Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977 at the height of

the Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

), doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They were the first punk band in Belfast to release a record – the " Suspect Device" single came out on their own independent label, Rigid Digits. Their album ''

Inflammable Material ''Inflammable Material'' is the debut album by the Northern Irish punk band Stiff Little Fingers, released in 1979. Most of the album's tracks are about the "Troubles" and the grim reality of life in Northern Ireland with the songs containing t ...

'', released in partnership with Rough Trade, became the first independent LP to enter the UK top 20. After six years and four albums, they split up. They reformed five years later, in 1987. Despite major personnel changes, they are still touring and recording. In 2014, the band released their tenth studio album and a world tour followed its release. Jake Burns, their lead singer, is the only member to have been with the band during all its incarnations, but in March 2006, original bass guitarist

Ali McMordie Alistair Jardine "Ali" McMordie (born 31 March 1959 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a bass guitarist, best known as a founding member of Stiff Little Fingers, playing with the band from 1977 until they broke up in 1983, and joined them on the ...

rejoined them following the departure of

The Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1 ...

bass player

Bruce Foxton Bruce Douglas Foxton (born 1 September 1955) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Foxton's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as bassist and backing vocalist of mod revival band the Jam. ...

after fifteen years.

History

Early years

Prior to becoming Stiff Little Fingers,

Jake Burns John "Jake" Burns (born 21 February 1958) is a singer and guitarist, and is best known as the frontman of Stiff Little Fingers, although he has also recorded with Jake Burns and the Big Wheel, 3 Men + Black, and as a solo artist. Early life ...

, vocals and guitar,

Henry Cluney Henry Cluney (born 4 August 1957) is a guitarist and former member of the band Stiff Little Fingers. He remained with the group until lead singer Jake Burns disbanded them in 1983. He toured briefly with the band Dark Lady supporting Jake Burns ...

, guitar, Gordon Blair, bass, and

Brian Faloon Brian Faloon is a musician born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He played drums for Highway Star, who were to become Stiff Little Fingers, having met two of the other band members at Belfast Boys' Model School. Faloon stayed with SLF long enough to ...

, drums, were playing in a

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...

cover band, Highway Star, in

.Cranna, Ian (1979) "Rough Charm", ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'', EMAP National Publications Ltd, 4–17 October 1979, pp. 6–7 Upon the departure of Blair (who went on to play with another Belfast group,

Rudi Rudi, born Albert Rudolph (January 24, 1928 – February 21, 1973), also known as Swami Rudrananda, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Rudi was a spiritual teacher and an antiquities entrepreneur in New York City.Swami Rudrananda udi ''Spirit ...

took over on bass. Cluney had by this time discovered punk, and introduced the rest of the band to it. They decided that Highway Star was not a punk enough name, and after a brief flirtation with the name "The Fast", decided to call themselves Stiff Little Fingers, after

The Vibrators The Vibrators are a British punk rock band that formed in 1976. Early career The Vibrators were founded by Ian ' Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice ...

' song, which appears on the album ''

Pure Mania ''Pure Mania'' is the debut album by the punk rock, punk band the Vibrators. It was released in 1977 on Epic Records and reached No. 49 in the UK Albums Chart. The song "Baby Baby (The Vibrators song), Baby Baby" was released as a single and pun ...

''. Stiff Little Fingers, especially the lead singer and main songwriter Jake Burns, were heavily influenced by ''

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

''. "What the Clash's first album did more than anything else was give me the confidence, through its lyrical subject matter, to realise it was OK to write about my own life and experiences" (Jake Burns). The group started to write songs about growing up in the Troubles in late 1970s Northern Ireland. Among the first Stiff Little Fingers songs were "State of Emergency" and "Breakout". It was while doing a gig at the Glenmachan Hotel, Belfast, that they first met Gordon Ogilvie, who had been invited along for the evening by Colin McClelland, a journalist whom Burns had been corresponding with.

