SHAKATAK along with bands such as Level 42, Light of the World, Freeez, Central Line, Hi-Tension, Morrissey / Mullen, Second Image, Direct Drive, Linx and Incognito were all part of the 80's UK Jazz Funk scene – a scene that certainly had a big following in the Essex area at the time with regular plays at venues such as Zero 6 & TOTS in Southend, Dukes in Chelmsford, P'Zaz in Grays

It was the release of the 1981 single, "Easier Said Than Done", that gave the band the radio exposure needed for their first top-twenty hit.[3] This record introduced their instrumental-unison vocal sound to a much wider audience, and the track stayed in the UK Singles Chart for seventeen weeks.

On 1 October they return to Southend for an intimate show at the legendary Palace Theatre