Heart of a Punk Soul of a Rasta

Stiff Little Fingers
The Assembly Rooms Leamington Spa
9th March 2010

At half time (I mean between Penetration and SLF) there was much talk of football - I'm not shitting you, there was. That's the only problem with Deco World Leamington it's always full of the displaced brummies. The displaced brummie "Blue Nose" and the displaced brummie "Villa Seal" and they're always burbling about "the footie" and reminiscing about Hugh Jones and "Star Soccer".

Something else happened during dead time, something truly terrible. All of a sudden "At the Edge" by SLF started blurting out of the house PA. It took the mixing desk geezer about thirty seconds to realise that he was flying in the face of the ancient unwritten law - I'd tell you what the unwritten law is but it's unwritten, so no can do. Anyway the desk geezer whipped SLF off as hastily as a Scotsman picks up his change off a shop counter and shoved on "Love Like Blood" by Killing Joke. Yeah Killing Joke, there's a punch line in there somewhere.

Then all of a sudden the creaky leather jackets housing folically bereft punters began to shift from the back bar to the front of house. Soon their bare pates would be lubricated by a fine spray of lager raining down from the heavens, soon, very soon, but not now. The leather jacketed ones would have to wait, and wait. They stood around dumb and dejected gently swaying in their slightly pissed states. Very soon now, very soon SLF would be on. Then the lapels of their black jackets would be tugged hard and they'd be pulled hither and thither in time to the music; sweat dripping from their brows their blood most definitely up. Soon, very soon, but now all we had for entertainment was a single sodding roadie tuning up the guitars for the forty eighth time! "For fuck sake we've had all the fucking tedious banality we can bare for one day; between sodding nine o'clock and bastard five o'clock nothing but tedious banality! So get on with it you fuckers!" The woman next to me shifted herself a couple of paces back. I smiled reassuringly and said "Sorry, I do beg your pardon madam. I didn't realise I'd said that out loud"

And then they were on with the short, sweet and succinct staccato strains of the "Wasted Life" as an opener (Wasted Life to start there could be a deal of irony going on here - maybe not). "At The Edge", "Silver Lining, "Suspect Device" "Nobody's Hero" followed; Ali McMordie slapping a boot on the monitors (as in days of old) Jake Burns pointing in mid flow to punctuate the prose; "Just Fade Away" "Bits of Kids" "Guitar and Drum", "Barbed Wire Love" "Tin Soldiers" "Fly the Flag" and the as yet unrecored "Liars Club" were all rattled off in quick succession with Jake Burns giving a bit of back story here and there. After a short recess the monumental Robert Nesta Marley penned "Johnny Was" was glouriously retold and then the tin lid was put firmly on the evening with "Alternative Ulster" to finish.

It seems a long time past since I saw Jake Burns out and about with the "3 Men and Black". Back then, whilst Black, Burnel & Foxton seemed at home with the unplugged format I was never quite convinced that Jake was. No guitar and drum, no power and glory. But tonight back with SLF the power and the glory was there alright and it was just like old times. So as young sweet Fionnoula once said to dear old Patrick on a dull damp Saturday night "There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle".

[Looking through the pile of ticket stubbs to find out exactly when & where I saw SLF in days of yore, I found this ticket from 1980. The fact that it was almost exactly thirty years ago to the day was a bit of a frightener. But not as frightening as finding out I was upstairs in the SEATS! I want to assure all the viewers at home that I have no memory whatsoever of watching SLF from the SEATS, please believe me, we sneaked downstairs after track three, honest!]

Also on the night at Leamington SLF did their own imperious version of The Specials "Doesn't Make it Alright" - you've been listening to the version off the B side of "Just fade Away" - crackles were added to enhance your enjoyment. It is undeniable that SLF are good at the old cover version; someone get them to do a cover of "English Civil War" by The Clash sometime soon, cheers. Ed