Fans of iconic ’80s alternative music unite! Or, in this case, separate!

Local lovers of the genre will be faced with a tough decision Saturday night, when The English Beat and Talking Heads tribute act Start Making Sense play down the street from each other – as in within three-tenths of a mile – at Aura and the State Theatre, respectively.

I’ve seen both acts several times, and while I’m not going to tell you which show to go to, I sure will try and make a solid case for both bands.

I spoke to both lead singers last week and was relieved to hear that neither is too worried about the unfortunate timing of the shows. I tend to agree. Surely, there are enough of us out there to make both shows successful.

Dave Wakeling, lead singer and guitarist for The English Beat, is from Birmingham, England, and has lived in California since 1986. The Beat, as they were initially known and still play as in England, formed in 1978 and released three albums between 1980 and 1982, and then “Here We Go Love” in 2018.

It’s those initial three, though, that are home to the songs that made the band famous, and had them touring with the actual Talking Heads in the early ’80s. Some of the hits are “Mirror in the Bathroom,” “Twist & Crawl,” “Can’t Get Used to Losing You,” “I Confess” and “Save it for Later.” The signature fusion of ska, reggae, rock and pop is why the songs are timeless and always sound fresh.

Wakeling said that, although he’s been writing new songs, he knows why fans still come out in droves. “In many ways, the fans of my group have all the songs they need, and I’m amazed that they still remember the words and sing along the whole concert.” Wakeling understands how powerful nostalgia is. “The old songs are wrapped up with their memories of their teenage years, and that’s when music tends to hit us all the hardest.”

At an English Beat concert, Wakeling said that the band is responsible for the mood of the show in the first half of the evening, and then the audience takes over in the second half.

“Depending on how excited the band has made the crowd in the first half, they’ll either carry you home or go home,” said Wakeling. Most of the time, however, it’s smooth sailing. “Normally, by the halfway mark, we’ve reached a kind of mass consciousness, and the evening just tends to soar after that.”

I’ve seen The English Beat about a half dozen times, and frankly, they always have me at hello and keep me singing and dancing until the final note.

But you don’t need me to vouch for them when you can hear it from Start Making Sense lead singer and guitarist Jon Braun, who said that he and his band were just listening to The English Beat’s first album in their tour van about a week ago because they’re huge fans.

Start Making Sense is a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based Talking Heads tribute act that formed in 2009 by accident. Braun said that he and his current bandmates were involved with assorted other bands, and all were frequent performers at a venue called The Fun House in Bethlehem. The owner asked Braun if he’d be interested in putting a band together for a night of covers by either many or one specific band. He chose Talking Heads because it seemed like it would be fun. Turns out he was right. “After that, it grew legs of it own not intended by us,” he said.

Circa 1986 when Braun was about 7 years old, he was often glued to MTV. Seeing videos for Talking Heads songs “Burning Down the House” and “Once in a Lifetime” piqued his interest. “Those images are part of what led me to become a fan as a teenager because those two videos in particular were so striking compared to what else was on the television at the time.”

When he dug into the band’s eight albums, Braun was hooked. “That artistic bent on everything that they did, coupled with it being accessible pop to some extent, is the thing that really drew me into them both as a teenager when I started following them and up until now,” he said.

“Success at a high level in the pop realm yet with extremely underground artistic aesthetics was very much the thing that had me gravitate toward them as a teenager because I was into punk rock, but I’m also a musician, so I’m scouring all the musical landscape, and they fit right in the middle of everything that I loved.”

Braun was too young to have seen Talking Heads live – their last tour was in 1984 and they officially broke up in 1991 – though he has seen David Byrne several times. “I didn’t understand the energy and joyousness that’s in the music when it’s performed live and how that interaction goes with the audience. ”

But when he and his band started playing Talking Heads songs themselves, things clicked. “We had no idea when we started this how happy this music live in a room makes people.”

Braun said that one of his favorite Talking Heads songs to play live is “The Great Curve” from 1980’s “Remain In Light.” The tune has a frantic energy to it. “There’s something about that song live that has a lot of power between the band and the audience. ”

Start Making Sense performs all over the U.S. and Canada and has played in Cuba.

When they’re not on tour, most of the musicians teach music. Braun, whose first instruments were drums and sax, offers instruction on those two, as well as guitar.

Several of my friends are trying to decide which show to go to. I might consult the Magic Eight Ball or flip a coin. Or maybe I’ll wear my running shoes and dash up and down the street to both. Stranger things have happened, and the ticket price for both shows is reasonable.

Hopefully next time these bands come through Portland, it will be on different nights, and this angst-inducing date collision is once in a lifetime.

The English Beat with Zeme Libre
9 p.m. Saturday. Aura, 121 Center St., Portland, $20. auramaine.com

Start Making Sense with The Ocean Avenue Stompers 
8 p.m. Saturday. State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland, $22 in advance, $25 day of show. statetheatreportland.com

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