Published in NME, 10th April 1982

Stiff Little Fingers | Gig Review | Barking 1982 | Last time I saw Stiff Little Fingers was down the front at the Electric Ballroom at the end of their first British tour.

Four or five years ago they were supported by Essential Logic and Robert Rental and The Normal — a storming gig of harsh extremes where SLF were a desperate clash of guitars, where Essential Logic were a smart break from X Ray Spex and Rental and Miller were canned or ignored.

Now Daniel Miller plays confident host to Depeche Mode, Lola Logic’s charming the jazzateers and SLF are still here: a Solidarnosc Benefit in Barking, out in the wilds of Essex, and if Swells is supporting this must be the sharp end.

SLF start with the PA pumping a military signature (I think it’s the theme from ‘Dambusters’ but I lost me Geoff Love ‘Movie Themes’ album four or five years ago) and drift onstage with the spotlights playing flashing sweeps above the audience’s heads.

Stiff Little Fingers | Gig Review | Barking 1982

Enter the heroes, ‘Clash ’81 Tour’ stylee: “We’re Stuff Liddle Fungus!” I hang around at the back and stomp and drink to ‘Tin Soldiers’ while the Fungus gang throw V-signs. Those were the highlights.

No, I lie: seeing one of the backline roadies herald the return of the silly encore with a gold lame performance of ‘I Love You Love Me’, hairy jacket, glitter chest and all that jazz, taking over the stage to throw Gaz Glitter stares and bunches of daffodils at the audience on his last night with the band . . . now that was something!

This wasn’t a gig at the sharp end, this was a great band softening up, four winners playing losers, a night when the set full of castrated rock songs, with just the briefest of interruptions to mention that this was a benefit, only made the appearance of a half-hearted ‘Alternative Ulster’ (if it wasn’t in your top twenty, you won’t be in mine, mate), slotted in at the end after the roadie’s final fling, seem all the sadder.

‘Fly The Flag’ and ‘Gotta Gettaway’ got me headbutting pogoers down the front but SLF used to make me crash and slam all night. ‘Tin Soldiers’ and ‘Listen To Your Heart’ shook me a bit, for a while, the short buzz of weak blues, but only cos they sounded like old days, Fingers on the TRB tour. Me and them should junk nostalgia and remember the reasons not the legend.

The reasons SLF are worth remembering line up this way: noise that shook, vocals that hurt your throat, lyrics that (not content with warbling “It’s gonna happen” were specific and cut.

Stiff Little Fingers | Gig Review | Barking 1982

SLF can pull back; ‘Silver Lining’ pinched some sense into daytime radio, Dolphin’s put some hammer back into the rhythm and they’ve still got Jake’s voice, still a power, still the business, a protest in itself.

But as they are, SLF have played it wrong, to end up here, tonight, the beaten heroes playing a benefit for Solidarity, the beaten heroes. Jeez, only jerks want to end up magnificent in defeat —that’s two revolutions lost: Punk, which was always hopeless, and Poland, which seemed to have everything and got sod all.

Winning means taking risks and SLF don’t take enough, they get beat and seem happy with complacent music, no spark, no punk, no dissent.

And like Warren Beatty said for Jack Reed: “Cut our dissent and you cut out the revolution. The revolution is dissent.”

Fingers didn’t lose cos they got stamped on, stamped out, betrayed — but because they ballsed up, toned down, forgot dissent . . . because they no longer have the strength.

This gig was soft —it sure wasn’t ‘Suspect Device’ at Carnival 2, when SLF let rip and won and after that who gave a toss if Sham had bottled out. This gig was a long way from the sharp end. Don’t kid yerself.

The Revolution Failed. (X. Moore)