Lankum has released a cover of The Specials‘ number one hit, Ghost Town.
The four-piece covered the classic track for a show put together by Oona Doherty. Doherty, who says she was inspired by Lankum to write the theatre play Specky Clark, praised the band for their work on The Specials’ hit song. Lankum will release a 12″ vinyl release of the single will be available from January 30, 2026. The band said: “Ghost Town came to us through some curious circumstances. Oona Doherty, who we were familiar with through her phenomenal dance work on the video for Gilla Band’s ‘Shoulderblades’, contacted us and told us about a new show she was putting together.
“It was about her great-great-grandfather being sent to Belfast as a child to live with his aunts and work in an abattoir. She wanted a new piece of music for the show, for a party scene set on Halloween night, and told us she wanted it to start out indistinguishable and woozy, before developing into the very recognisable track by The Specials.
“At first we were slightly reticent, since a cover of a ska tune wasn’t something we’d usually ever consider, but after a bit of deliberation we decided we’d give it a shot, and the result took us on an incredibly enjoyable journey that had us gleefully playing with synthesisers and drum machines in Hellfire Studios, trying to come up with the scaldiest 90s sounding techno for the outro section of the track.
“We’re very excited with the end product and delighted that Oona approached us and challenged us to step out of our comfort zone. It’s an honour to be releasing a version of this iconic tune, and it feels eerily relevant to be referencing yet again themes of urban decay, economic hardship and working class frustration. Enjoy responsibly.”
Of the band’s Ghost Town cover, Doherty said: “I was listening to Lankum and it inspired me to write this dance theatre play called ‘Specky Clark’ using a lot of their music. But for one scene which happens on Halloween night Samhain.
“I asked the band could they make me a cover of Ghost Town by The Specials. And they bloody did. ‘All the clubs have been closed down’. I think this line still hits hard all these years later and in a dub accent speaks to housing crises, the poverty, the privatization of Ireland. They also managed to make the track rip through this physical plane of existence and dance in the other world…. only Lankum can do that.”
Music video director Leonn Ward added: “The first time I heard the track it floored me. Pure emotion and strength. The fractured world we live in today is in plain sight. There’s a weight and uncertainty more than ever, in my lifetime anyway.
“So it was important to both myself and Lankum to create a piece of work that felt honest; one that didn’t shy away from vulnerability yet carried lightness and perseverance all at once without overpowering it. It’s not about despair, it’s about resilience. The track holds immense power and I wanted to echo that, creating something with a real sense of endurance and resistance, a reflection of how people try to hold on to meaning in a collapsing world.
“I centred the band in the car as a nod to the iconic original video for Ghost Town by The Specials. And there was something powerful about these two scenes together; the strength from the band performing in the car merged with the man’s solitary journey, they begin to speak to one another. And though they never meet, there’s a sense that they’re sending each other something; strength, endurance, hope.”
You can listen to Lankum’s cover of Ghost Town below.
