party. It’s very lucky the way things have fallen the way they have.” He adds, that their original producer insisted they use older instruments – Hammond organ and Steinway piano for instance – that gave the band a classic sound. Thus, it doesn't sound dated, now "We don’t have an ‘80s sound of a thousand one-finger synth lines - one-finger wonders, we called them. We were lucky in that way.”
 Wakeling has been recently working with a younger group, Thievery Corporation. Is there also new Beat stuff?
Wakeling: “Yes, we play four or five songs live. They’re a natural progression lyrically from the original Beat lyrics - (situations) not seen from the eyes of an angry young man anymore, but a slightly miffed middle-aged man. But not a curmudgeon! One I like is ‘The Love You Give Lasts Forever,’ which was born of feelings I’ve had in my own life, honed by the death of my parents, close friends, feeling grief and (yet knowing) that life goes on in a kind of way. A nice combination. There’s ‘If Killing Worked, It Would Have Worked By Now,’ a Clash-y kind of rock tune. There’s ‘I’ll Be There for You, Too’ – a nice reggae song. There’s a a weepy ballad, '‘Never Die,’ and ‘How Can You Stand There?.' a combination of an infectious beat, and lyrics about how can we stand there in face of the enormity (of pain) around the world? Its a call to link arms, not a call to arms.”

 And what’s the Beat’s relationship to Boston?
Wakeling; “It’s a good combination, the Beat and Boston. We were meant to do shows there.”

The show is free and starts at 5 p.m at City Hall Plaza.