Stiff Little Fingers/Glen Matlock - Barrowlands, Glasgow 16th March 2024

We were heading to play in football match. In those days, it was not proper to go more than two stops on the bus without a ghetto blaster kicking in to ensure everyone making their journey were able to benefit from the blaster’s owners’ taste in music. That day Rab was in charge of the blaster and when Alternative Ulster was stuck on for my education and benefit, it hit me right between the eyes.

Fast forward almost 45 years and I am heading to Barrowland’s to see Fingers for their annual St Patrick’ Night in Glasgow. These have become so popular since they started playing these gigs in 1987, that they are now two night affairs and I am off to night one.

The east end of Glasgow has changed massively since those first gigs. The pubs have evolved from partisan football focused establishments with bright lights and “interesting” juke box choices to trendy drinks bars and hipster eateries. One old haunt remains little changed, and as we walked along the Gallowgate, we saw the Sarrie Heid was full to busting. Somethings, I guess, shouldn’t change. Fingers playing the Barrowland’s being one of those.

Tonight was a sell-out so we got in early enough to grab a beer and take up a position in mid floor for the support.

I have only seen Glen Matlock once, and he was playing bass for Blondie at the time, so this was my first chance to see the former Pistol on his own account. He led out a four piece who got down to business with “Won’t Put the Brakes on Me” from his 2018 album Good To Go.

The next few tunes had a bit of a country, rock and roll feel to them; something underpinned by Glen’s regular use of the comb to smooth is plentiful locks. These were good tracks, but they didn’t really connect for me. Mid set, Glen said he liked to do “something borrowed” before hitting KD Lang’s “Constant Craving”. Not what I expected from one of the inventors of punk. This was a bit of a watershed tune for me. As the song progressed, I felt the band got tighter and the playing became more confident. As they burst into the Richard Hell classic “Blank Generation” my smile widened, they nailed this along with the next song, “Can’t Be Myself Without You”; from the 2023 album Consequences Coming.

Matlock was one of the inventors of punk and wrote most of the Never Mind the Bollocks album. I’d love to see him doing a full night of his Pistols numbers; perhaps one day. For now, it was just great to hear “Pretty Vacant” and, by the volume of singing in a now pretty packed room, so did everyone around me. “Head on a Stick” brought Glen Matlock’s contribution to the night to a really strong end. I enjoyed the performance, particularly the latter, more punky, half. Fingers crossed for that Pistols night sometime.

The changeover was fairly quick and at ten to nine, the PA was turned up a bit and the ABBA songs started. Man, how the scene has changed! “Knowing Me, Knowing You” saw hands in the air and people with mohawks singing along. It was great to see and really got the crowd ready for the inevitable start to the night. Just after 9:05 it went dark and “Go for It” battered through the PA. The crowd sang the guitar parts throughout the best 2 minute punk instrumental ever.

Just as that faded away (see what I did there), the band appeared and kicked off with “Suspect Device”, a song more usually reserved for an encore spot. And, what a way to start it was too! The crowd jumped in and behaved like it was an encore, the ride had begun.

1979’s “State of Emergency” was next, before a personal favourite, “Fly the Flag” one of five cuts from the Nobody’s Heroes album being played that night.

Time for a breath and a wee stocktake. The band were tighter than two coats of paint and as polished as I’ve seen them. Ali came on wearing a high collared shirt and gold waistcoat. Add to that the goatee beard and he looked every inch the baddie from a sci-fi movie who found redemption in the sequel. His bass playing was awesome and really added a strength to the bottom end, it was great to hear him on such good form. At the other side of the stage the left-handed Ian McCallum went about his rhythm guitar and backing vocal duties with a quiet self-assuredness that, I feel, has been a solid anchor for the band since his arrival 21 years ago. What is not quiet are the drums! Steve Grantly is simply superb at bring it all together with the back beat that he commands with confidence.

New song “Hate has No Home Here” kicks of the next blast, followed by “At the Edge” and “Silver Lining”. “Love of the Common People” takes me back to a Boys Brigade camp where it was blasted out daily from the ‘best of’ album.

“Last train from the Wasteland”, Jake tells us, is all about the peace process in Ireland. I am struck, as I often am at Fingers gigs by just how properly punk Jake Burns is. Standing in his cowboy shirt and clutching a green guitar with a Daffy Duck motif, that may not be obvious to the casual observer, but listen to the words of these songs, the passion they are sung with and the sincerity of the explanation behind them. Any casual observer doing just that will realise that they are listening to songs of hope, anger and optimism.

Jake has given music a fantastic back catalogue that is the very definition of punk and it is great to be here to enjoy it in person tonight.

Back to the music, “Roots, Radicals, Rockers and Reggae” “Wasted Life” and “Stummerville”; Burns, homage to Joe Strummer, power through taking a bouncing crowd towards the crescendo. The last three cuts of the set blast out starting with “Nobody’s Hero” then, a roof lifting, “Tin Soldiers” and ending with “Gotta Gettaway”.

The breather is a short one, throughout which the crowd chant “Fingers, Fingers, Fingers” at an incessant pace and frequency, the volume of which must ensure that the inhabitants of even the furthest away dressing room or toilet are in no doubt of how much they have been appreciated.

The band reappears. Whilst we can all guess the last song, the one that is going to precede it is a more of a challenge. They started big with “Suspect Device” and many top tunes have already been played. Many others have not. It's a credit to the years of riffage and choruses that there are so many to choose from. Tonight, SLF chose to play a Specials song and the crowd sang along. “It Doesn’t Make it Alright” was a tremendous reggae infused track to bring us to the inevitable conclusion.

Jake once said, that he’ll keep playing “Alternative Ulster” because there might be someone in the audience who has never heard it live. My daughter was with me and it was her first chance to hear this in person. It landed as solidly with her as it did with the other 1850 people in the room. An explosive way to finish!

As the lights came up and Jake had a towel wrapped around his neck. As he left the stage he resembled an aging prize fighter who had once again proved his worth in the ring. He said they will be back next year. I really hope so, the world needs more bands like SLF and tonight proved, once again, they still have punk in spades.

We walked out into the rain and strolled back along the Gallowgate toward the car. The Sarrie Heid was still buzzing, the night was still wet and we were happy. It has been a long and ambling journey from a church carpark to the east end of Glasgow, but one made all the more fun and hopeful for SLF.

For all the fun of it all…Hanx.