Well hello once again and thanks for returning to the Clash Blog (or welcome for the first time). I know it’s been a few days, I had the very best intentions of compiling some new stuff in recent days but a combination of other commitments and a general ‘tired of the computer malaise’ conspired against me completing a thought through to conclusion. I find myself with a small window this afternoon so thought I’d get a quick update out. I’m off to see The Joy Formidable this evening with very high hopes based on what others have said and clips I’ve seen, they make a pretty impressive racket for a three piece and its also at a small venue I like so it should be a good night.

So….since last time. Well of course there will be many of you making your way into New York to see Big Audio Dynamite at Roseland playing their last gig in a while. I think it will be an excellent show and who knows, the audience might have a few interesting names in it as well (besides your good selves). I’d be happy to include your post concert thoughts on the blog tomorrow so if you’re going along and have time to send a summary, photos or your take on the night please get in touch via the usual channels. On my last post I think I noted that I’d miss the Coachella performance by B.A.D. but I think I had some inaccurate scheduling information as I did get back from playing football in time to see their entire set. I’m glad I did.

Not sure if you checked out the youtube/coachella site during the festival but it was pretty impressive. I know you can’t beat ‘being there’ but in terms of the next best thing (for free) its brilliant that technology allows us access to what it does. The website featured 3 channels which showed primarily live feeds from the assorted stages with a few replays for the bigger names. Overall the stream was excellent in terms of few stalls and the audio quality was pretty good, certainly better than standing 130 yards away in a field. I managed to see a few performances over the weekend besides B.A.D. with Elbow, Arcade Fire and PJ Harvey being amongst the best in my opinion. Looked that the potentially extreme heat stayed away another week or two as the weather there is essentially the same as here. As for the B.A.D. performance I was impressed and really enjoyed it. Obviously seeing so many bits of footage from the UK dates took away from the novelty value but it was great to see the whole thing unfold in real time. The appearance kicked off right on time, seems like Coachella is run more and more like the Swiss rail system which makes sense when so much is taking place scattered around on the various stages of the festival. The band played a shorter set so that the time slot would be filled with precision but from my recollection it allowed them to get through 9 songs in all.

image courtesy Vans 66

Following the UK dates and the warmup show in Los Angeles this was the first audience they’ve encountered that weren’t simply there to see them but I don’t think that impacted Mick’s sense of happiness one iota. Sadly though it resulted in a more subdued crowd reaction than we’ve seen on some other shows but that’s to be expected I think. Coachella has been the location of same famous reunion shows over the last decade and I sensed that some of this crowd were looking for their very own slice of 80′s nostalgia, especially when the more obvious tracks (The Bottom Line, Rush) were received much more warmly than some others. That’s fair enough though, you pay hundreds of dollars to go to Coachella and many people under the age of 40 or lesser fans in the first place aren’t automatically going to recognise songs like Beyond The Pale or A Party. I don’t think it stopped Mick and the boys having a lot of fun though, he was all smiles throughout. Looking and sounding happy to be there and at times reminding the crowd that they were watching a very famous if slightly older guitar hero. As many have written about the UK shows the sound is stronger than many gigs I’d seen in the 80′s with technology advances providing a richer and fuller sound and the guitar being more front facing in the mix. I said it to myself and the blogette at least a dozen times ‘they sound really good don’t they?’ They did, the benefit of weeks of rehearsals and this being the 11th live show in a few weeks were both notable as the band started finding that groove that touring bands have. Micks voice sounded good and Don Letts filled so many potential thinner areas that the vocals were never an issue. Mick yapped a fair bit too, which was funny. As the camera panned the crowd I couldn’t help but wonder if (due to age) more than half of those assembled had much idea of who Mick Jones is or as importantly who he was. I know Carbon Silicon had played at the same festival a few years earlier but I think that Saturday was a bigger event for Mick for many reasons (beyond it being a bigger spotlight/stage/time slot). I wonder if it crossed his mind that he played his last official concert with The Clash only 70 miles to the North at the US festival in 1983.

The set went past in no time at all, Greg Roberts tried more than once to get the sun soaked crowd revved up to some success. Mick gave Joe Strummer a rightful acknowledgment as the co-writer of V13, talked about his fascination with jack rabbits (he should live here) and that was it. First big festival date in the bag and a summer full of them to follow. Lots of news to come this week including more concerts, some great photos, radio shows and some Clash news! At last!

