STIFF LITTLE FINGERS // BARROWLAND BALLROOM, GLASGOW

Stiff Little Fingers play two sold out shows on the Ignition tour over St. Patrick’s weekend.

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS PERFORMING AT GLASGOW’S BARROWLAND BALLROOM - 16.03.2019 PICTURE BY: JAMES EDMOND PHOTOGRAPHY — **STIFF LITTLE FINGERS PERFORMING AT GLASGOW’S BARROWLAND BALLROOM - 16.03.2019**
PICTURE BY: JAMES EDMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

★★★★★

This weekend see’s the band’s St Patrick’s Day shows reach a phenomenal 28 consecutive gigs with 29 shows on the day. The St. Patrick’s eve show on the 16th March already sold out in advance, with people travelling from all over the country to be in Glasgow for the remarkable weekend.

Tonight, we have amazing support coming from Eddie and the Hot Rods, could this be their final tour after 43 years on the live scene? Going by tonight’s performance, the songs feel as fresh as when they were first released, and performed amazingly in front of the Barrowland audience. Lead singer Barrie Master’s greeted the audience to a rock n’ roll entrance and blasted in to a back catalogue of the Hot Rods hits. Barrie wearing a Red military style jacket and mirrored sunglasses entertained the crowd to classics “Teenage Depression” and Telephone Girl”. By this time, they have the Barrowland audience in their hands and it was time to move up a gear and with the crowd singing along with the songs that made them apart of rock / punk history, “The Kids are all Right”, “Hard Drivin’ Man” before “Do anything you wanna do”. The band closed the set with “Gloria” with the help of the audience. If this is the final run of shows from Eddie and the Hot Rods they were not going through the motions of a band coming to the end. Only time will tell….

The venue packed to the rafters and the sound of ‘Fingers’ getting chanted around the venue the noise level and energy was building to capacity. The lights went off and the sound of Stiff Little Fingers “Go for It” intro began with bouncing and customary beer glasses being thrown in to the air …. As the band entered the stage … the Glasgow welcome was appreciated by Steve, Ian, and Ally as Jake Burns came on the place was electric……. The band blasted in to “Law & Order”, “At the Edge” & “Suspect Device” before taking a break between songs to say Good Evening to the audience. The band was on fire from the start and this didn’t let up. Jake took a moment to talk about Depression and how we all should look after each other and chat to someone, while he was paying tribute to the late Keith Flint, who sadly took his own life. Before introducing “My Dark Places”. The audience was a mixed range from 18 to well in to their 60’s but they all had a reference to songs that are as true today as it was back at the time of being written. Jake announces this tour that Ian McCallum’s luck has run out, and can take his turn in singing as he has not done in the past few tours, a song written by Ian “Can’t get away with that”. It was on to fans favourites “Nobody’s Hero” and “Gotta Getaway”. The band says good night …. But before long the return to the stage to play a three-song encore. Starting off, with what Jake describe as a love song he once wrote entitled “Drinking Again”. Before “Tin Soldier” and “Alternative Ulster” conclude things in incendiary fashion.

The true spirit of music, the fire the passion as witnessed tonight in front of a crowd that has seen the band through the decades at different times. Stiff Little Fingers do what they do, educating generations with their music, lyrics and how to perform since 1977.