From Politics to Punk: Stiff Little Fingers Reignite Rebellion at the Roundhouse With Glen Matlock

March 27, 2024 rocknews

We were excited for this one – London’s iconic Roundhouse hosting an evening of Punk legends with a healthy dose of topical politics thrown in, and it didn’t disappoint.

We got to the Roundhouse a good half an hour before the show started, and enjoyed watching it fill up with SLF fans young and old. There were Punks, Skins, Rastas and everyone in-between, highlighting the broad appeal of the Northern Irish band. The house PA blasted out ’50’s Rock ’N’ Roll until the lights dimmed and a true legend took to the stage.

Glen Matlock

Glen Matlock and his band The Philistines have been making music since the mid-90s, and fit around Matlock’s other musical commitments. He is in high demand, having taken over the bass duties in Blondie of late. The venue was still filling up when they came on, but those who were there gave the band a warm, if less-than-enthusiastic, welcome – maybe it was the cold.

They hit the ground running with ‘Won’t Put the Brakes on Me’, from 2018’s ‘Good to Go’ album. Matlock himself on rhythm guitar and backed by a superb band, including Neal Whitmore (Sigue Sigue Sputnik) looking and sounding every inch the guitar hero. Last year’s ‘Consequences Coming’ album dominated the set, with the title track coming next. Of the album, Matlock has said that it was ”all done during the debacle that is Brexit and the rise and fall of the turgid Trump episode in the US. These songs reflect my take on the whole sorry mess that has ensued”. There was certainly a political bent to the proceedings. Matlock has lost none of his edge and isn’t afraid to say (and sing) what he thinks.

‘Burning Sounds’ was a welcome surprise, as he delved in to the Rich Kids back catalogue, the brilliant band he formed after he left the Pistols. Two more covers provided highlights: KD Lang’s ‘Constant Craving’ was inspired, and the band breathed new life into Richard Hell’s ‘Blank Generation’. Things got personal with ‘Can’t Be Myself With You’ before the familiar introduction of the Pistols’ ‘Pretty Vacant’ rang out of Matlock’s guitar. By now the crowd were with him, and they sang along enthusiastically to one of THE great Punk anthems. Final number ‘Head on a Stick’, again from ‘Consequences Coming’ brought the set to a close.

This was good, solid rock and roll. Was it punk? That depends on how you define it. There were a lot of traditional rock ‘n’ roll influences in their sound and we absolutely loved it. It’s clear that Glen Matlock is still a creative force with lots to offer.

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Stiff Little Fingers

The interval meant we were back to the house PA and more 50’s Rock ’N’ Roll, before we got 20 minutes of…….ABBA! It was wonderful and funny to look around the venue and see the aforementioned diverse audience singing and dancing along to the Swedish pop legends! Thoughts of dancing queens were swiftly cast aside, though, as ABBA made way for Val Doonican and, as the house lights dimmed the familiar strains of Stiff Little Fingers’ intro music blared from the speakers. The atmosphere changed and the audience became supercharged as Jake Burns, Ali McMordie, Ian McCallum and Steve Grantley took to the stage to a huge roar and launched straight into ‘Suspect Device’, their debut single from album ‘Inflammable Material’. This was followed swiftly by ‘State of Emergency’, again from the 1979 debut and ‘Fly the Flag’ from second album ’Nobody’s Heroes’. By the time Burns drew breath, the Roundhouse was literally jumping, with beer flying and a steady stream of crowd surfers being helped over the front barrier.

The set was dominated by songs from their first three albums – ‘Inflammable Material’, ’Nobody’s Heroes’ and 1981’s ‘Go For It’, but it was the next song that provided a highlight (and surprise) of the night. ‘Hate Has No Home Here’ was introduced as a brand new song, as well as the name of the tour. Its social message came across powerfully and the melody gave Burns a chance to show off his still-impressive vocal range. It’s a well crafted song that sat perfectly with the classic tunes the crowd had come to hear.

Another highlight was their cover of ‘Love of the Common People’, written by John Hurley and made famous by Paul Young. SLF recorded the tune back in 1982 and it really came alive at the Roundhouse.

‘Last Train from the Wasteland’, the only cut from 1999’s ‘Hope Street’ was poignant. As Burns explained, it was the first song he had written about the troubles in Northern Ireland since their early days, and was inspired by the Good Friday agreement and the hope that the people of Northern Ireland could live the lives they should have been living during the troubles.

Their cover of the Bunny Wailer song ‘Roots, Radicals, Rockers & Reggae’ from ‘Go For It’ was next and sounded fantastic, with its ska-inspired arrangement.

’Strummerville’, Burns’ ode to the late Clash frontman was another highlight in this superbly crafted set, which was finished with ‘Gotta Getaway’.

After a short break and lots of noise from the crowd, they were back for a short encore. A cover of the Specials’ ‘Doesn’t Make it Alright’ was emotional, before the evening closed with their second single and the one that brought their music to the masses: ‘Alternative Ulster’ still sounds urgent and vibrant and is a reminder that Stiff Little Fingers were as political as the Clash, and were bravely writing about personal, controversial topics at a very dangerous time in recent history.

What an evening, and what a way to finish this UK tour.

Stiff Little Fingers tour the US through May.

They are back in the UK for Blackpool’s Rebellion Festival on August 4th before dates in Cork, Dublin and Belfast.