Even as I write it’s about to begin in just a few hours, some of you reading this might be taking a drive over to Liverpool from Manchester or taking the train down from Blackpool. Some of you who live on Merseyside are probably enjoying a swift pint before heading to the venue. Of all the unlikely events I’ve written about on the blog since I started it over 650 posts ago this could be the most unlikely yet. Big Audio Dynamite are on tour!

Just a few thoughts to counteract some negativity I’ve read although everybody’s entitled to their opinions this just happens to be my blog and I’m going to go with an analogy in my defense of B.A.D. touring, ticket prices and the rest of it. If you support a football team or a band you don’t turn on your side because they haven’t won any trophies or made any new music for a few years. Being a fan is not always a thankful task but it is an elected one, and personally I think the best concerts consist of an audience filled with positivity – the selfsame thing happens at football grounds as well. To those who say “this isn’t The Clash, why get excited?”. Of course it fucking isn’t nor was it back in 1984 when Mick and Don Letts first started writing together as Jones looked to pave his way in a new band but I should add the concerts I attended were great. Considering he was unceremoniously dumped from The Clash in 1983 when the band originally was his own creation it’s almost a wonder that he even decided to stay involved in music. I think that says everything about Mick Jones and his passion for music, if it were all about the money  why was the last Carbon Silicon album available for free? Instead of being bitter and feeling sorry for himself he went out and made four of the best albums the second half of that decade can offer. It’s not The Clash now but nor was it ever, but if you really listen to the music it’s as close to what The Clash would have become as you can possibly get. With that in mind B.A.D. were for me a bloody important band, though not quite on the very top rung occupied by The Clash *although maybe that 2nd album shares it.

“The ticket prices are too bloody high”. Yes they are and I’ve been debating that and the price of many concerts the last few years with myself and others. I’ve arrived at this, yes they are expensive but so is the cost of the new PlayStation game for your kid, so is the monthly service for your Blackberry phone that does everything except make a decent cup of coffee, so is the price of a gallon of petrol, so are most things. However it’s not 1982 anymore and ten quid isn’t going to get you a concert ticket, three pints of lager and change to get the night bus home either. Promoters charge more than they used to, they’ve got rising costs. Venues charge more than they used to, they’ve got rising costs. Nobody buys very much music anymore which besides the point B.A.D. aren’t even touring a new album. Besides which and not to draw a complete parallel, The Sex Pistols charged £37.50 plus booking fees when they played the Brixton Academy four years ago and it was £27 with fees to see them all the way back in 1996, they’ve ‘returned’ now four different times.  We all choose what we spend our money on, concerts aren’t going to get cheaper and while this tour did seem to be over the odds for ticket prices perhaps determining whether it’s worthwhile shouldn’t be done until after the concert. The most I ever spent to see a band in my life was Gorillaz last year primarily for the chance to see Mick and Paul on stage once again, I didn’t regret it for a minute.

So if you’re going to see them on any of the UK dates, the US dates or at one of the festivals this summer just bloody enjoy it. If you knew in the summer of 2002 that you could see Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros and it could be the last time but might set you back £35 wouldn’t you have done it? I wish I could have had done so. Regrets will eat you up…I was always too nervous to even try and meet Joe Strummer after a gig. If 2011 marks the last time that the original lineup of B.A.D. tours then get out there and have a great night. Personally I don’t think Mick set the ticket prices any more than he told CBS records how to promote The Clash, but I do think he wanted to make sure that it would be a tremendous gig for the audience and financially viable for the other members of the band.

Now with a little luck this will lead to a new album being written and recorded guesting Paul Simonon and Topper Headon.  I’ve always thought that with ticket prices settling into the absurd range, bands may do well to include a free CD of a new album or something special with the ticket price. Even access to special downloads, something to make the ticket purchaser feel they were getting more value for money.

