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the concert

Decibels vociferants, maddening degaine and gestures go-to-war: when the Clash carried the fight on stage, his charisma exploded. when the Clash wore the fight on stage, his charisma exploded. From the first pogos to the last stages, galvanizing memories. By Bruno Blum and Richard Bellia

1977: Doc Martens and red velvet

The first coarse televised Sex Pistols tea time (December 1, 1976), England conservative goes wild against punk. And the reaction This is a vice in censorship. In one contexts clearly disputed, against a background of chi: i- mass mage, the punk concerts are the first victories of prohibitions. After the disastrous p & Anarchy in The UK Sex Pistols, turns cataloges punk are canceled at the chains, despite the demands. Local idols, Stranglers, Sex Pistols, Jam, Damned, Sham 69, Generation X, Buzzcocks, are baillonnees.Mais A loaves out, the first album of the Clash - whose cover shows the racial ernot of Notting Hill in 1976 - propels itself to the twelfth rank of the venter. In front of the scale of the movement, and fear that riots not declaring themselves to be outside in the small bondees oil rooms. group them are confines, the authorities are cautiously receding: the Clash will be the first group wearing punk etolle finally get permission to play in a large room table.

On May 9, 1977, the Clash goes up on the scene of Rainbow Theater in Finsbury Park, North London. Crest the rotten quarter of Johnny Rotten, located at the heart of a popular ghetto with a high density of caine, Pakistani and Irish. The three or so mills places qua contains the old cinema are sold due in record time. On the gigantic scene, The Prefects, The Subway Sect, The Buzzcocks and The Jam succeed each other in a chaos of confused sounds and feedback. But the big show is in the room, heated to white. The pogo ertfievre the fouls, the vaguer are in storm force 8. The bouncers knock on the first occasion. The tension is growing. And when Strummer advances, imperial, the Telecaster bard. of a Calico Control, anima of jolts, all low- from hysteria to pure madness. To punt keel, the furious public decides to peter the armchairs red velvet and wood pulls.

The vision is breathtaking. Passing from hand to hand, the debris of sieges accumulates in the pit of orchestra that the photographer has deserted, to hide Joe Strummer and gener the show. The battery is threatening to collapse. The sound is becoming more abominable, nature we do not understand a word, the pieces follow each other A hundred an hour in a distortion porridge. Monies have fun to erase the lowest light booms

With accoudorts. Some spots are off and dangle at the end of their thread, blinding the room a net of post-nuclear light. The musicians, amuses hand worried, dodge the missiles. Paul Simonon, tape on his bass sleeve for find the boxes, gesticulate, ye. shores on his hand left, hopping to avoid Special jets Brew eventee and spitting, practicing starts violent, virile dance and shock. Strummer voci- fere, inaudible, the microphone foot crosses on the shoulders, antechrist juche on the pile of seats that now covers the scene. Vision is apocalyptic. He is two meters high, stealing the cushions eventres, and his performance only started twenty minutes ago. The pogo breaks loose in the puddles of hot and the floor splinters.

It is necessary to calm the game. The bulging eyes, Strummer Take the speech. Demanding spread rumors by the tabloid press, he explains why that his songs have nothing to do with the National Front, whose racist speech finds a great echo dissant. The fouls approve. Enjoying the attention of the public, Strummer tents to calm the game: "Now brea-the, cool down your temper. "Then he struts the fouls, protecting themselves from blinding spots under his forearm that embraces the microphone stand, and resumes his breath having swept the beginning of lull in derision. Here is what happened: "This song is called White Riot, "Kicking the ant hill. pogo starts again.

Anima spasms rhythms, Joe Strummer torn the universe by its hypnotic presence, striking its guitars rather than playing it. The new drummer, Topper, propels all this on a rhythm solids, pro, relentless, without a second of repit M drop of voltage. Arnie from his Gibson Les Paul Junior, Mick Jones gets excited about his side, avoiding a heavy chair who will finish his trajectory in the battery. In the faction roxysms, Strummer, sitting on a stack of various objects, watching the projectiles, became spectate'ur of the typhoon he has unearthed. automation, disincame, posse ..

Rainbow is destroyed more than. hundred chairs opt ate pulled off the ground by Doc Martens. The bouncers evacuate the most troublesome debris, have a punk that is too temeraire spitting beer, evacuate a purilcette lack of art. Success is early, definitive, table. Rock'n'roll world record. We imagine the titles of the next day. B. B.

Finally a large hall: May 9, 1977. lo.Clash plays at Rainbow Theater in London.