16 Tons Tour
Supported by local bands booked by the local promoter.

last updated 7 April 2003
updated July 2021 added poster

Audio 1

unknown gen. - 1hr 17mins - 24 tracks - Sound 1.5

City of the Dead

Sound Quality

The tape in circulation credited to Dundee is a poor one that suffers from being copied too many times and from the recording distance - possibly the very back of the hall - and some mild distortion.

Vocals are best but largely unintelligible, drums poor, bass buried, guitars blurred and the overall sound has little range or clarity is on the top side with little bass. There is also some hiss and noise. Not awful but well below average.

Video & audio BBC Nationwide documentary

- 12.39mins - 3 sound

I think the live footage in those two videos is from the two Edinburgh gigs from Jan 19/20th 1980, and not from the 18th Dundee gig. Last 30 secs Londons Burning in nationwide clip does sound a lot like the Londons burning from 20th.cheers

Forgot to mention that it looks like Joe's wearing the same clothes in the van ( nationwide interview) and the soundcheck pictures from the 20th.

BBC Nationwide

Duncan Gibbins for BBC 1 early evening news programme Nationwide was in Dundee with The Clash to film a 12 minute documentary. The Clash were deemed popular and news worthy enough to warrant such an item.

However it is not clear which of the live recordings, for Nationwide or this poor quality audience recording is actually from Dundee. Certainly they are not both from Dundee.

Marcus Gray has the documentary filmed at Dundee and it is mentioned in the film that the band are preparing to drive the 50 miles to Edinburgh the next day.

We do have a photo from the gig, courtesy of Perkin Warbeck’s Homepage but the high-gen videotape of the Nationwide piece does not help in clarifying. Nationwide piece includes live clips of Revolution Rock not played on the Dundee credited tape in circulation and also ends with the band leaving the stage at the end of London’s Burning. On the tape White Riot immediately follows London’s Burning. Therefore the two recordings are definitely not both from Dundee.

On the start of the tape Joe has a go at the gobbers and appears to say “you see how fast we can go back to Dundee” so the probability is this tape is actually from the first of the 2 nights at Edinburgh Odeon on the 19th January 1980.

Nationwide TV documentary

This excellent 12-minute documentary includes great live clips of Clampdown, Revolution Rock, London Calling and London’s Burning. It shows The Clash preparing for the gig with Joe drinking honey and lemon and listening to the speeches of Martin Luther King.

Mick talks about CBS and Joe about their run-ins with the Police. Fans are shown waiting outside praising the band “they’re noo a rip off!” (and later being let in through the window). The voiceover begins with “The Clash don’t sing soppy songs about teenage love or pick ups at the local disco, they tell of White Riots, they warn of Armagideon Time, they shout about the cost of living.

They say they have no allegiance to either the right or the left, and despite an almost contemptuous disregard for exposure on TV or radio, they are one of the most successful groups in Britain today”. There’s a great comment “They’re broke- rock’n’roll gypsies constantly on the move, frightened to stop”.

Reasonable video dubs and good audio dubs exist and short clips (sadly not the live ones) appear on Westway To The World and the rebroadcast of the Something Else, Tommy Gun in the early 90’s

I was there

I was at the gig and was very pleased to see the setlist and info as much of it id forgotten . Is the BBC Nationwide footage available online anywhere ? Ive had a look on youtube but cant find it . I'll also be on the lookout for a cd-r of the show at record fairs

cheers
Graham Anderson
Graham Anderson <grahamanderson//snigbrother.fsnet.co.uk>

Poster

Tickets

Dundee Caird Hall

The Caird Hall is another of the grand old concert halls that The Clash played. Very much still in use today for prestigious classical concerts built in 1922 it seats 2,150 but it can be changed to standing only presumably with a much larger capacity as it was no doubt for this concert.

“"You see how fast we can go (come) back to Dundee?”

The recording starts with the 16 Tons intro and cheers as The Clash come on stage. Joe is agitated, talking fast, much of what he says cannot be made out but gobbing is the cause of his anger, and he says, “You see how fast we can go back to Dundee”. His comment presumably meaning that in Dundee there was less or no gobbing and that if it doesn’t stop they’re off!

There’s plenty of shouting near the taper and a pre-pubescent voice charmingly says at the end of Brand New Cadillac “Hello my name’s Les Yorath, Davie Stewart too, this is The Clash” like a live radio announcement.

At the end of Safe European Home Joe apparently thanks the audience for not gobbing. Jimmy Jazz next and without Mickey Gallagher. Mickey was absent for the Scottish dates for some reason. As a result Mick fills the gaps and melodies usually played by Mickey and on Jimmy Jazz with a heavy echo effect. It’s the highlight of the recording with Joe improvising lyrics and the band stretch out musically.

The performances are fine but the sound too poor to be enjoyable. Joe is in an angry mood, shouting out the lyrics to White Man. Police & Thieves is getting different treatments on this tour, on previous nights its been shortened, later Hit the Road Jack precedes it.

Tonight it starts with Topper beating out a constant drum pattern and then playing as if skipping the intro, later it drops down to drum and bass, Joe improvising lyrics (sadly unintelligibly) over the top. Tommy Gun gets a rareish outing then the main set ends with Janie Jones.

The 2 encores begin with Armagideon Time with Mickey filling in the gaps and melody usually filled by Mickey. It segues into English Civil War and then the crowd really respond to Complete Control and Garageland.

The audience want more and as they return Joe says “Only one thing to say.. London’s Burning”. It’s then straight into White Riot and the audience are going wild. Another strong performance but poor recording.

