Stiff Little Fingers/Chelsea – Brighton, 31 March 09

I arrived in time to see Gene October and Chelsea, for the first time in 30 odd years, and they really haven’t changed much in the meantime. James Stevenson was even still playing guitar. Gene October looks absolutely amazing for his age and he’s a very charismatic front man. I very rarely play Chelsea’s stuff and to my mind that their weakness. Even ‘Right To Work’ doesn’t seem to be in the same league as a lot of the other great singles released at the time. Still Chelsea remains an entertaining live band and they were a perfect warm up for SLF. They finished with a rousing sing-a-long version of ‘I Fought The Law’.

I came late to the SLF party. I remember buying and loving their first single and then, for some reason, lost interest. I was probably pursuing my passion for Kraftwerk, dub and spliffs at the time they were at their peak - my loss in retrospect.

The first time I saw them was at the Beautiful Days festival last summer. I was blown away by their passion and energy that reminded me of The Clash. Last night, I was talking with friends and so was not as close to the action as I like so felt a big detached. There was a big, very up-for-it crowd and the place was rocking from the word go. By the end I’d moved further forward and was, again, very impressed. This is top-notch rock and the set was full of anthems. The encore was a 10-minute version of ‘Johnny Was’ that was totally wonderful. Other moments that stick in my mind were ‘Tin Soldier’ and, of course, ‘Suspect Device’ and ‘Alternative Ulster’.

As a final aside, it was an interesting crowd. A good 30-40% looked like ex-football hooligans. It was all very good natured but I was struck by the fact the crowd seemed less obviously punky than at – say – recent Brighton gigs by Buzzcocks, Only Ones, and Penetration. Maybe I imagined it but I think it’s interesting to see the subtle differences in the make up of the audience. Anyone else observed this?

Anyways, a great night of punky fun and, coincidentally, the evening following my last day of work…..so something of a celebration too (for now anyway).

Having read the Gene October article on Chelsea in Ice Cream For Quo, I reckon I wouldn't give them the time of day.
SLF were part of my youth.
Even though I wasn't in Belfast, that anger and sense of nihilism screamed at me aged 15.

I saw Chelsea at the Rebellion festival last year and they were great. Good to see the guitarist and drummer from the 1st album are back. October can be a pain at times though. He was once attacked on stage by members of the band!

I wonder if many at the gig met via

It's come to this :angry:

I think Chelsea did some really good material such as Look at the Outside, High Rise Living, Evacuate, Don't Get Me Wrong, No Ones Coming Outside, Right to Work, Trouble is the Day, No Flowers etc. I've not seen them for decades though, and I'd rather watch them than SLF although I like Imflammable Material.