In short
The artists most similar to The Specials are The Clash, David Bowie, Madness, The Cure and Talking Heads, from the same ska, 2 tone and rocksteady circle.
Closest to The Specials
More similar artists
Ordered by closeness, computed from real listens (ListenBrainz). The Bandcamp badge marks who has a page there, verified with Wikidata.
Frequently asked questions
Which artists are similar to The Specials?
The artists most similar to The Specials are The Clash, David Bowie, Madness, The Cure and Talking Heads, from the same ska, 2 tone and rocksteady circle. The list comes from ListenBrainz, based on what people actually listen to, and includes 30 artists.
Where can I listen to music like The Specials?
On Bandcamp, where you buy directly from artists and labels: R.E.M., Depeche Mode and Blondie have a page there. With Digs you create a "Like The Specials" Dig that mixes their releases with smaller artists with the same sound.
What genre is The Specials?
The Specials is usually associated with ska, 2 tone, rocksteady and reggae (group · GB · active since 1977), according to MusicBrainz genres.
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Data: MusicBrainz · ListenBrainz (CC0) · Wikidata. Updated 5 November 2026.