Stiff Little Fingers

Stiff Little Fingers

Stiff Little Fingers are a punk band from Belfast, United Kingdom, formed in 1977 and still active. Their line-up has included Jake Burns, Henry Cluney, Ali McMordie, Brian Faloon, Gordon Blair, Jim Reilly, Dolphin Taylor, Bruce Foxton, Steve Grantley, Ian McCallum and later additions across different periods of the band’s history.

Origins

The band begins as a school group called Highway Star, named after the Deep Purple song, and plays rock covers before moving into punk. The early line-up features Jake Burns on vocals and guitar, Henry Cluney on guitar, Gordon Blair on bass and Brian Faloon on drums. After Blair leaves, Ali McMordie takes over on bass. Cluney is the member who first discovers punk and brings that influence to the rest of the group.

The band then rejects the name Highway Star as too far from punk, briefly considers The Fast, and settles on Stiff Little Fingers, taking the name from the Vibrators song. A meeting with journalist Gordon Ogilvie leads them to write songs about the Troubles in Northern Ireland, with Colin McClelland helping them secure recording time at a local radio station.

Early singles and breakthrough

Their first recording is "Suspect Device", made in a studio normally used for jingles and issued on their own Rigid Digits label as a cassette single with a cassette-bomb design. John Peel plays it repeatedly, leading to a distribution deal through Rough Trade. The single sells over 30,000 copies. Their second single, "Alternative Ulster", is originally intended as a free giveaway with a fanzine of the same name.

The group’s songs about the Troubles are sharply critical of paramilitary organisations and governments, which they present as exploiting ordinary people, especially young people, and as being equally harmful.

Albums and chart success

In 1979 the band releases Inflammable Material on its own label after a contract with Island Records falls through. The album reaches number 14 on the UK Albums Chart, gains Silver certification and sells over 50,000 copies. It is the first album distributed by Rough Trade and the first independent album to chart in the UK. Its success helps prompt the band’s move to London, which is followed by the departure of Brian Faloon and Colin McClelland.

Jim Reilly joins on drums in time for "Gotta Gettaway" and also appears on the Rock Against Racism tour. The band signs its Rigid Digits label to Chrysalis Records and releases Nobody’s Heroes in 1980. Go for It follows in 1981.

After the Go for It tour, Reilly leaves and Brian “Dolphin” Taylor replaces him. In 1982 the band releases the four-track EP £1.10 or Less and then the studio album Now Then.... The earlier live LP Hanx sits between Nobody’s Heroes and Go for It in the band’s catalogue. By this point their sound has become more varied, with Now Then... showing a more pop-leaning approach in places.

Split and reformation

Low sales and reduced concert attendance lead to the band’s split in 1983. Burns later says he decides to end the group after Now Then.... The break-up is later described as acrimonious, with members reportedly resorting to fistfights rather than discussion. The band reforms in 1987, with Burns saying the reunion is driven by the need to earn money to get back to Ireland for Christmas. They issue live albums and play short tours towards the end of the 1980s, and by 1990 are considering a more permanent return.

1990s line-up changes and later recordings

Ali McMordie leaves again because he cannot commit to touring and recording full-time, and Bruce Foxton, formerly of The Jam, joins on bass for 1991’s Flags and Emblems. The single "Beirut Moon" is withdrawn from sale on the first day of release in Britain after reportedly criticising the government’s failure to help free hostage John McCarthy, who is being held in Lebanon.

In 1993 Burns asks Henry Cluney to leave. For the next four years the core line-up is Burns, Foxton and Dolphin Taylor, with Dave Sharp or Ian McCallum joining on live shows. Get a Life appears in the UK in 1994 and in the US in 1996. Taylor leaves by the end of 1996 and Steve Grantley, who has played with Jake Burns and the Big Wheel, joins on drums. Burns, Foxton and Grantley record Tinderbox in 1997, with help from Ian McCallum, who becomes a full-time member for Hope Street... in 1999. The same line-up records Guitar and Drum in 2003.

2006 line-up change and later activity

In 2006 Bruce Foxton leaves after 15 years with the band. Ali McMordie returns for an upcoming tour and continues to appear when his schedule allows. The band is also said to be working on a new album in 2007, and a track called "Liars Club" is previewed live. The album remains unreleased by the time of the later update in the biography.

Style and themes

Stiff Little Fingers are associated with punk, punk rock and power pop. Their work is closely linked to the political context of Northern Ireland, especially the Troubles, and their lyrics often address conflict, government, paramilitary violence and the position of ordinary people caught between them.