Sort it Out Tour

updated 2 Jan 2009 - added radio interview

No known audio or video

If you know of any recording, please email blackmarketclash

AUDIO: Clash, The: The Clash's Joe Strummer Radio Interview

15 minute interview by Ian Penman with Mick and Joe

(version 1)

(version 2)

Interview by Ian Ravendale, Rock's Backpages audio, 2 December 1978

Rock's Backpages
https://www.rocksbackpages.com
The Clash's Joe Strummer (1978). By Ian Ravendale

AUDIO: The Clash's Joe Strummer (1978)

Ian Ravendale, Rock's Backpages audio, 2 December 1978

Backstage at Newcastle Polytechnic, the Clash's frontman on the problems surrounding that night's gig; becoming part of the "rock establishment" and selling out; the production of Give 'Em Enough Rope; and Sid Vicious and the coincidence of 'Drug Stabbing Time'.

Read a transcript of this interview.
File format: mp3; file size: 5.8mb, interview length: 14' 27" sound quality: *****

Record Mirror

Northern Echo Clash cast off the Pistols tag

16 November 1978

Book: A Riot of Our Own

Book: The last night of the tour according to A Riot of Our Own pg125 and it definately took place. It is listed on adverts in the music press as a late date for the Tour.

Doubts over punk band's poly concert

Newcastle Journal - Thursday 30th November 1978

Link

Ticket

Ticket kindly shared by Real Dean Whittaker via Clash on Parole

Tommy Gun / Bath / Newcastle advert

Newcastle Polytechnic

Newcastle Polytechnic was a concert venue located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England that hosted various gigs, concerts, and shows in the 1970s and 1980s1 2 3 4.

The venue was used by the band The Police for several concerts, including performances on March 8, 1975, May 9, 1975, May 4, 1976, and May 6, 1977 2. Other notable acts that played at Newcastle Polytechnic included Andy Summers (with Kevin Ayers) on June 11, 1976, Curved Air on September 24, 1976, and Pixies with The Wolfgang Press on April 27, 1989, which was the last concert held at the venue 2 3.

The concert history of Newcastle Polytechnic spans from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s, with the venue serving as a popular location for live music performances in the region during that time period 1 2 3 4. However, the exact details about the building itself and its history are limited in the provided search results.

45worlds - Newcastle Polytechnic
The Police Wiki - Newcastle Polytechnic
Concert Archives - Newcastle Polytechnic
Concert Archives - Newcastle Polytechnic Students' Union
Wikipedia - Newcastle Arena

]

Poly riot band loses fee

Newcastle Journal - Thursday 14th December 1978

Link

Trouble flared when iconic punk band The Clash played in Newcastle 45 years ago

Chronicle Live
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk ›

19 MAY 2022 -
Updated 19 MAY 2022

Archive PDF

The Clash in action at Newcastle University's students' union bar on May 20, 1977 - from left, Mick Jones, Paul Simenon, and Joe Strummer (Image: Mirrorpix)

When The Clash performed at Newcastle University's students' union bar in May 1977, there was trouble during and after the show

It's four and a half decades since punk rock arrived kicking and screaming.

The new genre's aggressive brand of back-to-basics rock, snarling attitudes, and radical fashions shook up a complacent music scene and outraged Britain's popular press and its readers at the same time. One of punk's prime exponents were The Clash, a band whose range of musical styles - ska, rockabilly and dub, as well as punk - and topically politicised lyrics would separate them from their contemporaries.

In December 1976, they were on the line-up for a Newcastle show that would have been particularly memorable but in the event ended up being scrubbed. Along with fellow punk icons The Sex Pistols and The Damned, The Clash were due to perform at the City Hall on the Anarchy In The UK tour, but most of the shows - including Newcastle - were cancelled due to the controversy that followed the Pistols’ infamous TV clash with Bill Grundy.

Undeterred, five months later, The Clash - Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simenon and Topper Headon - rolled into town for a show at Newcastle University’s students’ union bar on their White Riot tour. The gig, which took place 45 years ago on May 20, 1977, was somewhat chaotic, but the band managed to power through an explosive set that included London’s Burning, Police and Thieves, and their first single White Riot.

Strummer and his bandmates were left drenched thanks to a trademark punk audience spitting frenzy, while punks outside fought running battles with doormen as they tried to get into the ticket-only student event.

Joe Strummer and Topper Headon of The Clash on Tyneside in 1977 (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

And there was more trouble after the show. The Clash, along with support band The Slits, were staying at the 131-bedroom Holiday Inn in Seaton Burn - a favourite resting place for touring acts stopping off in Newcastle. Our sister title The Journal reported how hotel guests complained of "noise and foul language".

The hotel manager told us: "Both groups were rowdy and obnoxious. A few glasses were broken and fire hoses unrolled during their stay. Before we allow them to stay again, we would want a good behaviour guarantee." The band's record label, CBS, was unapologetic, however, with a spokesman saying: "Their behaviour in the hotel was no worse than that of most rock bands."

The Clash would go on to earn much critical approval and commercial success before they finally broke up in 1986. If the punk phenomenon burned brightly but only relatively briefly in the late 1970s, their name is one from the time that is still revered today.

The Clash Newcastle Polytechnic

Oct 28 1977 and Dec 2 1978
Posted July 16, 2012 - by vintagerock

Archive PDF

A guests only venue

most of the punks at the concert were not student union members so were not allowed in

"the Dec 2 Polytechnic, Newcastle gig did take place (thought you could be right it might be the 9th, it was a Saturday anyway) as I was at this concert, and out of the 20 or so clash gigs I attended this was my favourite due to the atmosphere. The clash were supported by the Innocents, and the Slits.

