Hidden inside the historical Alexandria Hotel building, the Mezz Bar sits above the corner of Spring and 5th Street. It’s a gem of a dive bar with an ornate antique ceiling and it’s just big enough for a good-sized crowd to have room to dance—but also small enough to make watching a band a very intimate experience.

This made it the perfect place for Hotshot Productions to host Sound Dimension, the band behind the scenes at the legendary Studio One in Kingston, Jamaica—and responsible for some of the best ska, reggae, and rocksteady to come out of Jamaica. Original members came together for this once in a lifetime reunion to play Studio One classics like ‘Confucius’ and ‘Rockford Rock,’ just to name a few. The soulful sounds kept everyone dancing and the entire set lasted over hour, and even though they’re in their 70s they rocked the house. Some of them even busted out with their own dance moves.

The fans at this show were an experience all their own, most of them meticulously dudded up in pork-pie hats, vintage suits, and 60s dresses representing rudeboy and traditional skinhead fashion and further adding to the flavor of the night. The show started off with a DJ set by The Rhythm Ruler who came all the way out from Kruezberg Berlin for the show. L.A.’s own Lions played afterward with their own style of traditional reggae in the same vein as Sound Dimension, killing it with a dope cover of ‘Soul Rebel’ mixed in with their own original songs which were equally as good. Start to finish, this was one of the funnest shows I’ve been to all year.

—Desi Ambrozak