The Clash Live 1983

This page lists all known Clash gigs from 1983 with info. If you have any corrections please email blackmarketclash

Tours

May 83 - US Festival + gigs ...

July 83 Mick sacked, back in the studio ...

Extensive archive of articles, magazines and other
from January to April 1983

JANUARY
End of January - Strummer/Clash produce Hell W10

FEBRUARY
Strummer/Clash produce Hell W10
Mick creates soundtrack for Hell W10 but it's rejected by Joe
Paul's father and step-mother in car accident. Paul spends next few months visiting father.

MARCH
Joe pays off Topper's drug dealer approx $30,000.
Joe produces Tymon Dogg's solo album which remains unreleased.
March 17: Joe appears in the Sun to promote his marathon team's charity cause (Leukemia research)
The Clash move back to building that housed Rehearsal Rehearsals and rename it Lucky 8 Studios. The intent to begin
practicing for new album. By the time the studio is ready they receive the April offer to go to US Festival.

APRIL
Early April: The Clash offered headlining spot for US Festival
April 17: Joe runs London marathon
April 23: Clash place ad in Melody Maker for drummer

MAY
Early May: The Clash practice with Pete Howard for the tour?
May 16/17: Paul marries Pearl Harbour in NYC stop-over en route to warm up tour
May 18-28: US mini-tour and US Festival
May 29/30: Clash in Las Vegas (post tour vacation)

Us Festival Mini-Tour

The Clash came to Texas in May 1983 $500,000 offer from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to headline New Wave Day of the US Festival at the end of the month.

The group had every reason to be on the top of the world by this point: their previous LP, Combat Rock, was an enormous hit and their singles “Rock the Casbah” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go” were all over radio and MTV. Topper Headon had been kicked out of the group for drug abuse in 1982, and Mick Jones and Joe Strummer were barely speaking.

They took a six-month break after the Combat Rock tour ended in November 1982. To warm up for the huge festival, the group went on a multi--date tour of Texas and Arizona.

Though the Clash continued to tour, tension continued to increase. In early 1983, Chimes left the band after the Combat Rock Tour because of in-fighting and turmoil.

Founding drummer Terry Chimes (who rejoined the band in 1982 after Headon got the boot) was once again out of the group by this point, so they took out an ad in Melody Maker and recruited 23-year-old Pete Howard.

The Clash’s ongoing, behind-the-scenes dysfunction was not going to make his job an easy one. Pete: “After the auditions, they basically just said, ‘Go away and learn everything.’ Not ‘these songs’ - everything. We had some rehearsals in Notting Hill, and basically Mick wouldn’t turn up. If he turned up at all, he would turn up three hours after everyone else had. The tension between Mick and Joe was palpable.”

By the time they got to San Bernardino, California for the festival, they were in complete disarray. Things got worse when they learned fans were paying $25 to attend the show threatening to pull out unless unless Apple gave $100,000 to charity. They had been told previously that prices would be set at $17, and shortly before they went onstage, they held a press conference. The band announced they wouldn’t go on . It was chaos.

Some later claimed the real cause of their rage was the knowledge that Van Halen were getting a million dollars for their set.

The group ultimately performed on 28 May, the festival's New Music Day, which drew a crowd of 140,000.

After the show, members of the band brawled with security staff.[78] This was Jones' last appearance with the group: in September 1983, he was fired. Shortly thereafter, he became a founding member of General Public, but left that band as they were recording their first album.

Following their return form the US realtions detiorated with the exception of the bizare making of a short black and white home made movide 'Hell West 10'.

After the Us Festival, the band did very little. Pete Howard; “I didn’t get a phone call for four months,” says Pete Howard. “And then all of a sudden I got this incredibly fucking vitriolic phone call from Joe, saying ‘I fuckin’ sacked the stoned cunt! Whose side are you on, mine or his?’ And I was like, ‘Uh-uh-uh… yours, Joe, yours!’”

Extensive archive of articles, magazines and other from January to June 1983

Video and audio from January to June 1983

Us Festival and warm up dates


Mar 14		Casablanca TV Show? Interview with Joe
May 18		Amarillo TX - Civic Center Auditorium
May 19		Wichita Falls TX - Memorial Auditorium
May ?		Juarez TX -
May 22		San Antonio TX - Majestic Theatre
May 23		Laredo TX - Civic Centre
May 25		El Paso, Texas - El Paso Civic Center Theatre
May 26		Tucson AZ - Tuscon Activity Center
May 28		San Bernadino CA - Us Festival

Extensive archive of known articles from June to December 1983

These largely cover Mick's sacking and the band moving towards a new five piece.

