White Riot Tour with the Jam, Buzzcocks, Slits and Subway Sect.

cdr – Feelin Groovy - Sound 3 - 53min - low? - 17

*Feeling Groovy cdr also includes a bonus 4 Tracks broadcast on Granada TV's So it Goes from the gig at Manchester Belle Vue 15 November 1977.

“Bet you people are only here cos you can’t get eagle tickets for tonight. Anyhow we’d like to do this first song for the 30 people who were here last time” ….Birmingham’s Burning Joe screams…

Less than 7 months after a small, confused audience at Barbarellas watched in near silence (5 Go Mad In The Roundhouse CD), here was a packed , noisy audience to see this third gig of the White Riot Tour . Thanks to the media frenzy the punk explosion was rapidly gaining momentum and notoriety across Britain.

As Joe has since said this was the most exciting Clash period for him, punk was breaking out of the club scene and it must have seemed like they were riding a tidal wave of energy, political change and youth anger that would sweep away the old music establishment.

There is none of the later professionalism, pacing, stage craft (as Mick would put it) and musicianship just short bursts of manic energy, chaos and noise. Their aim was to explode musically on stage, check out the second White Riot here, a suitable case for the bomb squad

Clash Ad April 1977

info wanted

This good audience recording (this particular flavour going under the title Feelin Groovy) captures that energy and fury. The older tape had a longer intro, a tune up and intro, but was slightly more warbled. Both suffer copyitus, though I know of no better version in circulation than Feeling Groovy cdr (which has 4 Belle Vue. 15 Nov tracks from the Sort it Out UK-Granada TV programme).

The recording captures the instrumentation and particularly the vocals well but suffers from top end distortion. Its nevertheless an enjoyable listen and the sound improves a notch after the edited Deny track.

“you’re only here cos you could’nt get Eagles tickets!”

After Joe teases the packed crowd with “you’re only here cos you couldn't get Eagles tickets!” the band canters into Birminghams Burning. The band on this the third night have a more relaxed sedate pace than later dates (manicness check Manchester) or even Guildford, the opening night. By the time they get to I’m so Bored with the USA , the band seem playful and relaxed. The fractionally more funcky approach is evident with a classic stroll through Hate and War, Mick confidently shouting the lyrics, an absent feature at Guildford on the opening night.

Joe shouts repeatedly “groovy, groovy”, before Pressure Drop; words not normally heard in the punk vocabulary! “This is song called Cheat” shouts Joe. The tempo upped one notch. “We gonna play a recent pop song that didn’t get to number one” as White Riot is played as just another song.

“Now at this point your gonna get the Clash pop opera, are the intellectuals here, the ones who got into Birmingham University, (yeah!!) well done feller’s” precedes a thoughtful, chilled Police & Thieves, a highlight, with excellent lead guitar from Mick. Topper drives the beat whilst Mick chokes back his guitar.

There is an edit before Capital Radio as you can hear the radio held up to the mike by Joe, for a few seconds before the opening chords rip in. This was an introduction often used for this song, to highlight how boring radio was then (and now).

After some Joe spiel in which he suggests, “I suspect you will disappointed if we give you a love song”, the band go up a couple of notches and rip into a tape edited Deny on the old copy (which is followed by a complete version).

Feeling Groovy cdr has just an edited together complete version and the sound improves in clarity from here, but only by a notch.

Remote Control CBS politics is derided before and after by; ‘We’ve just been told this is our new single.lets hear it for artistic integrity, from now on we’re The Sweet, or maybe Chicory Tip!’. The band inject some anger in the performance from this point. A rousing Career Opportunities follows with Joe almost shouting the words and whole band bellowing the last chorus.

She’s in love with a rock n roll world – as Topper bashes the band into Janie Jones which is greeted by the biggest applause so far.

A small edit ocurrs before Garageland which is dedicated to all those “trying to get your own crummy groups together”. The audience is shouting all sorts (as they have generally throughout) at this stage as the band have a long interlude. “You’d better watch out if you spit at me now” warns Joe before the band overload the sound with a powerful Garageland. There is some distortion at this point but is made up for by energy… Joe alters the last few words. Joe seems to taunt the audience after that and a lot of abuse flies about in another long interlude.

The final three encore songs are played particularly furiously and one voice shouts out from the audience, “you’re the Westway wonders”

The band finally kicks in with a real short thumping version of Whats My Name, like Garageland there is more distortion, though still easily listenable. Round the back of your house at night….this is f/b a loud anthemic 1977 with a subtle short instrumental middle. This is all ended with a screamingly loud and fast White Riot.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17	London’s Burning 1977 Pressure Drop I’m So Bored With The USA Hate and War Cheat White Riot Police and Thieves Capital Radio Deny Remote Control Career Opportunities Janie Jones Garageland What’s My Name 1977 White Riot

I'm so Bored with the USA

May 1		Civic Hall, Guilford
May 2		Rascals, Chester
May 3		Barbarella, Birmingham
May 4		Affair, Swindon
May 5		Erics, Liverpool
May 6		University, Aberdeen
May 7		Playhouse, Edinburgh
May 8		Electric Circus, Manchester
May 9		Rainbow, London
		infamous riot gig - often mis-cited as the 7th. See 7th gig at Edinburgh with Edinburgh Ticket
May 10		Town Hall, Kidderminster
		Following an injury to his hand, Mick Jones of the Clash is forced to cancel the gig booked for Kidderminster Town Hall.
May 12		Palais, Nottingham
May 13		Polytechnic, Leicester
May 14		Brakke Grond Amsterdam
May 15		Fiesta, Plymouth
May 16		University, Swansea
May 17		Polytechnic, Leeds
May 19		Rock Garden, Middlesborough
May 20		University, Newcastle
May 21		City Hall, St. Albans
May 22		Skindles, Maidenhead cancelled
May 22		Wolverhampton Civic Hall
		The Clash played a replacement gig at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on May 22 1977. This gig was played literally days after The Jam departed the tour. Rumour had it there was a dispute about the use of lighting on the tour. Buzzcocks, Slits and Subway Sect supported. The ticket stub did not have the bands name printed on, but had a "complimentary" stamp across it and the price written on. It was however an official Civic Hall ticket.
May 23		Top Of The World, Stafford
May 24		Top Rank, Cardiff, Wales
		White Riot 1977 was Clash at their superlative best – from Cardiff’s Top Rank balcony the front of stage appeared a pogoing and spitting frenzy. Against the Notting Hill Riot backdrop, Joe’s eye’s burning and neck pulsing, his lyrics spat out with such white heat intensity - I wondered if he could survive another year! Dave Smitham
May 25		University of Sussex, Brighton
		Video exists
May 26		Colston, Bristol
May 27		Pavilion, West Runton
May 28		Odeon, Canterbury
		probably didn't happen...
May 28		De Montfort Hall, Leicester
		date listed in NME...This is often listed as CARDIFF 77. It isn't.
May 29		Chancellor Hall, Chelmsford
May 30		California Ballroom, Dunstable