50 Years of Ruts Music

In 1977, The Ruts emerged from London with a sound unlike anybody else around them – the raw urgency of punk colliding with reggae, dub and rock, driven by formidable musicianship and a fierce sense of purpose. With Malcolm Owen, Paul Fox, Dave Ruffy and Segs Jennings, The Ruts created a body of music whose power has endured far beyond its original moment. The Singles: In A Rut. Babylon’s Burning. Something That I Said. Jah War. Staring At The Rude Boys. West One (Shine On Me). The Album: The Crack: One of the defining British punk albums of its era: urgent, inventive, politically aware and musically fearless. These songs became part of the fabric of British punk — and a sound that refused to stay within punk’s boundaries. After losing Malcolm Owen in 1980, the remaining members chose integrity over nostalgia by re-inventing themselves as Ruts DC, eventually losing the legend that was Paul Fox in 2007 But the story does not end there. Ruts DC remain a living, evolving band to this day. But the time has come to celebrate the whole story… RUTS DC present: 50 YEARS OF RUTS MUSIC – 1977-2027 These shows are about taking the music that exploded out of a movement and bringing it onto a stage in 2027 with all its urgency and relevance intact. Music made across five decades — from The Crack and Grin & Bear It, through Animal Now, Rhythm Collision, Music Must Destroy, and Counterculture? “This ain’t no nostalgia trip, it’s a celebration” The anniversary shows will embrace the entire history while putting Ruts music where it belongs: at the heart of it all. The songs. The attitude. The energy. The Punk. Performed by the people that were there, ably abetted by Ruts DC guitarist of 14 years — Leigh Heggarty. Honouring the legacy — while doing what Ruts DC have always done: bringing it into the now. Not a reunion. Not a recreation. Not a tribute band. A celebration of fifty years of music, friendship, resilience and creative evolution — played in the present tense. Venue: Auditorium, Exeter Phoenix