Stiff Little Fingers come to Dublin

In '77 the Belfast band Stiff Little Fingers sent their first single to BBC Radio One DJ John Peel, who immediately started playing it every night. Dealing with the band’s frustrations surrounding “the Troubles” in Northern Ireland, ‘Suspect Device’ was gritty, honest, and powerful. Their first album, Inflammable Material, artfully mixed the personal with the political and made Stiff Little Fingers the first band in history to hit the UK top 20 album charts on an independent label.

Their upcoming 10th studio album covers topics from racism to recession, and has proved immensely popular when sampled live. Songs like ‘Trail of Tears,’ ‘Liar's Club’ and frontman Jake Burn’s very personal account of depression, ‘My Dark Places,’ have prompted enormous responses from fans who all agree that Stiff Little Fingers only get better with age.

Their live gigs are famously hallmarked by an energetic and passionate intensity, although upcoming shows promise to be particularly special. As Jake explains, they know how to blend their old classics with the fresh stuff; "You have to strike a balance. The difficulty with a band like ourselves is to try not make it sound like a cabaret band. Obviously, it'd be very easy to go, 'Hey, here's another old one you may remember.' A lot of the old songs the audience greet like old friends. I suppose it's the same as any band that's been around for any length of time. And yes, there are nights that we don't particularly want to play "Alternative Ulster" or "Suspect Device" because we've heard them 'til they're coming out our ears. But there's always the possibility that somebody out there has never seen the band before, never heard them."

Whether you are that brand new somebody, or an old punk veteran, Stiff Little Fingers always deliver their very best. You will not be disappointed.

Stiff Little Fingers will play The Academy on March 13th.
Tickets €22.10 incl. booking fee go on sale this Friday.