Tour poster - large

Sounds 6 Aug 88
Fantastic interview with Joe during the Doncaster and Liverpool Gigs

New Statesman 20 June 1988
Combat Rock. Joe: "I'm not amillionaire Strummer rants against the Rich".

Sunday Times 17 April 1988
Rock the Rich Class War
Rock and railing with Cafe Society

1988 01 31 LA Times
Strummer Interview Strummer on Man, God, Law

France, MUSIC Mag
'Joe Strummer: Rock Against Rupins'

Support band interviewed

Sheila Rodgers Tour Preview

Class War Tour pamplet - Joe
Class War leaflet - Joe

PUNTERS VIEW

Hi, Just wanted to say what a great site you have and to offer you a "punters view" on Joe's Green Wedge Tour.

I didn't see the Tabernacle gig as I had no idea that it was happening, I had, however, already got tickets for the Milton Keynes Amnesty gig. My mate and I drove up from Tunbridge Wells in Kent and spent a blisteringly hot day getting slowly drunk and quickly sunburned! My memories of the weekend are fairly vague; Big Audio Dynamite were good as always, New Model Army were fucking great I seem to remember, The Men They Couldn't Hang were good fun, but The Latino Rockabilly War were a little underwhelming - maybe nerves? - but I do know that seeing Joe for the first time since The Clash was exciting enough, never mind the performance. I'm not sure, but I think they were better on the Sunday.

I didn't see the Brixton gig, but was at Hackney Empire for a very strange evening of "alternative" comedy and music. Tony Allen was quite funny, Jerry Sadowitz was exceedingly funny but his set was very short, mainly because of the reaction he was getting from some pretty hardline feminists in that night (I remember he said something about Anne Diamond having a miscarriage that brought torrents of abuse). Strummer was on good form that night and I know we enjoyed the band much more than at Milton Keynes, maybe just because it was indoors. I don't really remember the set, but I think it may have been the first time they did "Oye Como Va", and I remember being quite taken aback at how "Latin" this thing really was. Loads of percussion. Wow! I think "Ride Your Donkey" was played as well, and what a lovely groove that always was.

The Electric Ballroom is already well documented, but I too think it was where everything came together. A really interesting set list, (B.A.
D. songs for christ's sake!) and a truly great night out.

Then it was on to probably the strangest venue I've ever been to - Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre. I remember you had to walk past the swimming pool with families enjoying their Saturday evening fun on the water slides and suchlike. God knows what they thought of all these rebel rockers invading their nice little playground. The gig itself was on a basketball court with a small stage set up at one end. It made for an odd setting, but a nice intimate one. The sound wasn't that great, but Joe and the boys put on a really good show, and Zander Schloss was pretty much on fire if I remember rightly. I didn't see them again until the Town & Country gigs the next year (I still have my autographed ticket from one of those).

So there you are. Not a lot of detail I'm afraid, but hopefully you'll find my brief recollections of some interest.
Yours, N.C. <jcp666[a]tiscali.co.uk>