This tattoo, perfectly suited for females, is an embodiment of the bold side of her character, which is fearless and undaunted alongside the soft and meek aspects (reflected by the rose on her hair and the tears from her eyes). This particular punk art is proof of the fact that the lamb and the tiger coexist in every woman, and when the circumstances demand, she awakes up the fierce tiger in her, ready to wreak vengeance on every wrong done to her. The Beat including Everett Morton (left), Saxa (with fluffy toy) and Ranking Roger (wearing hat). Photograph: Fin Costello/Redferns Costello: The run of singles [as new incarnation Special AKA] leading up to the In The Studio album – War Crimes, The Boiler and Racist Friend – were extraordinary and uncompromising. Dammers: Neol Davies had a great disco dub instrumental, The Selecter. I said if he overdubbed a ska rhythm we could put it on the B-side of Gangsters, the first Specials single.

Audiences are going nuts’ ... 2 Tone fans, at a gig at Friars, Aylesbury, in 1980. Photograph: Toni TyeSuggs: We realised it could be fun and serious. We all agreed we were anti-authoritarian, but we’d work the politics out afterwards. One among them is the idea of a punk tattoo, which originates from the 1970s and has been evolving since then. Punk trait tattoos are most prominently used to express a subculture’s symbols and signs. This tattoo, though time-consuming, is perfectly suited for free-spirited males, and one can get this tattoo crafted on the arm, knee, or chest.

Panter: That first 2 Tone tour was 40 people on one bus for 40 nights. It was like a school trip with no teachers. Neol Davies: Rough Trade pressed the single for us and we rubber stamped 5,000 copies in Jerry’s flat. After John Peel played it, Rough Trade couldn’t keep up with demand. Dammers: We would take our anti-racist message to kids who might be vulnerable to the NF. A lot of people over the years have told me that they might have become racists if it hadn’t been for 2 Tone. Horace Panter (bass, the Specials): Our original drummer, Silverton [Hutchinson], left because he refused to play ska. He said: “That’s music my parents listen to.” When Brad [John Bradbury] replaced him, Jerry came along with Prince Buster’s Greatest Hits and told us all: “Listen to this.” Dammers: Everything was taking too long and costing too much. By the time we finally had a hit with Free Nelson Mandela, everyone had left the band. I was asked to organise a British branch of Artists Against Apartheid and the festival on Clapham Common drew a quarter of a million people. It was the proudest moment of my life. We performed the song at the Mandela concert at Wembley [1988]. By the second Wembley concert [1990], Mandela had been freed. Hopefully all the 2 Tone and anti-apartheid efforts made some sort of contribution, but there’s still so much to be done.Dammers: I wanted 2 Tone to be semi-independent and launch other acts, so signing the label to Chrysalis let us do that. When the Selecter adopted ska rhythms and clothes I felt put out, but realised we could support each other.