The longest-tenured Irish punk band is undoubtedly Stiff Little Fingers – who have been bashing and thrashing since 1977. And the double-disc set, Live at Rockpalast 1980/1989 – released on June 25, 2021 – shows that the band remained a vital live band (and also, stayed true to their roots) throughout the ‘80s, despite a five-year hiatus smack dab in the middle of the decade.
Ordering info is here: https://mig-music.lnk.to/stifflittlefingers
And you can view/hear samples via these links:
“Barbed Wire Love”: https://youtu.be/O_gxpmazYUA
“Alternative Ulster”: https://youtu.be/_DF9gGMmtFE
Singer/guitarist Jake Burns has been the band’s leader since their inception – with bassist Ali McMordie standing right alongside Jake most of the time – which saw Stiff Little Fingers being a part of the first-wave of Euro punk bands, which included the lofty likes of the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Damned, the Buzzcocks, the Jam, etc. And in the process, Stiff Little Fingers issued such classic punk LP’s as Inflammable Material, Nobody’s Heroes, and Go for It, plus the punk anthems “Alternative Ulster,” “Suspect Device,” and “At the Edge.”
Comprised of a total of three discs, Live at Rockpalast 1980/1989 will certainly satisfy both your audio and visual needs – the first two discs are audio-only, featuring the 1980 and 1989 performances, while the third disc is a DVD of the group’s classic 1980 appearance on Germany’s long-running music show.
And the performance remains memorable all these years later for the band, as Jake recalls:
"We were all well aware of what a great show Rockpalast was, having seen quite a few while touring in Europe, so we were delighted to be asked to appear. We got there a day early and went to the venue as our friends, UFO, were playing. It was a great insight into the audience's perspective. And a little bit daunting as we hadn't realized how big the auditorium was!
However, we needn't have worried as the next evening the place was packed and the audience were with us from the first note. They were wonderful, singing and bouncing along. It really felt like a "home game" to use a football analogy. I thought we played really well too, apart from a slight timing mistake during "Back to Front", a new song we were still learning. (See if you can spot my giving Jim the "look of death" at that point! LOL!)
We rounded the night off in our hotel bar with another bunch of friends, The Jam, who were also on the bill. It's a show and audience I remember with great affection. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to be a part of the Rockpalast story."
With Live at Rockpalast 1980/1989, Stiff Little Fingers fans now have the ultimate live document of the band at their in-concert peak.
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