Morning, I hear it’s raining and not too summery back in London today, you lucky bleeders. Before my Clash update I wanted to share this article about Afghanistan with you from the Times. Are there any right thinking individuals out there that think this is suddenly going to become easier? Does anyone in a position of power even own a history book? Obviously the situation is far more complex than I’m going to dig  into within this forum, but who are ‘we’ trying to make safer? Moderation might not be in vogue, but is that because it might prove that the current path is rutted with holes?

Belfast 1977

Right, on to other matters. Stiff Little Fingers were one of the better bands to emerge from the spillage that the eruptions of 1976-7 caused. The impact of The Clash on the bandwas apparent in their sound and they were never shy about marrying political themes to their great guitar buzz.  In the 1970’s Belfast was a city under siege and the daily environment was a natural catalyst for SLF. I found this great interview with Henry Cluney from the band last night, the memories of those indulgent times are pondered and it’s great to see him still performing.

An Alternative Ulster
Grab it and change it it’s yours
Get an Alternative Ulster
Ignore the bores and their laws

Looks to be 100% that Mick Jones will be appearing at the JGD event with Billy Bragg tomorrow. It kicks off at 2pm and its free.

If London had McLaren and Rhodes then Manchester had Tony Wilson, but it also had Bruce Mitchell. Mitchell saw The Clash in their early days and his call to arms was complete. It can’t be overstated that in the days before myspace, MTV and 24 hour access to information having people such as Mitchell getting your name out there and gigs booked was a crucial element in terms of the punk scene and then the indie revolution that followed. The Guardian has a great feature on Mitchell today.

Right, I’m off for now enjoy your weekend wherever you are. Good hip hop in Islamabad?

Tim