A slight variation this year on my annual “Mad March To Bristol” with The Big Man, the regular pilgrimage to see original punk rock legends Stiff Little Fingers; instead of the pair of us stomping Lauda-esque down the M4 together, this year I spent the day oop North visiting Evan and taking him to see the excellent “Captain America; The Winter Soldier” film! Thus I stomped down the M5 on my own after dropping Evan off, leaving Rich and Ady, joining us this year for some drinkies and noise, to catch the train!
Hit
the venue at 8.30 after a swift run down the M5, a little concerned
that Saturday gigs at the O2 sometimes run early. I needn’t have
worried, however; after parking up suspiciously easily, I actually
walked in just after support The
Godfathers had kicked off their set! Met up with the boys and endured
the support from the confines of the bar; despite being lauded by a few
people whose musical opinions I respect, I never liked this lot first
time around, finding them dour, po-faced and
snarlingly aggressive sludgy post-punk rock, and time has done nothing
to alter my view, I’m afraid. A surly “I Want Everything” was the only
number which rose above the morass for me, and I lamented the absence of
The Men They Couldn’t Hang, who complemented
SLF so perfectly as support last year.
Took
a wander down onto the floor, stage left as usual, before the band were
due on, noticing the balcony was shut tonight. Pitched up therefore in a
less populous but still enthusiastic crowd, behind a group of young
(comparatively speaking,
in this crowd of old punk rockers) and surprisingly well-dressed girls
who, equally surprisingly, subsequently knew all the words to the SLF
numbers! Anyway, I’m leaping ahead… SLF took the stage after a
rabble-rousing intro from the finest introduction music
in rock, their “Go For It” theme, and, as if sensing the buoyant mood
tonight, fairly ripped into a savage opening triple salvo of “Straw
Dogs”, “Wasted Life” and “Just Fade Away”. Go for it, indeed!
“Saturday
night in Bristol!” vocalist Jake Burns announced to cheers, before a
lengthy introduction for new number “My Dark Places”, which documented
his recent battle with depression. This set the tone for the set’s
mid-section; a smattering
of new numbers culled from current Kickstarter-funded album “No Going
Back” were interspersed with the familiar, first-time round, political
yet accessible, sing-/ sway-along and hooky punk rock. Another newie,
“When We Were Young”, concerning an 80’s drunken
conversation between Burns and Phil Lynott, was followed by the
resonant terrace roar of “Listen To Your Heart”, and a later “Barbed
Wire Love” was introduced by Burns as, “now for “The Voice” auditions!”,
referring to rakish bassist Ali McMordie’s “doo-wop”
mid-song backing vocals. Burn’s subsequent comment of, “Pavarotti’s
spinning in his grave!” underlined his mood tonight; the political
sloganeering was toned down slightly, and the old boy actually seemed to
be having fun up there tonight!
A sincere “Strummerville”, introduced
by Burns with a tale of how The Clash changed his life, pre-empted a set
conclusion as savage and dramatic as the opening salvo; “Fly the Flag”,
an excellent “Tin Soldiers”, and a roaring, venomous
“Suspect Device”, preceded by Burns introducing, “the gentlemen in the
orchestra.” They weren’t finished, however, as after the libidinous
groove of first encore “Johnny Was”, the boys returned a second time,
Burns fulsomely praising the Bristol crowd, always
a favourite of the band, “ever since we supported The Tom Robinson Band
at the Colston Hall in 1978!” “At The Edge” was then segued in nicely
by Burns moving the closing riff up the fret to the opening note of the
inevitable “Alternative Ulster”, to close
another vintage evening of good company and great rock.
So, the 9th time in 10 years and my 14th
overall for Stiff Little Fingers, a band who are still burning fiercely
and for me are as relevant as ever. We’ll be back for more, no doubt
next March!
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