The poly was a guests only venue and most of the punks at the concert were not student union members so were not allowed in, and a lot of the students would not sign people in. There was no problem buying tickets so a lot of people were pissed of with he students as they thought they were being ripped off as there was also no refund (not that anyone wanted a refund). I managed to get in early and there was a lot of fire escape doors kicked open to let people in.

I can't remember much about the Innocents except they had a female singer and I think were along similar sound as the Raincoats or Kleenex. The Slits came on stage and Ari invited all the punks to "kick the shit out of the students for being wankers and not letting people in" or something along those lines, and a lot of the punks obliged. During the slits set someone at the front of the stage stuck their hand up Ari's mini skirt so he had the shit kicked out of him, by the audience, and Ari as he was pinned to the stage and couldn't go anywhere as Ari stamped on his face and couldn't turn around as the people behind were hitting him as well.

The Clash, and particularly Joe was apparently a bit peeved at Ari's outburst and the fighting and after playing Safe European Home (the opening song) asked for everyone to calm down, then went on to play the best gig Iv seen, probably due to the band being in a bad mood over all the fighting.

The next day the gig was on the front page of the Northern Echo with a shot of the Clash on stage taken from the back balcony of the Poly and a review of the mini-riot that had taken place (I was also in the picture :-)), and as far as I can remember the Northern Echo was only published on a Sunday at the time. Iv thought about checking the news-agency archives as I wouldn't mind a copy of the picture as I never kept the original article, it was not something I thought about at the time."

A second review of the Newcastle gig

Newcastle Poly 2.12.78

There was a lot of tension building up to this Clash gig, the last night of the tour, as only students were allowed to buy tickets. The local, and thriving, new wave scene took exception and students with good music taste (and a union card) received a degree of harrassment to deliver tickets.

At the time I was a student and working, voluntarily, on the Newcastle University newspaper "The Courier" and sensed a story. I was interested in how they could play a venue to such a limited, privileged audience and remain loyal to their well-known egalitarian beliefs. I phoned their manager, Caroline Coon, with the obvious questions and eventually had a couple of conversations with her to the effect that the band was determined to see the doors opened up on the night to the general public.

Newcastle Poly was (maybe still is) a typical venue with a number of entrances/ exits and a big high room which doubled up as the Refrectory in the day time. There were hundreds of people hanging round outside, on a very cold night - without tickets  - verbally assaulting me and my fellow Clash-loving student mates. There was a lot of tension in the air when The Slits came on. They were clearly not happy at playing to the selected audience and made their views well know, resulting in a few isolated fights.

When the Slits closed their (15 minute) set, there was a serious attempt by the general public to get into the venue. Many had tickets but they also had to show a Student Union Card to get in. A lot of students (including myself) dropped our Union Cards from an upstairs window to people trying to get in. Some managed it.

The tension and the aggravation clearly got to Joe and the band. It was the most incendiary live performance I've ever seen. He was furious with the Slits and stopped the show a number of times to get people to back off from the stage, saying this was not how he wanted to close the tour.

On the way out it was clear the venue was overcrowded and there were some hairy, potentially nasty scenes of people panicking to exit. Nevertheless anyone who was there will tell you that this was the gig to remember for the rest of your life.

A third review of the Newcastle gig

Dec 2 1978 Newcastle Poly - I'd just been married that afternoon and took the wife for her honeymoon so it definitely happened. Your reviewer is spot on about the situation. I had to leave my newly wed other half outside for an hour before a serious blag got her in. 25 years later she's still with me - now that is loyalty.

It was a rather fierce gig though - intense and the songs were played with real venom. A right mellee stage front.

I was sixteen and shitting myself in case I didn't get in

Alistair Horn - Luckily my cousin was a student there at the time and signed me in, I was sixteen and shitting myself in case I didn't get in.

Philip Oxley - If it was the one I was at, kicked off big style when they wouldn't let us in without student union cards. Big windows put in and we stormed it.

the clash opened with safe european home and the place went fuckin' mental

Robin Tate - Gary Waugh wrote a few years back…

I was there, hitched-hiked over from penrith, got signed in by a student mate who was studying at the poly, there was a near riot going on outside and the slits were winding up the students inside summat rotten, really tense and incredibly exciting atmosphere and then the clash opened with safe european home and the place went fuckin' mental.

I hid inside a cleaners locker (complete with metal bucket and mop) somewhere in the polytech from late afternoon to get into that one ...spent most of the following early morning hours after the gig avoiding Geordie boot boys, do you remember that simon oliver ?- we both got the train up, and walked straight into the poly - you went under the stage /  - we were 17 ! -

I was at the front for this one

Jack Holmes - On the 2nd of December The Clash played Newcastle in 1978! Who was waking up with gig blues after this one? -

Graham Ward - Yep I was at the front for this one. The weekend that Public Image first single was released so such a buzz around the Poly. Slits were amazing but the Clash were 100% rip roaring brilliance. One of the highlights of my life ! Check this Mark Ward

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Record Shopping in Newcastle, 1978-1982

Eccentric Sleeve Notes

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Newcastle Record Shopping 1978-1982 | Eccentric Sleeve Notes

Archived PDF

Fake watch

Came up as a pin badge sold by auction. May be fake as unusual design.

If you know of any recording, email blackmarketclash