Rhoda Dakar | Newcastle

Vocalist Rhoda Dakar is a figure of importance on the British ska scene, whose rich voice and cool, dramatic phrasing has earned her a loyal following in a career that's spanned five decades. Dakar first rose to fame as a member of the Bodysnatchers, an all-female group who were part of the 2-Tone roster in the 1980s, and she sang lead on the Special A.K.A.'s harrowing 1982 single "The Boiler." Dakar kept a low profile from the mid-1980s onward, primarily working behind the scenes; that changed in 2007 when she issued her first solo album, Cleaning In Another Woman's Kitchen, and she reaffirmed her status as one of the leading women in ska with 2014's Rhoda Dakar Sings the Bodysnatchers and 2023's Version Girl.