Neville is of course one of the men responsible for Coventry’s biggest-ever contribution to music and culture, the Specials and the Two Tone explosion, so it was only fitting that he should be the opening act at the Assembly Festival Gardens, which looks likely to be the focal point of much of the City of Culture celebrations.

The gardens themselves are an attraction in their own right, especially on such a gloriously hot day. but as the sun went down there was only one place to be and that was in the spectacular Queen of Flanders theatre waiting for the arrival of the original rude boy, the king of Coventry, Mister Neville Staple and his band.

There had been a few comments along the lines of why weren’t the Specials playing, and why Neville isn’t part of their line-up anymore but the answer was clear from the opening bars of Gangsters – he’s too good to be part of the tribute band that the original Specials have become. But it’s no good backbiting; just enjoy a cascade of wonderful music.

The venue might not lend itself to the sort of raucous audience participation that Neville’s enjoyed for over four decades but he managed to reach out to a joyous, sweltering hometown crowd in a way that nobody else could have done.

We had Specials anthems, Fun Boy Three material, songs the Specials covered and some old ska classics, with Neville on top form, his band – particularly the horn section – hitting the ska groove all the way through and the audience in a fine singalong mood. I could go through the highlights but they were all highlights in their own way. Apart from the obvious there was Original Rudegirl, with Neville’s wife Sugary stealing the limelight from her old man, the original rude girl herself. We also had a bonus during A Message To You Rudy, with Selecter guitarist Neol Davis joining in the fun and a snatch of Punjabi lyrics showing just how much of a melting pot Two Tone was, and remains.