Stiff Little Fingers
Bristol Academy
28th March, 2007

View: from rear of dance floor

The ranks of SLF’s loyal fanbase were swelled further tonight with the promise that, heading into their 30th year, this SLF set was to be built around a performance of their groundbreaking debut album, 1979’s Inflammable Material (the album actually came out in early 1979, but we won’t worry about that).

With original bassist Ali McMordie back in the fold, he and Fingers main man Jake Burns look relaxed and on top of their game. Some mid-period classics get the ball rolling, including their highestplaced chart single, At The Edge, and the Tory-baiting Fly The Flag. It leads nicely into the evening’s main event, whereupon the band launch into Inflammable Material opener, Suspect Device. A little slower than when first played 30 years ago, it’s still ferocious and intense enough to raise the hairs on the back of many a neck. The remainder of the album follows and, with tracks such as Here We Are Nowhere, and Rough Trade not having seen the light of day for almost three decades, it was a punk anorak’s heaven.

Despite all this, the highlight was a rendition of Bob Marley’s Johnny Was, now arguably more synonymous with SLF than the great man himself, while there’s room for some newer numbers. A brand new song, Liars Club, proves there’s still mileage in Burn’s songwriting ability.

An hour and 40 minutes after they started, and following a glorious rendition of Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back In Town, the second encore of Tin Soldiers raises the roof and brings the evening to a riotous close.

Reviewed by Ian Templeton
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