Joe has a go at the gobbers telling them they wont be back to Dundee if it continued

Kenny : I was looking through your site and was interested in the info about the Dundee gig on the 18th January 1980. I was at that gig and Joe has a go at the gobbers telling them they wont be back to Dundee if it continued.The gobbing stopped [instantly], but the Clash never returned. They ended the show with White Riot.

So I would suggest that the tape you have is definitely from Dundee. I saw them a further 2 times once in Edinburgh and once in Glasgow. I saw the MKII version post Mick Jones once but it just wasn't the same. The were the greatest band ever. Great Site, Kenny Baird.

THE CLASH - CAIRD HALL - 1980 blog

The 18th January 1980 saw The Clash rumbling into town for a gig at the Caird Hall. This was their "16 Tons Tour", the band arriving on stage to the sound of Tennessee Ernie Ford's version of the song "16 Tons". Quite a lively night needless to say, the band wearing black, red & white combination gear and telling the crowd at the front to stop gobbing! There were at least 2 dozen songs in their set on the night, recordings of which exist and I have in my collection. I was tempted to accompany this item with a Caird Hall sound sample but I thought you'd like what's below even better. It's footage of the band in Dundee the day after the gig, about to depart for their next show elsewhere. It has Joe Strummer doing his bit for the camera, filmed at the Tay Hotel and around the corner area of Whitehall Crescent. The cops are making their presence known too....just in case!

Posted by RETRO DUNDEE

10 comments:

Dode

13 September 2011

Still got my ticket from that night and I remember Jos Strummer getting pissed off and shouting "Are we gonna have a gobbing night?"

That clip, I've seen a similar one on a Smiths documentary, filmed from the same place (outside McDaniels looking over to the Club Bar). It was when the Smiths played Dundee in 1986.

Wee bit of trivia. My daughter & boyfriend moved to Oz 6 months ago, he plays in bands so was in a music shop chatting to some cool older guy, had a good chat about music etc. When the guy left, the shop guy says Did you know he used to be in The Clash? Turns out it was Nick Sheppard (ex Cortinas) who replaced Mick Jones. OK it's not Joe Strummer but still... :-)

Brian Wilson

13 September 2011

Fascinatin' video! I wonder how many other local clips like that are floating around?

Boras

13 September 2011

Over 30 years on I still think back to that night. For the best part of a month I'd been listening to the newly released London Calling - music to my ears - and here they were... in my home town playing some of these new songs - Brand New Cadillac, Jimmy Jazz, London Calling, Koka Kola, Guns of Brixton, Train In Vain, Wrong `Em Boyo and Clampdown. There had been a good few bands at the Caird Hall around this time - The Jam, Elvis Costello, Boomtown Rats, Buzzcocks... but nothing came close to The Clash. How I'd have loved to see them more than just the once, but maybe it's just right having that one special 'live' memory of them. I have my 'front area' ticket stub, kept flat in one of my hardbacks... but despite flicking through my many books, I can't find it! Many thanks for posting your ticket stub on this great site. Stay free!

VEX13

September 2011

"Don't think I've ever come across somebody so hurting for fame in my life!".....from a earlier post..! my picture was in the courier or people journal, cant remember which , me getting dragged on stage at this gig then i got thrown out ! seen the clash loads so was no big deal..later played with Strummer with the wilderness children

thebear17

September 2011

was this the gig they were backed by the 'Visitors' from Edinburgh,(a brave bunch)who were a shit OMD.

what I remember of this gig was a two thirds empty lower half of the Caird hall I got in for free with Al Hendricks 'to make up the crowd' we left before the end as it was dire. Had seen them before and never rated them much but their publicity machine worked well and they stood out from the rest of 'the punk bands' by not being one.

VEX18

September 2011

pray tell Joe...who were "the Punk Bands" mike

Paul Gardner

11 October 2011

30 years later and still the best gig I ever saw. Wish I had the bootleg. I've compiled the set from various bootlegs as playlist. Down the front when someone got a kick in the teeth from Joe for spitting at him.

I think there was a BBC Nationwide documentary team filming The Clash at the show. I remember Mick Jones was giving people a sneaky in through the dressing room.

Anonymous

4 November 2011

In 1980, I was approached by a guy in the street in 1980, who said "u want a wee job?" I was very suspicious at the word job, in them days. It turns out he wants ME to put around Dundee, the posters and flyers for the Clash tour! In return, I get Tickets for the gig at the Caird Hall and a load of Clash posters n Flyers (16 Tons tour with dates: must have been 50 at least). No brainer lol. Needless to say, I sold all the posters to friends and put the flyers out to local record stores. On the day of the gig, I helped the roadies in with the stage gear and got a backstage pass for my trouble. Then I sold the tickets I got free, outside the gig for a tidy sum. Best bit is, cause i was "part of the crew", I got to go to Edinburgh gig for free also (that was when half the tam got arrested in Dundee for 'stealing' a bottle of Campari from the bar: Don Letts if I remmenber right?). Not sure why I always liked the Clash! lol

Unknown

11 March 2018

Would love to know if there is any video footage of this gig. I got on stage 3 times, arm around Strummer, before being warned of a beating if it happened again

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Photos

Setlist

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24	Clash City Rockers Brand New Cadilac Safe European home Jimmy Jazz City of the Dead London Calling Koka Kola I Fought the Law Guns of Brixton Train In Vain Wrong `Em Boyo White Man in Ham Palais Banrobber Clampdown StayFree Police and Thieves Tommy Gun Janie Jones Armagideon Time English Civil War Complete Control Garageland Londons Burning White Riot