| INFO | Stiff Little Fingers
Fez Club
Gun Street
Reading
Tuesday 3 May 2005 |
The song was written in 1977. Half the crowd haven't been to a gig since '78 and half weren't born until at least '79. Everyone is gleefully leaping around to an incendiary version of Suspect Device and mock smashing the s*** out of each other. Pinkies aside, Stiff Little Fingers are doing a fine job of proving that punk rock is as fresh as the day it was born. And what a baby. Conceived in Belfast after hearing The Clash play live. Delivered with a D.I.Y ethic on the operating tables of Rough Trade. Named after the lyrics of a Vibrators song. The band were always destined for at least an infamous cult following. Nearly three decades and god knows how many gigs later, we're treated to a technical master class in a genre which, somewhat ironically, deplores technique. | "Three decades and god knows how many gigs later, we're treated to a technical master class in a genre which, somewhat ironically, deplores technique." | | Matt Dyson |
The formula is simple. Gather all the anger, boredom , political frustration you can find. Roll it into a big punk-pop ball and boot it at somebody's head with a barrage of ear splitting riffs that compel the crowd to chant 'fingers' whenever you stop playing. The original line up has long since departed but Jake Burns still guides the band with the enthusiasm of a showcase. He introduces the hits (or as he puts it, 'the closest we got to a hit') with anecdotal tales and wry social commentary. Notably, Wasted Life is about a friend lost in the Northern Ireland struggles draws comment on Iraq and how the injustice that inspired much of punk's anger has endured as long as the music. Still, it's not all about flat caps and the inner Billy Bragg. Helped in no small measure by the rest of the band (including ex Jam bass monster, Bruce Foxton) we're continually hopping with a force which would leave Paul Weller with a dangerous taste of copper in his mouth and loss of feeling in his left arm. Whatever your take on punk, this is a key inspiration behind most of it. From Rancid to Green Day, from the frontline to the arm chair, everything is covered. Or at least, with two encores, it almost is. So next time you struggle to recall what you did last month, count yourself lucky that you don't have to sum up twenty eight years in less than an hour. Best to tell them what they want to hear. | 
