[4][5] The first Steel Pulse single for Island Records, "Ku Klux Klan" (a call for resistance against forces of racism), was released in February 1978.

The band would soon support Bob Marley & The Wailers on a 12-date European tour in June and July 1978, including concerts in Paris, Ibiza, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Oslo, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Brussels.

Mykaell Riley left the band because of musical differences and went on to success with the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra and as producer for a number of top artists and TV themes.

His departure propelled Hinds into the spotlight and in an attempt to draw a stronger black audience,[citation needed] the group adopted the banner of the Rastafari movement.

At one of their 'Rock Against Racism' appearances, in Victoria Park, East London in April 1978, more than 80,000 people watched a concert that also included The Clash, Tom Robinson Band and X-Ray Spex.