The Clash's first gig supporting the
The Sex Pistols.
updated 16 Dec 2017 - overhaul & new links
updated 24 Jan 2020 - added 3 new articles
updated July 2021 - added poster
updated August 2022 added new article
updated Sept 2022 - makeover, added a lot, added original letter to SOUNDS
updated December 2022- added promotors daughter comments and offical FB link
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BBC Radio London interview, 2003
A wide ranging BBC Radio London radio interview with Paul and Mick in 2003. At 33mins they talk about the Black Swan gig.
Well covered by the major books and many other sources
The Clash's debut gig is well covered by the major books and many other sources on the Clash.
Paul and Mick also gave an interview to BBC Radio London reflecting on the first time they played on stage as The Clash.
A poster (poor quality) and a number of retrospectives have been written incluing memories from Clash fans who went to Black Swan that night.
Do you know anything about this gig?
Did you go?
All help appreciated. Info, articles, reviews, comments or photos welcome.
Please email blackmarketclash
Comments on Sheffield Forum
Plenty more comments can be found here Sheffield Forum - here and here
The archived versions of these pages - see above.
My Dad Booked them for there first ever gig at the Black Swan
Nicola Steeples - The Clash Official
My Dad Booked them for there first ever gig at the Black Swan (mucky duck) in Sheffield !!
I was there..I didn't know who the support was...I asked a guy and he said "they're called the Clash, it's their first gig"....he complemented me on my Iggy and the Stooges t shirt.
I didn't recognise that the guy I was talking to was Glen Matlock.There were very few people in attendance.
Keith Gregory - I was there! They weren't very good tbh…but hey, everyone has to start somewhere
Mark Crossley - Keith Gregory my mate who was there too said they were great and a lot better than the Sex Pistols. Each to their own of course
David Lennie - I was there too.
Kevin Quinn - Me and my friend Leslie Riley was present at this gig
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The Clash made their live debut supporting The Sex Pistols
4th July 1976 The Clash make their live debut supporting The Sex Pistols at the Black Swan, Sheffield, England
The Clash made their live debut supporting The Sex Pistols
The Clash played their first gig at The Black Swan pub in Sheffield on 4 July 1976
"The Clash played their first gig at The... -
"At age 17 the legendary British guitarist Keith Levene was a founder member of the Clash. He recruited Joe Strummer, wrote one of the band's early hits (what's My Name), played at all their early live shows including one in which he posited the idea to his future collaborator John Lydon to start PiL, then agreed to leave the Clash before his 18th birthday. Set against the emerging first wave of British punk in West London. Here's another link with a great interview with Keith https://www.furious.com/perfect/keithlevene.html
From Fandom - The Clash Wiki
The very first Clash gig. Little is known about the gig although it is important to point out that the Clash waited over another month before performing again.
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.'
Another eye-witness report: 'The Clash were billed as "The 101ers" on the posters...and Mick Jones and I were born on the very same day.The only song I remember was Steve Hibbert's " Pressure Drop" which I knew well from my old Trojan collection. There was a lot of shouting and political grand standing.'
It is said that Keith Levene wrote 'What's My Name?' on this night.
JOE STRUMMER AND THE LEGEND OF THE CLASH: The Clash at the Black Swan, Sheffield
The first Clash gig was a low-key affair supporting the Sex Pistols on 4 July at the Black Swan, Sheffield (aka the Mucky Duck). ‘It was great', recalled Joe in Uncuts February 2003 feature. "We made a few screw-ups. That was the first time Simmo was on stage and so forth. We actually managed to play the tunes. It was highly entertaining.'
PASSION IS A FASHION;
The Clash at the Black Swan
On 4 July 1976, as America celebrated its bi-centennial, and Israeli com- mandos rescued 100 hostages from Ugandan skyjackers, the group made their live debut supporting The Sex Pistols at the Black Swan in Sheffield.
It followed a tradition of new London groups road-testing themselves out of town: it was the same city where The Small Faces had played their first gig eleven years before.
The Clash were so excited they were up at 5 a.m. and on their way by 7 a.m., even though Sheffield was just four hours' drive away, and the gig didn't start till 8 p.m. 'We were so desperate to go out and do it after all those rehearsals,' explains Chimes. Toe and I felt like The Pistols were the opposition. The others, Mick and Paul, were saying, "No, they're our comrades in arms."'
Travelling up in the van, the impish Paul provided the entertainment by wrestling one of Levene's shoes off him and trailing it along the motorway at the end of a rope.
