Press:

“The Talks Their buoyant, reggae-tinged ska is completed with a superb keyboardist who brings everything together. We're by the door, barely able to get in but people squeezing in and out, smiles on their faces. “He’s absolutely brilliant” says one bloke. Another lady cups her hand over my ear and delights in the fact that she “can’t believe that ska music is this popular and this good. It was my life, 30 years ago!” There's a really warm, upbeat atmosphere in The Good Mixer and it feels very much like this is the right place to be. The packed in crowd are completely with them and squashed up next to the microphones. It's raucous and loud and a couple of the mics are knocked over during the gig, the bassist is crashed into, without a break in the performance. By the end of the 40 minute set, the room is sweaty, exhausted and delighted. It’s really great stuff and they're massively recommended.”
The Punk Archive

“The Talks have been on my radar for a couple of years now after my band a played a show with them in their hometown of Hull back in 2012. They’re one of a clutch of young, modern UK ska acts that are re-claiming the genre from a scene that got over-saturated with British bands trying to sound like Americans in the early-noughties. While on songs like Modern Sub-Urban Life, The Talks don’t sound a million miles from the likes of Rancid in their rugged, rough-and-tumble delivery, they do it with a dapper British style that harkens back to 2-Tone and always retain a danceable pulse that keeps the skinhead spirit of 69 alive. On Can Stand The Rain we even get a guest spot from Neville Staples of The Specials fame, proving The Talks have one eye on their roots as they skank out into the future.”
Barney Boom - Songeist

“There's a revival going on. The forgotten sound of early '80s ska is making a return in a form more suited to the modern age. 2-Tone has collided head-on with the US ska-punk scene and out of it has emerged a new sound, so new that it hasn't yet been named.”
Nik Skeet - Team Rock

“The Talks’ music is a potent fusion of punk, ska and reggae with some little hints of rap thrown in for good measure, with swirling keyboards, big saxophone breaks and loads of energy and attitude and they’ve attracted the attention of Hull’s resident music guru Paul Heaton among many others. They’ve toured extensively, played Glastonbury and supported The Specials on their reunion tour and they’re involved with The Specialised Project, for whom they’ll be playing gigs later in the year.”
Louder Than War

“When it comes to ska, there's no more seminal figure than The Specials singer Neville Staple. He guests on his friend Pat's band The Talks ' new single which melds trad ska with reggae and punk influences, with a socio-political lyrical approach. Can Stand the rain is a belter from hull's finest”
Big Cheese Magazine

“The Talks is a fucking group out of nowhere who manages to summarize in less than an hour thirty years of British rock, you can listen with the same pleasure in the morning, at bedtime, at work, at pee in your car or your girl in front of a sunset on a summer evening on the beach in Brighton ..”
Punk Fiction

“Frisky Ska Guitar Jolt-pop with regulation Reggae influence.”
NME

““Radio” is the latest fun-packed tune with good vibes from British ska/reggae band, The Talks. Ticking in all the boxes of the ska and genres like a calypso drum intro, bouncing guitar chord progressions and blaring horn lines, “Radio” does all it can to deliver a song about the frustration of relationships that isn’t depressing but rather, affirming and uplifting. The vocals of Patrick (lead singer/saxophone) sound rebellious and throaty as they break off each sentence with a raspy undertone to give the band their point of difference. Good as a stand alone, “Radio” is a great song however it doesn’t necessarily break down any boundaries of the genre and hasn’t developed a sound that could easily be identified as The Talks.”
Art Felicis

“You know a band plays regularly when everything is tight, energy seeps from the stage and infects the crowd and you can't wait to find out what they are going to drop next. The Talks are serious performers. For lovers of two-tone, dub, ska and punk The Talks tick every box. It's rare to be so impressed by every song in a set and to go away thinking; “next gig near me, I am there!””
The Punk Archive

“It’s really unclear as to why this band aren’t massive on a wider scale – their tight playing style hardened by long touring, flows with apparent ease and each song was brilliant”
Live Review

“Ska is going through a bit of a big revival and Friday Night is a perfect example as why, it is good, honest and infectious. I have a sneaky feeling their live shows will be worth checking out too.”
Room Thirteen

“the long term vision of ska belongs in The Talks court.”
Music Review Database

“the foursome are much closer kin to the “old-school” British waves than the American punkier re-invention, mixing chilled-out staccato guitars with reggae keys, and joyfully bratty vocals.”
Already Heard

“They embody the 2 tone sound of the Specials and the punkiness of Rancid. I know it’s early, but this EP is one of my favorites of 2013!”
ReadJunk

“While fans of The Specials await news of their future plans, an up and coming ska band that the 2-Tone legends tapped to open for them during their triumphant 30th anniversary tour in 2009 is starting to make waves of their own across the U.K. and Europe. The Talks began life in the summer of 2009 in Hull, in the Yorkshire region of the UK. Their very first demo received the attention of Hull's very own songmeister Paul Heaton (The Housemartins, The Beautiful South) who placed it in the top 10 list for his radio show at the time. The band very quickly got themselves out on the road, travelling the length and breadth of the UK. Over that time, The Talks have played a whole range of venues and festivals across Europe, including; Leeds/Reading and Glastonbury festivals, tours in Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as tours with many established ska bands including Rancid, King Hammond, The Toasters, The Beat and many others. This hard work caught the attention of members of The”
Marco On The Bass - Review

“The Talks are a Hull (UK) based Ska/Reggae band that have been playing together from 2010. Since then they have been skankin' all over Europe playing with bands such as The Specials and The Beat. They have a fresh Ska sound, yet still stay true to the traditional roots. ‘Can Stand The Rain’ is the new single from the band featuring legendary musician Neville Staple (The Specials). It is an upbeat yet political track about the current situation. It tells a story of suffering through until the ‘Sun comes out’. The song rocks with fantastic groove, led by an up-tempo beat and superb brass. The vocals are thought provoking with the lyrics adding the political edge, something synonymous with reggae music and very much needed at the present time. Neville Staple’s vocals add the cherry on top, providing another layer of quality to this track with his iconic ‘toasting/chanting’ vocal style seen in his other work with the Specials and No Doubt. This is an excellent track”
Liam Ciallis - MRU Magazine

"As someone who spent many a gig hanging around the jewel on the Humber with such eighties turns as 3 Action, The Gargoyles and of course The Housemartins, I was delighted to see The Talks in concert and realise that the flame of good music still burns bright in Hull..."
PHIL JUPITUS

“'Another act you really owe it to yourself to know sooner than later are THE TALKS. A reggae/ska/indie band from Hull that are a whole lot better than that sounds. About as far away from The Ordinary Boys opportunistic take on 80's Ska as you could get, this is genuine, edgy and refreshing - doesn't sound like anyone else whilst not sounding unfamiliar - a very, very good sign indeed'. ICA”
ICA

"I like it [Teachers] because most Hull bands, myself included, are a little bit too modest and this band sound a little bit angry and cheeky."
PAUL HEATON, ex Beautiful South

"An infectious and playful mix of ska reggae and good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll, which is all evident on the upbeat ska driven "Teachers" or the laid-back, but upbeat, reggae stylings of the swaggering "Kids In Town"."
TEN FOOT CITY MAGAZINE

“we had the main attraction. It's not hard to see why this band is so highly rated. They have a stage presence that leaves many, more successful bands in the shade. They have an incredibly charismatic front man, they have songs in spades, and are fantastically tight.”
This is Hull Magazine