Suspect Device

Ogilvie further encouraged SLF to play material based upon their experience of

. He asked the group to look at some lyrics he had drafted. They liked the lyrics and " Suspect Device" became a fixture in their live set. Around the same time as putting a tune to the " Suspect Device" lyrics, Jake Burns wrote "Wasted Life". McClelland arranged to get the band some recording time at a local radio station, and in the studio normally used to record jingles, they recorded " Suspect Device". The single was packaged in the form of a cassette, with a cover depicting a cassette incendiary bomb, apparently causing great hilarity in the group, when one record company phoned them and asked for another copy, as they had thrown the first one in a bucket of water for fear that it was a real bomb. " Suspect Device" was released in February 1978. A copy of the single was sent to

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

. He played it repeatedly leading to a distribution deal through Rough Trade. The single was released on the band's own Rigid Digits label, re-released a month later with the support of

Rough Trade records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pun ...

and sold over 30,000 copies. Live footage of SLF performing " Suspect Device" at Belfast’s Pound Club on 17 January 1978 - the first time the group played the song live - appeared as part of an Ulster TV Revue programme '''It Makes You Want to Spit about punk in Belfast. The programme was broadcast on 6 March 1978. SLF’s decision to write songs about the experiences of young people growing up in The Troubles proved controversial. Some Northern Ireland punk bands felt songs about the Troubles were exploiting the sectarian conflict. There was also criticism and suspicion over the involvement and influence the management team, especially Gordon Ogilivie, was having on the band. The political differences were reinforced by musical differences as SLF’s rockier punk sound contrasted with the more melodic pop punk of

The Undertones The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O'Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradle ...

and

. Some of the criticism was simply down to band rivalries and jealousy. There were a number of well-publicised arguments;

accused Stiff Little Fingers of sensationalising the Northern Ireland conflict, while they retorted that

ignored it. Michael Bradley, The Undertones bassist, tells of a confrontation in 1979 between The Undertones’ John O’Neill and SLF’s Jake Burns: "He launched into Jake, not physically but verbally. Slagging his records, slagging the journalist writing the songs and slagging the band." Michael Bradley now describes ‘Suspect Device’ as "a great record, although at the time we weren’t impressed, probably because they’d made a record before us." (Michael Bradley, The Undertones).

Terri Hooley Terence Wilfred "Terri" Hooley (born 23 December 1948) is a prominent figure in the Belfast punk scene and founder of the Good Vibrations record shop and label, responsible for bands such as The Undertones, Rudi, Protex and The Outcasts making ...

Good Vibrations "Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. It was released as a single on October 10, 1966 and was an immediate critical and commercial hit, topping record ...

records, also says: "SLF were really starting to make waves beyond Northern Ireland, and I always see them as the ones that got away. I know I have always said I never rated them, but that was probably jealousy on my part. I actually think they are a great band and deserve their success." (

) SLF built up a big following among young people in Belfast: "As a 14 or 15-year-old schoolboy back in the late Seventies, I wasn’t at all concerned with who had written (or contributed to) the lyrics of their songs. To me, it was crystal clear that the band meant what they were singing and even better, they were singing about my life and offering me alternative points of view. Their initial burst of raw energy on the Ulster Punk scene was captivating and as soon as they transferred that energy to vinyl they were truly off and running." (Sean O’Neill, co-author of ''It Makes You Want To Spit - The Definitive Guide to Punk in N.Ireland'')

''Alternative Ulster''

John Peel arranged for the group to record a session for his Radio One show. The songs broadcast on 13 April 1978 were "Wasted Life", "Johnny Was", " Alternative Ulster" and "State of Emergency". Another John Peel session was recorded in September - "Law And Order", "Barbed Wire Love", "Suspect Device" and a new longer version of "Johnny Was" were broadcast on 18 September 1978. In the second half of 1978, SLF toured as the support band to the

Tom Robinson Band Tom Robinson Band (TRB) are a British rock band, established in 1976 by singer, songwriter and bassist Tom Robinson. The band's debut single "2-4-6-8 Motorway" was a top five hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1977, and their third single, "Up A ...

. Their second single, "

Alternative Ulster ''AU'' (formerly ''Alternative Ulster'') was a magazine written, designed and published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which began life in 1977 as a fanzine and later radio show. The magazine was launched in June 2003. 81 issues were published ...

