STIFF LITTLE FINGERS + THE PROFESSIONALS + THE NEVILLE STAPLE BAND + TV SMITH – THE ROUNDHOUSE, LONDON 26.3.22
It’s a show that’s been a long time coming for many of the crowd tonight, with most holding on to their precious tickets for over two years, but finally, Stiff Little Fingers arrive at the Camden Roundhouse.
SLF haven’t come alone, and before most of the crowd is even through the venue doors, TV Smith is already on stage, acoustic guitar in hand, proceeding to entertain those that got in early. So we get ‘No Time To Be 21’, ‘Lockdown Holiday’, ‘Gary Gilmore’s Eyes’ and an excellent rendition of ‘One Chord Wonders’. It’s a fun set, but I can’t wait to see him as TV Smith and The Bored Teenagers at this year’s Rebellion Festival, where he’ll be playing a full Adverts set.
Next up, The Professionals lay claim to the stage with a ten-song set with a mix from their two latest albums. ‘Easily Led’, ‘Going Going Gone’, ‘Rewind’ and ‘Spike Me Baby’ are all catchy tracks that deliver the right energy to the early crowd to get those bodies moving. The Pistols ‘Silly Thing’, ‘1,2,3’ and ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone’ finish the set on a high. Rhoda Dakar and Paul Cook’s daughter Hollie Cook joined the band on stage too!
The Professionals:
Paul Cook (drums/bv’s)
Tom Spencer (vocals/guitar)
Toshi JC Ogawa (bass/bv’s)
?Chris McCormack (guitar/backing vocals)
The Professionals setlist:
‘Easily Lead’
‘Just Another Dream’
‘Going Going Gone’
‘Spike Me Baby’
‘Silly Thing’ (Sex Pistols cover)
‘Rewind’
‘Kick Down the Doors’
‘Monkeys’
‘1,2,3,’
‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone’ (Paul Revere and the Raiders cover)
I was a little uneasy about the addition of an extra act on this date of the tour, thinking it would bring the energy down, but how wrong was I?
Ska’s not my usual thing, but you can’t help getting carried away by The Neville Staple Band. They run through a set of absolute classics from The Specials and beyond with ‘Pressure Drop’, ‘A Message To You, Rudy’ and ‘Concrete Jungle’, all getting the crowd skankin’. Still, the highlight for me was the superb ‘Ghost Town’ with the ten-piece going to town on the track. They’re the perfect party band, and Neville Staple is the ultimate host.
You can catch The Neville Staple Band on the opening date of their ’40 Years Of Ghost Town’ tour, here in Brighton when they will be skankin’ at the Concorde 2 on Thursday 21st April 2022. Purchase your tickets HERE, HERE or from your usual ticket agent.
Belfast punks Stiff Little Fingers burst onto the scene in early 1978 with ‘Suspect Device’, a self-released single of ferocious intensity, with lyrics overtly focused on the experience of growing up in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. Championed by legendary DJ John Peel, they secured a distribution deal with independent label Rough Trade. Their debut album, ‘Inflammable Material’ is widely considered a punk classic, and was the first independently released album to make the UK Top 20.
A major label deal with Chrysalis Records followed, and a pop-punk approach that garnered three more chart albums and some Top Of The Pops appearances. The band called it a day at the end of 1982, but they reformed five years later, and with a few personnel changes, have been around ever since. Lead vocalist and guitarist Jake Burns has been a constant presence, and the present lineup also features original bassist Ali McMordie. Guitarist Ian McCallum and drummer Steve Grantley joined in the 1990s. The current ‘Wish We Had 20/20 Vision’ tour has been rescheduled a few times, but finally we are all systems go tonight!
After bombarding the crowd with some well-loved 70s TV theme tunes, and yes, I found myself singing along to the ‘Minder’ one, the intro of ‘Go For It’ emanates from the venue speakers, and already the crowd are clearly up for it. Stiff Little Fingers enter from stage right, and the classic guitar intro of ‘Suspect Device’ rings around the venue and I’m sent back nearly 40 years in time to when I first heard the song.
The band may have changed over the years, but Jake Burns’s vocals are still as powerful and recognisable as ever, and the sound here in the iconic Roundhouse is pretty impressive. ‘At The Edge’ follows, and again, the crowd receives it with open arms, singing along to every word the band then blast through a career-defining nineteen song set. ‘Just Fade Away’, ‘Nobody’s Hero’, Bunny Wailer’s ‘Roots, Radicals, Rockers, Reggae’ are all present and correct.
The skankin ‘Safe As Houses’ and the rockin’ ‘Barbed Wire Love’ what more could the fans ask for? More, always more. They finish the main set with a wild and sweaty trip through ‘Gotta Gettaway’ and then hit it with both barrels for an encore of ‘Tin Soldiers’ and the punk rock anthem ‘Alternative Ulster’, which wrings out every last drop of energy from the ecstatic fans and they push out back onto the Camden street still singing. Stiff Little Fingers in 2022 will still give any punk band out there a run for their money.
Stiff Little Fingers:
Jake Burns – lead vocals and guitar
Ali McMordie – bass and vocals
Ian McCallum – guitar and vocals
Steve Grantley – drums
Stiff Little Fingers setlist:
‘Suspect Device’ (from ‘Inflammable Material’ 1979)
‘At The Edge’ (from ‘Nobody’s Heroes’ 1980)
‘Fly The Flag’ (from ‘Nobody’s Heroes’ 1980)
‘Hope Street’ (from ‘Hope Street’ 1999)
‘Just Fade Away’ (from ‘Go For It’ 1981)
‘Bits Of Kids’ (from ‘Now Then…’ 1982)
‘Nobody’s Hero’ (from ‘Nobody’s Heroes’ 1980)
‘Last Protest Song’ (unreleased)
‘Roots, Radicals, Rockers, Reggae’ (Bunny Wailer cover) (from ‘Go For It’ 1981)
‘When We Were Young’ (from ‘No Going Back’ 2014)
‘Safe As Houses’ (from ‘Go For It’ 1981)
‘Silver Lining’ (from ‘Go For It’ 1981)
‘Barbed Wire Love’ (from ‘Inflammable Material’ 1979)
‘Strummerville’ (from ‘Guitar And Drum’ 2003)
‘State Of Emergency’ (from ‘Inflammable Material’ 1979)
‘Wasted Life’ (from ‘Inflammable Material’ 1979)
‘Gotta Gettaway’ (from ‘Nobody’s Heroes’ 1980)
(encore)
‘Tin Soldiers’ (from ‘Nobody’s Heroes’ 1980)
‘Alternative Ulster’ (from ‘Inflammable Material’ 1979)
