Particularly if you've ever been at a disco when Madness came on and had an irrepressible urge to bend over and march in slow motion, swinging your arms like a jolly lacrosse team captain.

You're probably rubbish at it but that's beside the point.

Ska has never been about looking pretty.

It's about making statements on Thatcherite Britain, racial equality and how men should never have stopped wearing hats.

In fact, so resonant is the social impact of ska that I'm told Oxford University's lefty college Wadham end all of their parties with The Special AKA's Free Nelson Mandela.

(I've always secretly thought one of the reasons ska has such respect on the music scene is because the word lends itself so well to punning – "ska wars", "ska-d for life", the "skabucks" coffee cups that adorn the background of Essay For the Ordinary's MySpace... never underestimate the power of some puckish wordplay).

It's fitting, then, that Live Support Machine's next musical bid to save Worthing and Southlands hospitals was planned to be SKWASH, an all-ages night of the best of the local ska-lets.

But, unfortunately, it's been cancelled. Which is a shame because the area boasts a growing crop of ska talent.

Fast becoming the pride of Worthing, Ettin will be performing their blend of reggae, ska, hip hop and dub at the Lido on Saturday.

In the two years since they formed, the Worthing four-piece have supported reggae legends Toots and the Maytals, been signed to Do the Dog records and started recording their debut album.

Hot on their heels are ska-punk Essay For the Ordinary, who got started in year 10 at school "because it was better than playing computer games".

Death By Ska are the latest recruits to the local ska army.

The Steyning teenagers have made a successful start, playing Ska Fest at Brighton's Concorde 2 twice, and securing a support slot for American ska-punk act Big D and the Kids' Table at the end of the month.

"We've all been into ska for at least a couple of years now, mainly because it's different and so much more upbeat than most other music out there.

"It's something you can dance to that you can play yourself," said trumpeter and vocalist Tom Peacock.

"I guess it's about time ska had a comeback, as there hasn't really been any mainstream ska since the 90s.

"Now British bands like the King Blues, Capdown and Sonic Boom Six are bringing it back into the mainstream again."

Live Support Machine's Jonson Cunliffe was hoping the ska night would pull in younger support for the hospital campaign.

He said: "I wanted to try and get under-18s in, as there's not a lot for young people to do in the summer."

While Live Support Machine find a new venue, Jonson is doing his bit for the unoccupied youth by running myspace.com/worthingyouthscene, a site devoted to letting local youngsters know what to do when they're not piercing things and having opinions.
And this week, let's hope they're all getting ska-struck.