", was released on Rough Trade in October 1978. It was originally intended to be given away free with the

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

of the same name. SLF performing "

" at a gig in Belfast at the end of October 1978 can be seen in
Shellshock Rock
', an independent documentary on punk in Northern Ireland, released in 1979. By the end of 1978, SLF's growing popularity was reflected in " Suspect Device" reaching No.4 and "

" being voted No.11 in the annual

Festive Fifty The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 (though the exact figure varied above and below this number) best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually do ...

broadcast on the

show.

''Inflammable Material''

In February 1979, SLF released their first album on the Rough Trade Label, ''

''. The band had signed a contract with

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

, but it fell through, leaving the group to release the album on Rough Trade, their existing label. Despite the album's independent release, it reached number 14 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

and reached Silver status, selling over 100,000 copies. ''Inflammable Material'' was the first album distributed by

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pun ...

, and the first independent album to chart in the UK. The

album was heavily influenced by the band's experience of growing up in Belfast during the Troubles. However, of the 13 tracks, only 6 were directly about Northern Ireland and the political situation - "Suspect Device", "State of Emergency", "Wasted Life", "No More Of That", "Barbed Wire Love", and "Alternative Ulster". Even "Alternative Ulster", which has references to "You got the Army on the street, and the RUC dog of repression is barking at your feet", is mainly about being a bored teenager in the late 1970's. Another track on the album "Johnny Was" is a cover of a Bob Marley and the Wailers song with the words adapted to place the song in Belfast. "Everybody refers to it as "the Irish record" but I always say to go and look at the tracks and there’s probably 4 out of 13 that refer specifically to Northern Ireland. The rest of it is ... just disaffected teenagers kicking against the world" (Jake Burns, SLF) The album received critical acclaim in the music press. "Inflammable Material is the classic punk rock record. A crushing contemporary commentary, brutally inspired by blatant bitter rebellion and frustration" (

Paul Morley Paul Robert Morley is an English music journalist. He wrote for the ''New Musical Express'' from 1977 to 1983 and has since written for a wide range of publications as well as writing his own books. He was a co-founder of the record label ZTT Re ...

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

, 10 February 1979) "Stiff Little Fingers are the best rock'n'roll band in my world ... The group's first record 'Suspect Device', (one of the all time great debut records) ... 'Alternative Ulster' (one of the all-time great second records by a group) ... By the end of 1978 Stiff Little Fingers were the most popular new group in Britain." (

, 17 February 1979)

''Gotta Gettaway''

The new interest in the band inspired their move to London, which led to the departure of Brian Faloon and Colin McClelland (who along with Gordon Ogilvie had been joint manager of the band up until that point).

Jim Reilly James G. Reilly (born 9 May 1957) is the second drummer for the Northern Ireland based punk band Stiff Little Fingers, with whom he played from 1979 to 1981. He played on the LPs '' Nobody's Heroes'', '' Go for It'' and '' Hanx''. In 1981, he ...

became their drummer in time for the "Gotta Gettaway" single, and played in the

Rock Against Racism Rock Against Racism (RAR) was a political and cultural movement which emerged in 1976 in reaction to a rise in racist attacks on the streets of the United Kingdom and increasing support for the far-right National Front at the ballot box. Betwe ...

tour. To coincide with the release of "Gotta Gettaway", SLF headlined their first tour with 21 dates across Britain and Ireland. The highlight of the tour was the gig at Belfast's Ulster Hall on 21 May 1979. For anyone doubting SLF’s popularity in Northern Ireland, this was the first time a local punk band had headlined what was at the time the biggest music venue in Belfast. The group were welcomed home with a sell-out crowd. "Of all the shows, one of the best, without doubt, was the first time we headlined Belfast’s Ulster Hall, on the ‘Gotta Gettaway’ tour. At the height of the Troubles we packed the place and then some, and staring out at that seething mass of young people just enjoying themselves and having a great time to the music, was something that has remained a treasured memory for me all these years. That night I realised we were doing something that none of the politicians were able to do. In that hall, in the midst of a city gripped by sectarian violence, killing and hatred, we brought together the people of our hometown, regardless of religion". (Jim Reilly, Stiff Little Fingers drummer)

