Pick the Specialized Theme for 2023

We’ll be announcing our 12th themed album at The Big One 11. But first. we’re asking you what that theme will be.
Earlier this year we invited everyone to offer their suggestions and from that we’ve been able to make a shortlist of the most popular suggestions

As Facebook only allows polls on group pages, we’ve sort up this page so that you can have your say

VOTE FOR THE SPECIALIZED 2023 THEME HERE

Stiff Records
One of Britains most iconic record labels that gave an outlet to some of our most respected artistes, Ian Dury, Elvis Costello, Dr Feelgood, The Damned. In that heady period Stiff got rid of the American major-label sludge and cashed in on the whole street rock alternative of punk and new wave. They were only a flea on the back of a dinosaur but they brought the monster down with one bite

Girl Power
Possibly the largest scope of any theme we’ve had. music would not be as fruitful today without the pioneering work of women like Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin. Nina Simone, Annie Lennox, Kate Bush and countless others. The female pioneers who’ve emerged throughout the history of music became symbols, and in some cases idols of their time; they changed the face of the music industry forever

Punk Pioneers
The beginnings of punk rock are often furiously debated. This is partially because everyone has a different definition of punk rock, and partially because its foundation stones are found in several places. The American Garage scene or The British Punk Rock explosion

Music Got Soul
Soul music began in the 1950s as a melting-pot of gospel, blues, funk and even jazz. It provided an outlet for black people and minorities in American inner cities. Early pioneers such as James Brown, Sam Cooke, and Ray Charles created a style that continues inspire a multitude of styles

Ian Dury
The charismatic leader of Kilburn and the High Roads, The Blockheads, and a mouthpiece for a part of society that struggled to have its voice heard, Ian Dury was the bridge between the rock and roll of the likes of Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, and the first wave of punk, which was to finally give the most disenfranchised in society the chance to have their voice heard loudly.
Much more than simply the man who coined the term “sex, drugs and rock & roll”, Dury was an artist, a provocateur, and a poet who fused his working class roots with the art school education

Blondie
Blondie is perhaps the quintessential new wave band: an art-pop group who made the leap from punk to the Top 40, polishing their spiky curves while simultaneously broadening their musical purview beyond trashy AM pop to encompass disco, reggae, and hip-hop. They brought underground sounds into the mainstream with a sly, knowing wink and the incandescent star power of Debbie Harry, the lead singer who co-led the group with guitarist Chris Stein.