Beautiful Day

Stiff Little Fingers swing through the US and Canada

Kung Fu Records act Stiff Little Fingers has announced the dates for an upcoming June trip through the United States and Canada. The long-running act continue to support their their latest record Guitar And Drum. Dates are forthcoming for a SLF visit to the United States in June.

Frontman Jake Burns spent the summer recording a solo record in Chicago and recorded the album with traditional Irish musicians from the city. The album titled Drinkin' Again was released in the UK on March 27. A combination of Burns originals, traditional Irish songs and a few modern covers, Jake describes the resulting album as a "Irish / Hillbilly / Country/ Punk hybrid."

From pukenews.org

You can click Read More for those dates.

Preview: Stiff Little Fingers

Coal Exchange, Cardiff

IF you think the word punk has taken on a horrible new meaning these days then bow before Stiff Little Fingers.

The band, pictured below, formed in 1978 after Jake Burns saw the Clash play in Belfast and released their first singles that year.

In 1979 they became the first band to hit the UK top 20 album charts on an independent label - with their 1979 debut Inflammable Material and they went on to become one of the leaders of the punk movementalong with the likes of the Clash, Sex Pistols, The Jam, Skids, Buzzcocks, Undertones, Sham 69 and the Stranglers.

After six years and three more studio albums they called it a day but reformed in 1987 and have toured since then.

From icwales.co.uk

Blood or Whiskey To Tour With Stiff Little Fingers

It is with great honor that Punk Core Records is to formally announce that Blood or Whiskey will be joining Punk legends Stiff Little Fingers as the opening act for their upcoming UK tour. Since the release of their critically acclaimed album Cashed Out on Culture last March, Blood or Whiskey have been the toast of the current Irish infused Punk trend by masterfully mixing traditional Irish music with Punk in manner the hasn’t been seen since The Pogues first made their historic stamp on the genre. Listed below are the dates in which Blood or Whiskey will be joining Stiff Little Fingers.

March 15 – Middlesbrough, at Town Hall
March 16 – Aberdeen, at Lemon Tree
March 17 – Glasgow at Barrowland
March 18 – Newcastle at Carling Academy
March 20 – Birmingham at Carling Academy
March 21 – Cambridge at The Junction

From Plug in Music

Fingers are itching to come back

STIFF Little Fingers' legend Jake Burns revealed he can't wait to play Barrowland on St Patrick's Night.

It was the Glasgow venue's amazing crowd who helped convince him to carry on after he reformed the band nearly 20 years ago.

SLF will notch up a record breaking 15 years in a row when they headline the Barras on March 17.

They've got that date booked for every future year until they finally call it a day.

Jake told me: "When we reformed we had no idea if anybody was going to buy tickets to see us.

"We played Barrowland for the first time in December, 1987.

"The only reason we did the gig was because Christmas was coming up and we were skint."

SLF went down a storm at Barrowland and convinced Jake to carry on.

Now the band - whose classic hits include Suspect Device and Alternative Ulster - are recording a new studio album. They'll try out new material on March 17.

Jake said: "I'm being absolutely genuine when I say Barrowland is my favouritegig in the whole world.

"The crowd have been right behind us from day one.

"There's a huge amount of affection there. You can't help being lifted by it.

"When we did the third St Patrick's night gig there our promoter said, 'I've booked Barrowland right through to 2000'.

"We just laughed. Yet, here we are six years past that date."

What's the difference between the SLF who played that first St Patrick's Night gig and the 2006 version?

"Bigger beer guts," joked Jake.

"We play much better now. It's more fun going on the road with your buddies. I've got to keep reminding myself I'm working.

"I've always been keen on moving us forward musically instead of relying on past glories."

From The Sunday Mail

Stiff Little Fingers led a mini-revolution in Ulster

Belfast punk band Stiff Little Fingers led a mini-revolution in Ulster music during the darkest days of the Troubles. Edwin McFee looks back at the origins of SLF and the role John Peel played

Picture the scene. It's 1977 and the musical landscape has been crushed under the might of a Doc Marten boot. Punk rules the airwaves and rock dinosaurs like Yes and Pink Floyd have apparently vanished. All that is left is the sneering, vitriolic Johnny Rotten and his Sex Pistols, raven-haired pioneers Siouxsie Sioux and her Banshees and the late, great Joe Strummer with his Clash.

Other than Rory Gallagher, few bands play in Belfast. It's the dark days of the 1970s; the Troubles are at their peak. But the Clash are different. They make the trip over the Irish Sea for a gig in the Ulster Hall and it turns out to be a night that changes lives.

Stiff Little Fingers, Liquid Room, Edinburgh

Now well into his forties, Jake Burns, the only remaining original member of Stiff Little Fingers, retains the youthful vigour of a man half his age.

Despite a rather embarrassing line in baggy shirts (the kind usually modelled by darts players), Burns’s continuing enthusiasm for music stands in stark contrast to so many punk-era artists, who are content to roll out 30-year-old songs year after year just to earn a living.

This sense of urgency and freshness is all the more incredible in light of the fact that Stiff Little Fingers spend more time on the road than Burns does in his native Belfast sipping pints of Guinness and talking about the good old days. They tour as if record sales depend on it, but perhaps it is only their spry alter egos that demand such arduous toil.

When they bound onto the stage at the Liquid Room looking like a group of iron-jawed Irish poets, it is easy to understand why they are greeted with unbridled adulation by an audience ranging from teenagers to fiftysomething men and women in CBGB T-shirts. Time has chipped away at the feral passion fired by youthful indignation, but they still have punk rock running through their veins.

Ulster bands join tribute day to DJ

LOCAL bands are set to take part in a special day celebrating the life of John Peel and his contribution to music.

A number of bands reflecting John's tastes, including Velma, Tin Pot Operation, Muinzer Black and Swanee River, will perform at a special gig at Belfast's Pavilion Bar, Ormeau Road, on October 13.

Brian Faloon, the original drummer with Stiff Little Fingers, decided to organise the event as special tribute to the man who kick-started his career.

He played the original singles, Suspect Device and Alternative Ulster, frequently on his shows and invited the band to record a number of Peel Sessions.

He also championed many other bands from Northern Ireland, including The Undertones whose "Teenage Kicks" was his favourite all-time song.

Venues across the rest of the UK will also be staging gigs as part of the John Peel Day.

Radio One will be broadcasting a six-hour show on October 13 and New Order, the Fall, Misty in Roots, Laura Cantrell and others will be appearing at a special concert on October 12 at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

From The Belfast Telegraph

Download Stiff Little Fingers MP3 tracks

Beautiful Day Covers Siff Little Fingers' Johnny Was for 1979. Dales SLF website is an unofficial site for the band. Kung Fu Records is  the new American and Japanese home for Stiff Little Fingers. The occasion was officially marked by the release of their album Guitar & Drum on July 13, 2004. The tracks Guitar and Drum and Can't Get Away With That are available as free MP3's from Kung Fu Records