The Clash Live 1976

This page lists all known Clash gigs from 1976 with info. If you have any corrections please email blackmarketclash

Tours

Jun 76 - Black Swan , five piece ...

Sept 76 - 100 Club, London gigs ...

Dec 76 - Anarchy Tour ...

Hostile eye-witness report in the NME of July 17th 1976: 'The Clash were just a cacophonous barrage of noise. The bass guitarist had no idea how to play the instrument and even had to get another member of the band to tune it for him. They tried to play early '60s R 'n' B and failed dismally. Dr Feelgood are not one of my favourite bands, but I know they could have wiped the floor with The Clash.' Signed 'A real music lover, Sheffield.'

An extensive archive of articles, magazines and other items from the Black Swan date upto the Anarchy Tour

Video and audio from the Black Swan date upto the Anarchy Tour

The Black Swan, early dates


July 4		Sheffield - Black Swan
Aug 13		London - Rehearsal Rehearsals, Camden Town
Aug 29		London - Screen On The Green, Islington
Aug 31		London - The 100 Club
Sep 5		London - The Roundhouse, Camden Town

Levene leaves


Sep 20		London - 100 Club Punk Festival
Oct 2		London - ICA Institute of Contemporary Arts Theatre
Oct 9		Leighton Buzzard - Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre
Oct?		Guildford - "Pub come disco"
Oct 15		London - Acklam Hall, Ladbroke Grove
Oct 16		London - University of London. Student Central
Oct 23		London - ICA Institute of Contemporary Arts
Oct 27		Birmingham - Barbarellas
Oct 29		London - Fulham Town Hall
Nov 5		London - Royal College of Art
Nov 11		Ilford - Lacy Lady
Nov 13		Birmingham - Barbarellas
Nov?		Manchester -
Nov		Polydor Demos
		Studio - Marble Arch (Polydor Demos) Janie Jones Career Opportunities London's Burning 1977 White Riot Line Up: Joe Strummer - vocals, guitar, Mick Jones - guitar, Paul Simonon - bass, Terry Chimes - drums, Producer Guy Stevens. Engineer Vic Smith. Source - Passion Is a Fashion (p. 177)
76?		In the studio - White Riot
		A short clip (from a longer peice) has appeared in Kino's commercial video library
Nov 18		High Wycombe - Nags Head
Nov 22		Coventry - Lanchester Polytechnic

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Rob Harper comes in on drums for the Anarchy Tour


Nov		London - Harlesden Coliseum - Anarchy Tour Rehearsals
Nov		London Weekend TV - 2mins

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Supporting the The Sex Pistols...

Terry Chimes quits prior to the tour and Rob Harper rejoins the band for the Tour... Some Clash photos circulate from this tour but the venue is unknown, possibly the Winter Gardens at Cleethorpes.

Ray Stevenson writes

The February 21, 1976, issue of the New Musical Express warned readers: "Don't look over your shoulder but The Sex Pistols are coming". "They were like a million years ahead," The Clash's Joe Strummer later told his biographer Chris Salewicz. "I realised immediately we were going nowhere; the rest of my group hated them." In December two bands were were sharing a coach the Anarchy Tour, which also featured Johnny Thunders' band The Heartbreakers and The Damned. Nineteen dates were booked. But the bands performed just three times, the rest of the shows cancelled by order of the authorities who were, not completely without reason, fearful of fighting.

In 1996, Mojo magazine harked back:

Contrary to legend, the destination board on the (tour) bus did not read Nowhere. It was blank. The Sex Pistols, Heartbreakers (from New York), Clash and managers, promoters, roadies and photographers all got on board. The warm interior of the bus with its comfortably upholstered seats was a luxury. They were about to embark on the first full-scale punk tour of the UK.

It was during rehearsals for this very tour - 2 days earlier - that the Pistols appeared on Bill Grundy. Anarchy In The UK had been released a few days previously. The Pistols actually arrived for the programme in a chauffeur driven limo. It was the first serious TV that the Pistols had. Malcolm McLaren's reaction: "Fucking hell, the band have just sworn on live TV."

The first show was due to be held at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich on 3 December 1976. Billed as a "A Punk-Rock Evening", tickets cost £1.25 in advance and £1.50 on the door, but collectors would pay many times that for one now. The concert never went ahead: earlier that day, vice-chancellor Dr Frank Thistlethwaite banned it "on the grounds of protecting the safety and security of persons and property"…

Only three of the scheduled gigs went ahead, along with four other rearranged shows. The tour finally started at Leeds Polytechnic on 6 December, with further dates at Manchester's Electric Circus (9 and 19 December), Caerphilly's Castle Cinema (14 December), Cleethorpes' Winter Gardens (20 December) and Plymouth's Woods Centre (21 and 22 December).

Extensive archive of articles, magazines from the Anarchy Tour period

Video and audio from the Anarchy Tour period

The Anarchy Tour


Dec 1		Dundee - Caird Hall
Dec 1		Dundee - College of Technology SU
		cancelled so the Sex Pistols could appear (as a late replacement for Queen) on the Bill Grundy Show
Dec 3		Norwich - Polytchnic
Dec 4		Derby - Kings Hall
Dec 5		Newcastle - City Hall
Dec 6		Leeds - Polytechnic
Dec 7		Bournemouth - Village Bowl
Dec 9		Manchester - Electric Circus
Dec 10		Preston - Charter Theatre
Dec 10		Lancaster - University
Dec 11		Liverpool - Stadium
Dec 11		Liverpool - The Cavern Club
Dec 13		Bristol - Colston Hall
Dec 14		Cardiff - Top Rank
Dec 14		Caerphilly - Cinema
Dec 15		Glasgow - Apollo
Dec 16		Dundee - Caird Hall
Dec 17		Sheffield - City Hall
Dec 17		Carlisle - Market Hall
Dec 18		Southend - Kuursal
Dec 19		Guildford - Civic Hall
Dec 19		Manchester - Electric Circus
		possibly filmed by Julain Temple? Kino Library? 30 seconds of undocumented footage has appeared
Dec 20		Birmingham - Town Hall
Dec 20		Cleethorpes - Winter Gardens
Dec 21		Plymouth - Woods Centre
Dec 22		Torquay - 400 Ballroom
Dec 22		Paignton - Penelopes Ballroom
Dec 22		Plymouth - Woods Centre
Dec 26		London - Harlesdon Roxy Theatre
Dec 27		London - Harlesdon Roxy Theatre
Dec 28		London - Harlesdon Roxy Theatre