STIFF LITTLE FINGERS – Brisbane, Australia 22nd February 2020
We’re back at the Tivoli, it’s Summer, it’s sweaty, it’s sticky and it’s about to get a whole lot better! We are surrounded by another sell-out crowd of punk rock lovers, the majority of who, judging by their age, have fond memories of the birth of the scene in the seventies, all of who eagerly await the arrival on stage of Belfast’s legendary Stiff Little Fingers. If I was a salesperson, judging by the baby boomer crowd’s mood to get bouncin’ I reckon I’d make a dollar or two, selling joint and muscle ointment after this gig tonight!
This is Stiff Little Fingers 40th (and a bit) Anniversary tour, celebrating their inspirational 1979 debut album ‘Inflammable Materiel’. An album that questioned, attacked and openly expressed the anger and frustrations of the youth living through “The Troubles” in their notorious home city of Belfast and the rest of Northern Ireland.
Through thought provoking lyrics of classic punk tracks such as Suspect Device, Barbed Wire Love and Alternative Ulster, the album highlighted the lack of available youth facilities throughout the Province. With a nonpartisan approach or attempt at providing an answer, Stiff Little Fingers poked a stick in the eye of the establishment, the paramilitaries and the security forces, informing the world through the power of their music, how messed up their local turbulent environment was.
Back to the gig – Prior to fully challenging the abilities of achilles tendons, calf and hamstring muscles in sustaining themselves throughout the evening, tonight’s crowd were warmed up by the support band, Brisbane’s one and only The Cutaways. The band consisting of Emmy, Ben, Marcus and Pete, exploded on to the stage and through their powerful and meaningful lyrics, combined with harmonious rock performance immediately captured the crowd’s attention.
This is a together band, who judging by the crowd’s response to their exceptional performance, gained quite a few new followers tonight. Brisbane people, get out and see this band, they are playing at the Greenslopes Sonic Masala Fest on 7 March and again at The Triffid on 14 March, you will not be disappointed.
On to the main event, Stiff Little Fingers entered stage left to rapturous applause and excited yelps from the patient, sweating audience. With an energy belying the age of this classic band, lead singer Jake Burns adorned in a cowboy shirt, provided a welcome taster of what was to come with their opening track ‘Roots, Radicals, Rockers and Reggae’. The music reverberated around this prestigious musical theatre, each track accompanied by the enthusiastic, bouncing excited crowd.
Jake Burns has often stated he doesn’t write love songs, he writes from the heart producing tracks that are based on life experiences, all of which many of us can relate to. These are tracks created with passion and meaning, they are of the people, for the people and based on the response of tonight’s Tivoli crowd, they are what the people want, classic punk rock.
This tour may be based on their debut album; however, the set is mixed with a combination of their classics and modern. Each track portrays a powerful story; ’16 shots’ questions why the Chicago police shot and killed an unarmed 17 year old youth, Laquan McDonald, by shooting him 16 times, nine in his back. Burns once again addressing societies’ injustices.
As the raw energy of the night’s performance is passed down from the craftsmen on the stage, the intensified emotion in the crowd is barely controllable, the majority participating by screaming out the much loved and impassioned lyrics into the steaming night air. With Jake commanding the performance, accompanied by the energetic Ali McMordie on bass, Steve Grantley on drums and Ian McCallum on guitar, this is punk rock at its best, aggressive, meaningful and powerful.
Tonight’s set:
Roots, Radicals, Nobody’s Hero, Fade Away, At The Edge, Safe as Houses, 16 Shots, Suspect Device, State of Emergency, Here We Are Nowhere, Wasted Life, No More Of That, Barbed Wire, White Noise, Breakout, Law and Order, Rough Trade, Johnny Was, Alternative Ulster – Encore; Tin Soldiers, Gotta Getaway.
Reviewer / Photographer: Terry O’Hagan @terry_ohagan
