An earthquake erupted in Fort Monroe, Virginia, on September 14-17, 2023, and a contingent from Stateside Madness was there to bear witness. This year’s Supernova International Ska Festival proved to be one of the most significant ska music events ever mounted on American soil, and arguably the biggest and best. Among the frenzied throngs of party people were Poly Collins, Bobby Rubin and myself (Donald Trull) from the SSM admin crew. It was the first time for the three of us to meet up in person, and long overdue! 

Our partner Laurie Alfaro was unable to make it because she was rocking out at Riot Fest in Chicago, although we had the pleasure of meeting SSM member Al L’Heureux, who’s a hell of a friendly guy. Charles Benoit was also in attendance, although I didn’t get the chance to say hello. And oh, what a weekend we had.

First off, Supernova is by far the most organized and best designed large-scale music festival I’ve ever attended. Just think about all the crappy hassles you usually have to deal with at a festival: nasty belligerent crowds, too much heat, long restroom lines, overpriced bad food, multiple stages forcing you to choose what to see and what to skip, and a general lack of civilized society. Supernova has got none of that drama. They have huge tents with shaded seating aplenty, abundant port-a-potties, good food trucks, and an eminently logical system of two stages side-by-side, so one band plays while the next band sets up for continuous music, and the audience doesn’t have to miss out on anyone on the bill. (Not to mention the two stages are set perpendicular to breezy Chesapeake Bay beach access.) And best of all, the Supernova crowd is uniformly joyful and laid-back, as if they’re actually there for the love of the music, and not determined foremost to get shitfaced drunk as rapidly as possible. Now that’s a refreshing change of pace.

On Friday, Bobby’s good friends The Skapones were one of the first bands to kick off the festival. Bobby could be found hanging out with Paul Willo and rest of the Skapones crew all weekend, and through their access he got to chill backstage with many of the Supernova artists. Other bands he particularly enjoyed included Adhesivo and The Untouchables. Poly seemed to like just about everything, but he was especially impressed with Catbite and Rude Girl Revue. Al gave props to The Skapones, Fishbone and Out of Control Army.

For myself, I was excited to see two old ’80s favorites live for the first time: Bad Manners and The Untouchables. And Hollie Cook, whom I was grateful to see for a third time, dependably brought the house down. But my top pick for the weekend would have to be Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. I only just heard about them when I saw their intriguing name on the Supernova bill a few months ago, got a few of their albums and became an instant fan. These guys demonstrate an understanding and respect for ska in all its forms, from its Jamaican roots to British 2 Tone to American third wave, and mix it all together with their own original artistry and next-level musicianship. TSPO soared through blinding versions of The Godfather Theme, Duke Ellington’s “Caravan,” and the Prince Buster/Madness classic “One Step Beyond.” Pure thrills.

All that aside, I think nearly every rude boy or girl on hand would agree that the emotional highlight of Supernova was Lynval Golding’s surprise guest appearance. We were blessed to witness a moment in music history as the Specials legend performed on stage for the first time since the passing of Terry Hall, joining The Aggrolites for a heartfelt tribute. Lynval took an old reggae/rocksteady standard, “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” and transformed the lovelorn ballad into an ode to his late bandmate and other departed friends. He implored the audience to send “love, love, love” to Saxa, Ranking Roger, Rico Rodriguez, Everett Morton, John Bradbury, and Terry Hall.

Following that beautiful eulogy, Lynval steered the crowd back into party mode in the best possible way. He broke out the harmonica and launched into “A Message to You Rudy.” It don’t get no better than that, right folks? Well, cinch up your suspenders and Doc Martens, because next it was time for “Enjoy Yourself.” Everyone’s feet stomped and brains exploded as we shared one collective thought: How in the world are we lucky enough to be here right now?

Wow. All I can say is thank you to Tim and April Receveur, the brilliant organizers who founded the Supernova Ska Festival in 2014. They have created a marvelous thing. We in the Stateside Madness community are accustomed to feeling like outsiders, alone and separated from like-minded souls by hundreds of miles of land and ocean. It’s a staggering bewilderment to walk amongst thousands of fellow ska lovers right here in the USA – in an odd little corner of the Southeast coast, no less! It gives me deep inspiration to see evidence that we SSM folks aren’t as alone as we think. With a few more events on the level of Supernova giving us opportunities to come together, we can finally start building a stateside fan community to rival the tight-knit network that our cousins in the U.K. enjoy. A lesson to us rudies.

Love, love, love.

Photos courtesy Bobby Rubin, Al L’Heureux, D. Trull, and Supernova International Ska Festival