The london International Ska Festival will lay host to some serious acts this year, celebrating fifty years of Jamaican independence. From the 3rd - 6th of May, London will be showcasing the very best international Ska acts to grace our airwaves, from legends, to acts tipped for greatness. Held at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, O2 Academy islington and the Islington metal works, this year is lining up to be its best offering yet.

Born in Jamaica, Ska has become something of a worldwide phenomenon. Taking on varying forms with each country it passes through, this festival is the perfect place to exhibit everything the Ska world has to offer, from its foundations in rhythm and blues, mento and calypso, the advancement through rocksteady and reggae, ska-punk, 2 tone, to the true origins in Jamaica and landing on modern Ska renditions. Through the four days, you can expect to see cutting edge acts along with pioneering veterans. Dandy Livingstone will be playing his world exclusive comeback show and the first in forty years on Friday 4th May at O2 Academy, Islington, a welcome comeback and fitting venue to hold what will surely be a show to remember. To remind you of why he is heralded as one of the Godfathers of Ska, he penned the all time classic 'Rudy, A Message To You'. Along with this serious accolade, he was Britain's prime reggae producer, instrumental in establishing Trojan Records. Other notable headliners across the weekend include Dawn Penn ('No, No, No'), Dave Barker and Rico Rodriguez MBE and The Pioneers starring Jackie Robinson and George Dekker ('Let Your Yeah be Yeah' and 'Long Shot Kick De Bucket'). Neol Davies will also be one of the many highlights. Emerging from the 2 tone era he is the guitarist, songwriter and founder of The Selecter. Contemporary acts, Pheonix City All Stars and The Dualers will both be launching albums at this years festival along with Buster Shuffle, straight off the back of support in The Rifles, will bring piano bashing cockney ska to the mix. Along with live acts, the festival will also lay host to an eclectic array of DJ's including Jerry Dammers (The Specials / 2 Tone Records founder), our very own Grammy winning Don Letts, Andy Smith, Gaz Mayall, Dreadzone Sound System and many more. Launched in 1988, The London International Ska Festival returned to critical acclaim last year, and is delighted to once again be celebrating the wonderful world of Ska in all its irrepressible guises in 2012. Along with potentially the best line-up to have graced this event, there will also be a 2012 annual available for purchase. This 100 plus page hardback comes with a free 16 track CD featuring exclusive tracks from bands performing at the festival. It is brimming with fantastic interviews, features and photographs, all entirely exclusive to the book. Each one will be numbered and limited to a first press of 3000 copies, making them highly sought after collectors items. Expect these to sell out by the end of the festival, so grab one quick to avoid disappointment. London Intl Ska Festival running order Day 1 - Thursday 3 May - 6pm-11pm - Tickets £32.50 advance THE PIONEERS ft. George Dekker & Jackie Robinson Dawn Penn The Moon Invaders Kinky Coo Coo's The Delegators DJ Andy Smith O2 Academy Islington, 16 Parkfield Street London, N1 0PS. Tel: 02072884410. Day 2 - Friday 4 May – 6pm-10pm - Tickets £32.50 advance DANDY LIVINGSTONE Dave Barker Rico Rodriguez Phoenix City All-stars Los Granadians DJ Gladdy Wax O2 Academy Islington, 16 Parkfield Street London, N1 0PS.  Tel: 02072884410. **After show party - DJ All-nighter at Islington Metalworks, 7 Torrens St, London, EC1V 1NQ.  10pm-6am Jerry Dammers (The Specials) Tighten Up v Downbeat Melody Chris Lane Tim Wells DJ Amma Dreadzone Sound System 3DJ (Funkdub) Day 3 - Saturday 5 May - 6pm-11pm - Tickets £25 advance THE DUALERS  &  SKA CUBANO  plus Hotknives (orig.line up) Buster Shuffle Capone & The Bullets DJs Cello (Coast To Coast) and Count Skylarkin O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Shepherd’s Bush Green, London, W12 8TT. Tel: 02083543300 Day 4 - Sunday 6 May - 5pm-10pm - Tickets £20 advance FISHBONE  and NEOL DAVIES aka THE SELECTER  plus The Skints Chris Murray Rebelation DJ Don Letts O2 Academy Islington, 16 Parkfield Street London, N1 0PS.  Tel: 02072884410. **After show party – Festival Closing Party at Islington Metalworks, 7 Torrens St, London, EC1V 1NQ.  10pm-late - LAUREL AITKEN'S ORIGINAL PRESSURE TENANTS DJs: Gaz Mayall (Gaz's Rockin Blues) Mark Barrett (Pressure Drop) Dave Walker (Thursday Night Fish Fry) Andy Attic (Club Ska) & more For more information and tickets go to www.londoninternationalskafestival.co.uk