The gig - entrance 90p - had been arranged by McLaren, who'd told the promoter the support was The 101ers. 'We filled in,' recalls Micky Foote. 'We didn't tell the geezer till the last minute that Joe Strummer was coming up with his new band. He was like, "I booked the hacking lOl'ers!" But there were at least half a dozen people there who looked a bit punky. Word had got up there. There were sixty or seventy lOl'ers fans who were a bit disap- pointed ... I was doing the sound and we talked this guy in a music shop in Walthamstow - I think Bernie knew him - into lending us a PA. The group were rattling round with the equipment in the back of this great big van. They had all the gear on, it was pretty exciting. Joe's out of his suit and into a pair of jeans and shoes dripping with paint. There was everything to do, everything to change.'
Onstage, Joe transformed into a spluttering punk madman, his 'electric leg' in overdrive. Simonon wore a stylish two-tone suit and threw great shapes. The first song they ever played was the instrumental 'Listen'. Joe remembered Paul starting the bass intro to the latter and failing to stop climbing the scale at the appropriate point. This elicited guffaws of laughter from the group. The Sex Pistols were relieved that their competition didn't look too threatening.
The only 'review' at the time was an anonymous letter in the following week's Sounds. After trashing The Pistols it read: '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 1960s R&B but failed dismally.' Micky Foote, however, remem- bers The Clash being 'well-received' and Bernie enthusiastically telling the promoter 'they were gonna be the next big thing'.
RETURN OF THE LAST GANG IN TOWN:
The Clash at the Black Swan
Details of name, image, performance style, repertoire and sound had to be sorted out quickly to at least temporary satisfaction because the Clash's début appearance was scheduled for Sunday, 4 July 1976. They were to support the Sex Pistols at the Black Swan — known as the Mucky Duck — in Sheffield. The headline band, time and place were not without significance. It was Bernie's relationship with Malcolm that brought about the opportunity to play. From the point of view of Bernie and the Clash, supporting the Pistols was both an acknowledgement of influence and a chance to buy into the Pistols' scene. From the point of view of Malcolm and the Pistols, it established the rightful pecking order.
REDEMPTION SONG:
The Clash at the Black Swan
...It was Paul Simonon who noticed how frequently the headlines in the London Evening Standard carried the word "clash"; the Clash was the name decided upon. "I didn't just stumble upon it," he said. "We were so highly attuned to what we needed by then that the word leapt out at me from the pages of the paper." Which was just as well, as—after nagging Bernie Rhodes ceaselessly—the group had their first gig booked, as opening act to the Sex Pistols, at a pub the 101'ers had played, the Black Swan, 180 miles north of London, on July 4, 1976.
"It was pretty good," Joe told Mal Peachy, "because there we were in Sheffield and I think it was on a Sunday afternoon and all these people came out of the woodwork, you know, like punk types: ex—Roxy Music, like leopard-skin period, but searching on for the next thing. Lots of makeup and hair beginning to go berserk. There was a fair audience there, and that gave us a lot of heart. Because we realized that this was a nationwide thing that was just about to explode."
"One thing that didn't change from the beginning, right through to the end of the group," confided Chimes, "was that before each show Mick was always nervous, running around, very uncomfortable and really stressed. But Joe was making jokes and seemed very happy. Then we'd come offstage and Mick would be all happy because it's over, and Joe would be sitting with his head in his hands, saying it was the end of the world—and that never changed at all."
Among the numbers played by the Clash were the 101'ers' "Rabies (from the Dogs of Love)," Mick Jones's "Ooh, Baby, Ooh (It's Not Over)" and "Listen," an instrumental number. Joe's equipment included a micro- phone he had stolen from the English National Opera House when he worked there as a janitor. During the Pistols' set, Joe Strummer and Terry Chimes stood at the side of the stage. "I really rate this lot," confided Joe to the drummer. "They're not very good, are they?" was, in turn, John Lydon's almost predictable assessment of the Clash to Glen Matlock.
The Sheffield date only intensified the level of ambition within the Clash. July 5 saw the Clash at Dingwall's Dancehall in Camden Town, to see the revered Ramones. The following night, the Damned opened for the Pis- tols at one of their Tuesday-night 100 Club dates, which caused anxiety within the Clash. They should have been playing that gig: were they going to miss the boat of this new musical mood?
Book: The Clash (official):
The Clash at the Black Swan
Joe: The line-up for the first gig was Terry Chimes on drums, Paul Simonon, Mick Jones, myself and Keith Levene, so we had a three-guitar set-up at that time.
