Nearly 40 years after The Beat first came honking out of Birmingham, the 2-Tone institution’s line-up can count an impressive list of musicians among its former personnel.

Bunched tightly onto the stage, their current six-piece incarnation showcased a sartorial range from Superman T-shirts to flatcaps and waistcoats.

Ranking Roger, though, remained their indisputable star, aligning a presidential forcefulness with the trimness of a Brummie Olympian.

Dedicating a softened version of Rock The Casbah to Joe Strummer, the singer checked back on his own appraisal of their abiding political message, qualifying that any of their songs could be taken as “very, very anti-racist.”

“But this is specifically anti-racist,” he added, launching into the pogo-ish Two Swords, from the classic 1980 ska album I Just Can’t Stop It.

Tears Of A Clown is an even older single – a chart hit in 1979 – and tonight it was pure sax-led fun. Mirror In The Bathroom’s extended finale came closer to the rock-reggae of The Police.

Ranking’s son, Ranking Junior, then took over for an encore based around breakneck-speed rapping, before Jackpot, with its irresistible refrain of “hip,hip hooray”, gave a sense of communion to a band whose energy seems replenished by every tour.