The Dualers

The Dualers, a British ska outfit, began their journey performing as street buskers. Through persistent self-releases of more than fifteen albums, extensive touring that drew enormous audiences, and two U.K. Top 30 singles achieved entirely without record-label support, the group cultivated a devoted following over time.

Tyber and Si Cranstoun, brothers raised in Caterham, Surrey, by a music promoter father, absorbed reggae and ska from an early age and entertained their parents with original childhood compositions. Following their studies at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the pair established the Dualers in 1999. What started as a duo later grew into a fluid nine-piece ensemble that spent years busking on the streets and maintaining a rigorous tour schedule, which helped propel their 2004 debut single, "Kiss on the Lips," to number 21 on the U.K. chart. The follow-up, "Truly Madly Deeply," reached number 23 in 2005 and later appeared on the soundtrack to the film Fool's Gold, featuring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. The Dualers backed the Blockheads and Madness on U.K. dates, mounted a landmark eleven-night sold-out residency at London's IndigO2, and continued issuing material independently until Si Cranstoun departed in 2010 to pursue solo work, securing a million-pound Warner Bros. contract. Tyber remained the band's sole frontman, and their 2019 release Palm Trees and 80 Degrees climbed to number 11 on the U.K. album chart.