Anyway, not sure why it went into a rant but I hope those of you have tickets have a brilliant time and have memories that you will keep for years to come. Also don’t forget that due to when they were born many people who love the music never had the opportunity to see The Clash perform live, nor even in lots of cases even Big Audio Dynamite. It pains me to say it but if you were 16 when the original B.A.D. lineup splintered you’d already be about 36. I don’t think the audiences for these gigs will be as old as you might assume, though I could be wrong. I’m really looking forward to your setlists, photos, videos and reviews. If you’re curious about setlists and such keep an eye on Twitter or via the Facebook page for the blog as I intend to update later. Have at it ! Tim

I don`t care what key it`s in
Where it`s come from
Where it`s been
Just play that music

Well hello again to you all and thank you for dropping in The Clash Blog for your 1st or 101st visit, either way you’re very welcome and please come again. I’d love to be able to report that the situation in Japan had marginally improved since I last wrote but as you’re all aware conditions there seem to be getting more difficult and even more devastating than we had imagined just a day or two ago. Even at the weekend though when watching some of the many viral videos that were popping up online it was obvious that the extent of loss was going to far exceed the simultaneous information being provided by the media. Incidentally if you’re in the states and are tired of the endless pontification by CNN you can actually get access on their own website to Japanese television coverage on NHK in English if you prefer or just use this link to watch the channel. As I mentioned previously I do hope all of our many readers in Japan and their families are safe and managing to cope during this terrible time.

On a brighter note I managed to score the winning goal when playing football on Saturday which in itself is quite remarkable but what escalates this to the level of disbelief is that I actually did it with my left foot which I usually use just to stand upon, so that was good and it probably won’t get any better than that. Now today wasn’t exactly a quiet day in terms of Clash news either but the main story tonight does end over a year of speculation that I’ve had. The rumour that Big Audio Dynamite were about to reform originally started circulating about this time last year but the idea never made it into second gear due to the commitment by Mick Jones to play live with Gorillaz which for all intents took up more than half of 2010. So when news of the band reforming did eventually come through at the start of this year for live dates it wasn’t the largest shock of the year (that would be me scoring with my left foot). Although I’ve hinted at my curiosity about the potential longevity of a B.A.D. reunion I never came right out and posed the question of would they now be recording new material, I was simply happy at the prospect of them touring for what might be one last time and assumed that Mick had been bitten by the playing live bug after 2010 but this would be short-lived primarily due to the ongoing existence of Carbon Silicon. The idea of the band reuniting wasn’t that far fetched in the first place as Mick’s relationship with both Don Letts and Leo Williams had always been maintained over the years. I presumed things were going well and the commitment looked to be a little deeper when over the last few weeks a series of summer dates in Europe and Japan were announced which in turn would keep the band ‘together’ for a least a few months more. Now it seems that the band plan to actually record a brand new album – although I must stress I can only find articles that refer to an e-mail announcement from Sony music – rather than an actual press release. So while I’ve no reason to doubt the story on the other hand I can’t guarantee that it is accurate. It looks like the original source of the information  was the always enjoyable ‘Slicing Up Eyeballs’ site which constantly provides excellent news about artists who were most prominent in the 1980′s. Bookmark the site as it’s a great source to learn about re-issues, reunions and other bits and pieces. Here’s a link to the post from Slicing Up Eyeballs that was released early this morning which is quoted from beneath:

“Turns out the reunion won’t just be about looking backward: Mick Jones and Co. “have plans in the works for a new Big Audio Dynamite album,” according to a news release e-mailed late Monday by Sony Music promoting the band’s three upcoming U.S. performances. No other details of the project are known”

So I’d suggest that we keep our ears to the ground for further word on this but as a rule I do trust what comes from this particular source. The idea of B.A.D. writing about things in 2011 is definitely one that appeals to me especially when combining the enthusiasm of Don Letts with the added experiences that Mick has had since the band last were a going concern. Let’s hope it’s true and made more official over the coming days, I do have other news about B.A.D. which I’ll save for this weeks podcast which should be on Friday. Incidentally Steve Jones from The Sex Pistols has been confirmed as the master of ceremonies for the B.A.D. gig at the Roxy in Los Angeles (makes sense as he lives there), and speaking of MCs I’d be neglectful to not mention the sad passing confirmed today of Smiley Culture. He was one of the best UK reggae artists/deejays of his era and instantly reminds me of being 17 or 18 again. His recent years were blighted by a lot of difficult times it would seem so instead I suggest you listen to some of his music and read this more positive piece in The Guardian today. He was just 48.

Right, I’ve got a lot to get to tomorrow, so expect more then. Take care – Tim