Mick sacked / Back in the studio


1983		Hell West 10 film
		Joe Strummer, Film Director: The Making and Meaning of Hell W10 - contains remixes from Combat Rock Offical release on SoundSystem box set
Aug		Recording Out of Control demos
		August Studio – Unknown Czechoslovak Song/Where Is England? Pouring Rain Before We Go Forward Line Up: Joe Strummer – Vocals, guitar, Paul Simonon – Bass, Pete Howard – Drums Source – Strummer 001 box set credits + speculation
Sep 23		Hollywood Paladium - probably bogus
18 Nov		House of the Ju Ju Queen single
		Janie Jones and Lash single released the last oficial recording with Mick in the band
Nov		Recording Out of Control demos
		Nick Sheppard demos November 1983 Recorded at the Lucky 8 Studios, London, November 1983.This is a Clash recording of immence historical importance and interest. These are the only, so far discovered, Clash demos from the period after Mick Jones left the band. Amongst the tracks are a number that have never beenpreviously released.Track listing; Studio – Lucky 8 Studios Are You Ready For War? Jericho (Ammunition) Glue Zombie Sex Mad War Out of Control Galleani This Is England We Are the Clash Rock N Roll City National Powder In the Pouring Rain Before We Go Forward Dictator Three Card Trick Backwoods Drive, Line Up: Joe Strummer – Vocals, guitar, Nick Sheppard – Guitar, Paul Simonon – Bass, Pete Howard - Drums. Source - Nick Sheppard?
Nov		Top Risk Action Company TRAC or The Clash II
		Mick and Topper's band when teh bands name The Clash was subject to legal proceedings. Later to be called Top Risk Action Company recorded but did not release.The Prolific Winning Gone To The Dogs Ringmaster Astro Turf Interaction Nation Apprentice Du Cane Road Fare Dodgers The Bottom Line Euroshima (Edit) Euroshima (Unedited)

Timeline:

JUNE
The Baker recalls telephoning Bernie, Kosmo, Joe and Mick periodically through June and July to check in about preparing the rehearsal space but "Nobody knew anything. Would be surprised if they got in a full rehearsal in August." Pete Howard says he hadn't heard from anyone in the band for 4 months after the US Festival. Mid June: Clash reconvenes to practice at rehearsal space on Freston Rd.
Joe slips lyrics into mail slot for Mick to add music. Mick would bring them to rehearsal?

JULY
Bernie presents contract to Joe, Paul and Mick. Mick says he'll have his lawyer look it over.
Joe slips lyrics into mail slot for Mick to add music. Mick would bring them to rehearsal?

AUGUST
Early-to-Mid August: Recording Czechoslovak Song/Where Is England?, Pouring Rain, Before We Go Forward (Strummer, Simonon, Howard)
Mid August: In a pub near the rehearsal room, Nick Sheppard overhears Kosmo say to Bernie and Joe that "He's gotta go, he's gotta go."
Last week of August: Topper shows up to rehearsal room to check in on the guys, finds Mick there and jams with Mick. August 29: Mick Jones fired from band

SEPTEMBER
September 10: Clash release "a terse statement to the press: “It is felt that Jones had drifted away from the original idea of the Clash"
September 10: Jones issues a statement denying as much and asserting: "In the future I’ll be carrying on in the same way as in the beginning. By the time of the announcement, he has already formed Big Audio Dynamite"
Mick forms Top Risk Action Company (TRAC)?
Mick freezes Clash assets?
Mick records with General Public?
Mick does live mixing for Sigue Sigue Sputnik (at a gig opening for New Model Army) and Spear of Destiny shows?

OCTOBER
October 1: Clash place ad looking for new guitarists
End of October: Nick Sheppard chosen as guitarist.

NOVEMBER
Demos for Top Risk Action Company (TRAC)
Demos for The Clash at Lucky 8 Studio
November 18: Gaby Salter gives birth to Jazz Domino Holly Mellor
Rehearsals for January 1984 California tour?

DECEMBER
Recorded in December 1982, Janie Jones & The Lash 7" released a year later (promo insert claims November 18 as scheduled release date -http://www.45cat.com/imageview/1373F92D9FAB03718A4)
December 10: Vince White added as lead guitarist
Rehearsals for January 1984 California tour?
December 25: Vince goes to Joe's house for Xmas