The Dualers

British ska musical group

The Dualers
OriginSouth London
GenresSka, reggae
Years active1999–present
LabelsShell, Galley Music, Sunbeat Records
WebsiteOfficial website
Musical artist

The Dualers are an eight-piece[1] (or nine-piece)[2] ska and reggae band from South East London.[3] Initially comprising brothers Si and Tyber Cranstoun,[4] and now led by Tyber following Si's departure in 2010 for a solo career, they first developed a profile when the single "Kiss on the Lips" entered the UK top 30, peaking at 21, in October 2004 despite no industry backing.[3][5]

The Dualers have supported Madness at their large outdoor concerts and played headline gigs at Indigo O2, Fairfield Halls in Croydon and the Churchill Theatre in Bromley.[1]

History

The Dualers started out in 1999 as a busking duo of Si Christone and Tyber O'Neil[6] (brothers Simon David Cranstoun and Jonathan Lloyd Cranstoun) who could be found on the streets of Bromley, Canterbury, Croydon, Kingston and Romford playing a mix of doo-wop, pop and ska.

By 2004, an old school friend called David Ellis[6] reckoned that the brothers must have played to thousands of people on the streets of these towns, so much so, that they would have a big enough fanbase to release a single. Ellis set up a record label with the brothers called Galley Music and persuaded local Virgin and HMV shops stock a record by the pair called "Kiss on the Lips". 6,000 singles were pressed up by Galley Music, with enough being sold in the local area for the record to chart in the Top 40 of the Official Charts Company's Singles Chart,[7] on a week where they could be still be seen busking outside the Liberty Music Shop in Romford.

In 2005, the duo signed to Guy Holmes' Gut Records label and scored another Top 40 hit with "Truly Madly Deeply".[8][9]

In 2010 Si Cranstoun decided to embark on a solo career,[10] with The Dualers expanding to become a nine-piece ska band.

In 2019, The Dualers scored their first OCC Album Chart hit after selling 4,229 copies of their Palm Trees And 80 Degrees album to reach No.11. In 2022, Voices from the Sun became their second hit album, with a weekly sale of 2,789 album getting them a number 26 chart debut.[11][12]

Discography

Albums

  • Vintage Versions Volume I – Sandcamel Records
  • Vintage Versions Volume II – Galley Music
  • Rhymes & Rhythms – Galley Music
  • The Melting Pot – Galley Music
  • Get Festive Volume 1 – Galley Music
  • Upbeat Sounds – Galley Music
  • The Very Best of Vintage Versions – Galley Music
  • The Cooking Pot – Galley Music
  • The Summer of Ska – Live at the Indigo July 22nd 2010
  • With Respect
  • Prince Buster Shakedown – Phoenix City a division of Cherry Red Records Ltd
  • Rewind
  • Back to Paradise – Sunbeat Records
  • Reggae Street
  • Live at Indigo 2nd December 2015
  • Reggae Street 2
  • Palm Trees and 80 Degrees (2019, Sunbeat Records) – No. 11 UK[13]
  • Voices from the Sun (2022)[14]

DVD

  • The Dualers – Documentary DVD 2006
  • The Dualers – Documentary Reissued DVD 2010
  • The Summer of Ska – Live at the Indigo2 July 22nd 2010

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions
UK
[13]
"Kiss on the Lips" 2004 21
"Truly Madly Deeply" 2005 23
"Don't Go" 2006 61
"Wonder Girl" 2008 —

References

  1. ^ a b "M Meets... The Dualers". M-Magazine. London. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  2. ^ Lewis, Henry (31 October 2017). "The Dualers interview: Ska's in their eyes". London: Skiddle.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  3. ^ a b Richards, Lee Ann (25 November 2010). "Last curtain call as duo face the end of an era". Romford: Romford Recorder. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  4. ^ "Culture shock". The Guardian. London. 10 June 2006. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  5. ^ Earnshaw, Jessica (26 April 2013). "The Dualers are rocksteady for their reggae return to Bromley". London: Bromley Times. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Buskers storm the charts". TheGuardian.com. 21 October 2004.
  7. ^ "Kiss on the lips | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  8. ^ "Truly madly deeply | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  9. ^ "DUALERS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  10. ^ "The Dualers a Brilliant Ska Band Started by Two Brothers". January 2022.
  11. ^ "Charts analysis: Kasabian score sixth No.1 album | Analysis | Music Week".
  12. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  13. ^ a b "Dualers | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  14. ^ Padin, Malvika (12 August 2022). "The Dualers leave us feeling happy with new album 'Voices From the Sun'". Earmilk. Retrieved 17 August 2022.

External links

  • Official Dualers Website