VIA PRESS RELEASE | Stiff Little Fingers were formed in 1977 in Belfast, Ireland. Along with the likes of The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Jam, Buzzcocks, The Undertones, Sham 69, Stranglers, et. al, Stiff Little Fingers were at the forefront of the punk movement.
They wrote initially about their own lives, growing up at the height of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, in songs like “Suspect Device” and “Wasted Life.” In November of ’77, they released those two songs on their own Rigid Digits label, and sent a copy to BBC Radio One DJ John Peel, who started playing it every night. These were the first of what became SLF’s signature style: lyrics that meld the personal and political, music that combines the energy of punk with infectious hooks, and delivery that rings of honesty and commitment.
In 1979 they became the first band ever to hit the UK Top 20 album charts on an independent label with their debut Inflammable Material. The album chronicles the band’s anger and frustration at the conflict in Northern Ireland, and calls on youth to create their own reality.
Over the years, their live shows continued to be special events of energy and power. Their studio albums demonstrate their passion and anger, each in its own way. In ’94, they released the Get a Life LP. The album helped renew interest in Stiff Little Fingers just as newer bands that cited them as a major influence, such as Bad Religion, Sugar, Rancid, and Therapy, were coming to prominence. In August 2003, Stiff Little Fingers released their ninth studio album, Guitar and Drum, which includes a moving tribute to Joe Strummer, entitled “Strummerville.”
During their 40-year career, they built a rich musical foundation with many studio albums. No Going Back was originally released in March 2014 and shows a definite musical growth in the band. With song titles like “Trail of Tears,” “My Dark Places,” and “Liar’s Club” covering topics such as the economic collapse, Jake’s personal struggle with depression, and continuing racism in the west. The songs continue to inspire fans old and new. Countless people have contacted Jake to say that “My Dark Places” gave them the strength to tell others about their own bouts with depression.
The No Going Back double CD reissue comes in a 2-CD Digipak edition with 12 exclusive demo songs, an acoustic version of “My Dark Places” and a live version of “When We Were Young.”
Though focused on new material, they always play the old favorites at gigs. Jake said, “You have to strike a balance. The difficulty with a band like us is to try not making 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’’ always the possibility that somebody out there has never seen the band before, never heard them.”