Mick: I don't think we had been rehearsing that long before the first gig.
Joe: The first gig we ever played was at what we used to call the Mucky Duck (actually called the Black Swan) in Sheffield. We had a song we did called " Listen" , which had a bassline that went up in a scale and then down a note to start, and Paul was so nervous that he just kept going up the scale, and we all fell over laughing 'cos we didn't know when to come in.
Paul: The day The Clash started really was when we played the Mucky Duck with the Pistols, which was great.
It was the first time that I had ever played on stage. The night before it felt frightening but once we were on the way there then I began larking about. I tied one of Keith's shoes to a piece of string and hung it out of the back of the van ñ the door had to be open anyway so we could breathe. So there we were sitting with all the amps and luggage with a plimsoll bouncing around behind us and all the cars behind us slowing down to avoid it. But the moment that we walked out on stage it was like I was in my own living room. I felt really comfortable. Things went wrong during the evening, and Mick had to come over and tune my guitar, but it didn't bother me. I just wanted to jump around, but Mick wanted it to be in tune.
POSTER - SEX PISTOLS / THE CLASH,
BLACK SWAN, SHEFFIELD
(very low res)
THE BLACK SWAN, SHEFFIELD
The Black Swan, a legendary music venue in Sheffield, has a rich history dating back to the late 1970s. It was a pivotal hub for the city's burgeoning punk rock movement and hosted iconic performances, including The Clash's first-ever gig, where they shared a bill with the Sex Pistols and Buzzcocks.
The venue later transformed into The Mucky Duck and then The Boardwalk, continuing to champion alternative music and hosting a diverse array of emerging acts, including local bands like Arctic Monkeys and Reverend & The Makers.
The Black Swan's significance in nurturing Sheffield's vibrant alternative music scene is well-documented, and its evolution into The Boardwalk further solidified its place in the city's musical heritage.
The Clash at The Black Swan, Sheffield - Google
The Boardwalk was a bar/nightclub based on the corner of Snig Hill and Bank Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The venue played host to many up-and-coming home-grown bands, as well as smaller touring bands and cover acts. In November 2010, the landlord of the venue voluntarily placed the owning company into administration and closed the site indefinitely. Despite an official statement in December of the same year claiming three potential parties to be interested in operating the venue, [1] this did not materialise and the Boardwalk remained closed.
The Boardwalk held an important place in Sheffield's music scene since the 1960s, when it was known as the Black Swan (and later by its local nickname, the Mucky Duck). It played host to a number of high-profile bands including AC/DC and Genesis, with The Clash playing their first ever gig at the venue on a bill that also included Sex Pistols and Buzzcocks.
In its later years, the music venue had helped facilitate the rise of local bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Tomato Plant, Bromheads Jacket, Milburn, Bring Me the Horizon, and Little Man Tate, [2] with the former naming their first demo Beneath the Boardwalk.
Downstairs - (Under The Boardwalk), was called the Old Brewery Tap, Dive Bar, and the Merry England Bar at different periods of time.
The Black Swan Sheffield - Google
The Black Swan now
Pistols get the bullet
From 'A real music lover, Sheffield'
SOUNDS letters page
Published 17 July 1976
All letters page 1
All letters Page 2
On this day, 4th July, 1976, The Clash played their debut gig at the Black Swan in Sheffield
Sex Pistols / The Clash,
The Black Swan, Sheffield, July 4th, 1976
Book: An extract from
This Day in Music's Guide to The Clash.
Things went wrong during the evening, and Mick had to come over and tune my guitar, but it didn't bother me. I just wanted to jump around, but Mick wanted it to be in tune.
Relive The Clash's first-ever live performance in 1976
Farout Magazine
SAT 3RD JUL 2021
The first band to come along who will really frighten the Sex Pistols
Sounds
date unknown
The Clash, who travel to the gig in a furniture removal truck with an open rear end, find themselves playing to around fifty punters, including a mere smattering of punks. The band dressed in black and white combinations of distressed suits, skinny ties and charity shop shirts, splattered with pink paint that had splashed when they were decorating Rehearsals and spraying their amps. ìWe were just starting to find out what it could be,î said Mick.
Giovanni Dadomo, Sounds, 1976
The Birth of The Clash - The Independent
Fri 10 Oct 2008
An epiphany at a Sex Pistols gig led to the formation of the most enduring of punk bands. Here, in an extract from a new book, The Clash reveal how they started in a London squat.
