Stiff Little Fingers

Every year in March Stiff Little Fingers embark on a lengthy UK tour. Every March that tour comes to Norwich, and every year they fill the Waterfront. It’s a remarkable achievement; normally playing the same venue year after year diminishes the size of the crowd, not so SLF. This was my 6th consecutive year seeing the band and I go because I know what I’m going to get – a cracking live band, a great crowd and the chance to bellow along to some much-loved punk classics.
Support this year was Eddie & The Hot Rods, the legendary band with their roots in the mid-70s pub rock scene. They were a bit flat to start with I thought, but quite quickly it all began to gel as they got an increasingly warm response from the crowd. Frontman Barrie Masters wasn’t always entirely in tune, but on this, their final tour, I was pleased to get the chance to finally see them live. I’m not sure they did the Who’s The Kids Are Alright justice, but the final three songs Hard Drivin’ Man, their all-time classic hit Do Anything You Wanna Do and a lively cover of Gloria ensured that they did their name and legacy justice.
Stiff Little Fingers have been plying their trade since 1977 during which time their rough edges have been smoothed out and their influence has resonated down the decades. Opening up with Law and Order, At The Edge and Suspect Device was as good a start to the set as I’ve ever seen them play. Unlike so many older audiences, SLF’s is always lively and good humoured, and for me this gig was as much about the audience as it was the band. The only problem I found was after such a brilliant opening there followed a sequence of songs, which for me at least, just aren’t as strong. New track 16 Shots, Guilty As Sin and Can’t Get Away With That are fine, just not on my list of personal faves. What was great was hearing lesser known selections off their classic albums – Silver Lining and State Of Emergency were superb.
There was still plenty of room though for some of their best songs before the night ended on the explosion of energy that is Alternative Ulster. Jake Burns had been his usual mix of sincere and appreciative, and Ian, Ali and Steve combine to make one of the best live bands around. Was this the best gig I’ve seen them play? I have to say it wasn’t, and I’m putting that down to the set list, rather than the band being below par. Fair enough that they want to highlight more of their material, rather than playing the same old set, but I can’t deny that for me personally this wasn’t quite the vintage performance I’d hoped for.