Supported by Theatre of Hate

updated 6 Jan 2010 - added punters comment
updated Dec 2014 - added poster
updated June 2021 added photos
updated March 2024 added bus flyer

Audio 1

touch thin - Sound 3 - time 1hr 46mins - bc/m - tracks 29

Charlie Dont Surf

Sound Quality

The recording in circulation comes from a very low generation tape, probably 1st gen. as it arrived from a good source with bootleg artwork intact on a double cassette. The sound though is thin, all top end with a shrill tinny sound. 

Underneath though there is a good degree of clarity so if you can cope with the harshness of the tinny guitar sound this is a not an un-enjoyable sound overall. Vocals come through the best, guitars are clear but thin and metallic, bass if boosted is audible and drums are OK but resemble fingers tapping on a table!

As it’s clearly from a low gen. source it’s inadequacies must stem from the original recording equipment. There is more hiss on the second CDR and until Janie Jones on this disc is predominantly right channel only.

It is though complete apart from a few edits and includes all 3 encores.

The only date in the south

The only date of the mini-tour in the whole of England to the south of northern cities (apart from London) was in St.Austell, in the far west tip of England.

A reasonable quality boot cassette documents another fine performance, with the band playing three encores including White Riot, despite anger at spitting still happening in the provincial audience. 

Theatre of Hate again supported as they did at Manchester, Glasgow, Bridlington and London.

Poster

Link

Flyer

Flyer put out by a Plymouth bus company for The Clash - 'Radio Clash' tour in 1981

THE CLASH ON PAROLE | Facebook

St. Austell Coliseum, Cornwall

The St. Austell Coliseum in Cornwall demolished in 2004 was sited directly on a sandy beach at Carlyon Bay! It was next to Cornwall’s only naturist beach, no doubt something of interest to Topper although at Bournemouth etc he needed no official sanction!

Now Topper Headon’s gonna start the next number

The recording begins with the sirens intro sound, then cheers as the band come onto the stage.  “Good evening, Welcome to The Clash at the St.Austell Coliseum” says Joe and the band begin Broadway; the sound fades early on but then recovers.

Performances are strong tonight and Joe sounds fired up. A strong One More Time  is followed by “Try a new number called Know Your Rights” Joe adlibs “Get off the streets, finish off your drinks!

The recording though harsh captures plenty of detail as on Mick’s fine guitar playing on Guns of Brixton and Train In Vain. “Yeah, that’s right, you gotta shout a bit, it only encourages us so give us some lip!” says Joe before a fine White Man in Hammersmith Palais with Joe adlibbing over the ending. Mid song in Magnificent Seven Joe adlibs “Everybody awake?! …I was shocked I nearly died on the spot, guitarville!” before the band go into the instrumental bridge.

Ivan Meets GI Joe is introduced with “Now Topper Headon’s gonna start the next number and he’s gonna sing too, you know what I mean?!”

A pumped up and enjoyable Clash City Rockers is preceded with “Now we’d like to play an old record here, here’s that record now”. A charge through Koka Kola  is followed by an enjoyable Junco Partner  introduced by “Its time to think about the 50,000 people in prison so we’ll go down the road…”

Fine if unexceptional performances of The Leader and Bankrobber are followed by Somebody Got Murdered with the twin guitar crescendo intro and attack clear and impressive on the recording. At the end of a pumped up London Calling Joe shouts urgently “Mick, Mick, Mick” and Mick responds with a “1-2, 1-2-3 “ and the band crash into Clampdown. Joe’s rant at the end is not clear and the performance is strong if unexceptional. The first CDR then fades out at the start of Radio Clash.

The second CDR starts with This Is Radio Clash which again ends the main set contradicting the usual set pacing rules to end with a crowd pleaser so the audience roar for more. The mini tour was dubbed the Radio Clash promotional tour despite the song not being released until November! A spirited but unexceptional performance ends with Joe saying “shout if you want more”. It’s almost as if the band were still believing the music press that they were no longer popular and were demanding the audience prove otherwise. The recording continues the audience proving the point and the band return with another new song to begin the first of three encores. The sound up until Janie Jones is predominantly in the right channel.

Topper’s bass drum beats out then a drum roll and Paul’s harmonica begins Ghetto Defendant. The Clash’s songs continue to stand up decades after they were written because the majority of them are about still sadly very relevant themes and Ghetto Defendant is certainly in that category. This performance has the additional “ship of progress” verse not on Combat Rock. 

Despite the recording’s shortcomings the quality of Mick’s guitar playing on Charlie Don’t Surf comes through well. Mick introduces Stay Free with a simple  “A pop song” perhaps bowing sarcastically to Joe’s jibes from recent nights but of all Mick’s more “personal” songs  Stay Free surely convinces the most. 

It’s a charge then through Brand New Cadillac and Safe European Home where an edit loses the end of the song. The recording restarts with Janie Jones, with both channels fine now. Joe’s fired up and works to get the audience to do the same encouraging them to “let them know” and when they do shouts “Exactly!” It’s the end of the encore and the recording includes the shouts for  “more, more, more” which are rewarded with Armagideon Time on which the sound cuts out early on but then restarts 15 seconds or so later.

Some people in the audience are spitting so Joe adlibs his singing  “a lot of people going to be asphyxiated tonight” and then get’s angry “You think your phlegm is good enough to rub on my face? hey you pussy boy, looking at you pussy boy and you motherfucker, who likes it, you like it” This fires up Joe even more and the song features some  great Strummer Jones screams and cries. Mick and Joe remain audibly fired up through Complete Control and Career Opportunities and the encore ends with London’s Burning and a “move yourselves” chaotic ending

As the band leave the stage someone near the taper repeats “No way” sarcastically to the chances of a third encore. The audience and taper though don’t give up and the band return with a “fuckin’ hell!” from the guy. With shouts for White Riot Joe says “We’ll get to that in a moment. This one’s from Texas” and Topper launches into I Fought The Law. At the end Joe shouts “Mick, Mick, Mick, Now we’re working now!” and Mick obliges shouting out “1-2-3-4” and the band tear into White Riot. Mick again is fully engaged showing no sign of reluctance to playing the song which ends a fine concert in manic style.   

the best i have ever seen.

i was 14 at the time and going to this gig was a life changing adventure for me. the clash were already and still are my favorite group of all time and this gig will always rank as the best i have ever seen. - Ian Cooke ian[a]alascom.co.uk

Photos

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Dj62 - Great night !!

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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 25 26 27 28 29

Broadway One More time Know Your Rights Guns of Brixton Train In vain White Man Magnificent 7 Ivan Meets Gi Joe Clash City Rockers Koka kola Junco Partner The Leader Bankrobber Somebody Got Murdered London calling Clampdown Radio Clash Ghetto Defendent Charlie Dont Surf Stay Free Brand New Cadilac Safe European Home Janie Jones Armagideon Time Complete Control Career Oportunities Londons Burning I Fought the Law White Riot