THE BLACK SWAN - Legendary Punk Pub
Underground England
The Clash
Joe: The first gig we ever played was at what we used to call the Mucky Duck (actually called the Black Swan) in Sheffield. We had a song we did called "Listen", which had a bassline that went up in a scale and then down a note to start, and Paul was so nervous that he just kept going up the scale, and we all fell over laughing ‘cos we didn't know when to come in.
Music Reissues Weekly Keith Levene and The Clash
Covers the first few months of The Clash from London SS to 101'ers to the first few gigs of the Clash and includes references to the gig at the Black Swan.
Link - archived PDF - added July 2024
Photos from article
Pictured right, The Clash rehearsing in late June or July 1976 with Terry Chimes on drums. Keith Levene, second right
Pictured right, The Clash during the 13 August 1976 showcase at their rehearsal room. Keith Levene, right
Pictured left, The Clash rehearsing in late June or July 1976 with Terry Chimes on drums. Keith Levene, third right at microphone
Pictured left, The Clash rehearsing in June 1976 with Paul Buck on drums. Keith Levene, right
Today in history the Clash play their first full live gig
4 July 2018
The Clash's debut gig came as opening to the Sex Pistols.
Fresh hope for famous Sheffield music venue where The Clash played first gig -
15 March 2018
The future of a famous Sheffield music venue where The Clash played their first ever gig is looking up after a 'let' sign appeared outside.
The Boardwalk has been advertised for rent since summer 2016 but the new sign only recently appeared outside the building on Snig Hill in the city centre.
A spokesman for the letting agent Christie & Co said tenants had been found for the property, which has been split into two premises, but the deals were still being finalised and leases had not been signed at this stage.
The night 40 years ago punk rocked Sheffield
The Sheffield Star
Four decades ago today The Clash rocked, if not the casbah of their later hit, a Sheffield venue at an iconic gig. The band's Black Swan live debut, supporting The Sex Pistols, is documented as the night punk moved overground amid a blistering heat wave.
Sheffield Star - ON THIS DAY 1976:
4 July 2016
The Clash and Sex Pistols bring punk rock to Sheffield at legendary gig. Four decades ago today The Clash rocked, if not the casbah of their later hit, a Sheffield venue at an iconic gig. The band's Black Swan live debut on this day in 1976, supporting The Sex Pistols, is documented as the night punk moved overground amid a blistering heat wave.
Fandom retrospective
Hostile eye-witness report in the NME of July 17th 1976: 'The Clash were just a cacophonous barrage of noise."
Comments: Sheffield Forum -
Sex Pistols / Clash, Black Swan
Sex Pistols/The Clash
@ The Black Swan 1976
Comments: Sheffield Forum -
Sex Pistols in Sheffield
Comments: Sheffield History
Entrance was 90p!
The night that punk went overground-
July 4th 1976 an oral account.
Lounder than War
We were dressed in black and white. A couple of us had ties on, black and white shirts with suity bits. It was punky style "not good suits, a bit ripped. Kind of tight suits, slightly different. We were dressed fairly straight and well-behaved in a way "maybe a rip here and a little splash of colour there. A couple of pin-type things, not safety pins. The look was still formulating.
The Clash at the Mucky Duck -
NowThen Magazine
The gig was in support of the still-relatively-unknown punk icons The Sex Pistols, allegedly hastily arranged by the bandís management in order to beat to the stage their London rivals The Damned, whose debut was scheduled only a few days later.
God Save the Sex Pistols interview
with Lindsay Smith (no Clash)
Pistols fanatic Mick Anyon interviews television engineer Lindsay Smith, a young punk of 25 years old at the time, regarding his memory of one Sunday evening in the summer of 76.
Extensive archive of articles, magazines and other from the early gigs in 1976
Archive - Snippets - UK Articles - Video Audio - Social media - Fanzines Blogs - Retrospective articles - Photos
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Not known –
but thought to have played;
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EARLY GIGS '76, A collection of from early 1976 to New Year 1976.
Extensive archive of articles, magazines and other from the early gigs in 1976
EARLY GIGS '76, BOOKS
Black Swan pg142 ...
Black Swan pg95, 96 ...
Black Swan pg ...
Black Swan pg42 ...
There are several sights that provide setlists but most mirror www.blackmarketclash.co.uk. They are worth checking. from Setlist FM (cannot be relied on) from Songkick (cannot be relied on) & from the newer Concert Database and also Concert Archives Also useful: Ultimate Music database, All Music, Clash books at DISCOGS Articles, check 'Rocks Back Pages'
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