''Nobody's Heroes'' and ''Go for It''

In mid-1979, Stiff Little Fingers signed their Rigid Digits label to Chrysalis Records, and in 1980 released their second album, '' Nobody's Heroes''. The ''Nobody's Heroes'' era brought some success in media terms, with the single "Straw Dogs" narrowly missing the cut for ''Top of the Pops''; they eventually got on the show twice, with "At the Edge" and "Nobody's Hero". However, after their appearance with "At The Edge" the band were told they would never be invited on again as they did not take it seriously as they were not playing live; it was to be one of the most infamous ''Top of the Popss performances. They subsequently appeared on ''Top of the Pops'' for "Nobody's Hero", "Just Fade Away" and "Listen". In 1981 the band released their third studio album '' Go for It'' which was to be Jim Reilly's last involvement with the band. ''Go for It'' signified the change in Burns' writing style, with much darker and taboo subjects, such as domestic abuse in the song "Hits and Misses" and football hooliganism in the song "Back to Front" (not on the original LP but a bonus track on CD reissue) but the band also still told the story of being a teenager growing up with the song "Kicking Up a Racket".

Breakup

''Now Then...''

In 1982 came a 4-song EP called ''£1.10 or Less'' and their fourth studio album, '' Now Then...'' (actually their fifth album, as they had released a live LP, ''

Hanx ''Hanx!'' is a live punk album by the band Stiff Little Fingers, released in 1980. Originally intended for the American market, in order to introduce the band before they toured there, it was subsequently released at a budget price in the UK, f ...

'', as their official third album between ''Nobody's Heroes'' and ''Go for It''). ''Now Then'' was the first album for former Tom Robinson band's drummer Dolphin Taylor. In the face of low sales and concert attendances, they broke up in 1983, when Burns said: "Our last LP ''Now Then'' was to my mind the best album we have made. But it is also unfortunately the best I think we will ever make. So I have decided to call it a day". The band later revealed the original split had been somewhat acrimonious, with band members apparently having fistfights rather than talking through their differences.

Reformation

After Burns had moved on from Stiff Little Fingers, he had a short stint at a band with former

bassist

. They made a couple of demos, but Foxton received an invitation to make a solo album which ended their collaboration. In 1987 the band reformed. Despite some critics who had said "Nobody would be interested in coming to see you" the band had a successful tour including Germany with shows selling out night after night. The band changed their plan of it just being a temporary re-union and decided it was to be permanent.

''Flags and Emblems''

Ali McMordie decided he could not commit the time to tour full-time or record and so left, being replaced by Bruce Foxton in time to record 1991's '' Flags and Emblems''. In Britain, the single from this album, "Beirut Moon", was withdrawn from sale on the first day of release, allegedly because it criticised the government for not acting to free hostage John McCarthy, who had been held in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. In 1993, Henry Cluney was asked to leave the band, and the trio of Jake Burns, Bruce Foxton and Dolphin Taylor continued for the next four years, joined on live shows by either

Dave Sharp Dave Sharp (born 28 January 1959) is an English guitarist who co-founded, along with Mike Peters, the Welsh punk/new wave band The Alarm. Early career Sharp was born in Kersal, Salford, Lancashire, and began playing with the band Seventeen ...

or Ian McCallum.

''Get a Life''

In 1994, they released '' Get a Life'' in the UK, releasing it in the US in 1996. By the end of 1996 Taylor left due to family commitments. Burns called in

Steve Grantley Steve Grantley (born 8 March 1962) is an English rock drummer who plays for Stiff Little Fingers, and formerly the Alarm and RTZ Global. Between 1982 and 1987, he played drums for Jake Burns and the Big Wheel. He has also worked with Alicia K ...

who had played drums for Jake Burns and the Big Wheel in the late 1980s.

''Tinderbox'' and ''Guitar and Drum''

The trio of Burns, Foxton and Grantley recorded 1997's ''

Tinderbox A tinderbox, or patch box, is a container made of wood or metal containing flint, firesteel, and tinder (typically charcloth, but possibly a small quantity of dry, finely divided fibrous matter such as hemp), used together to help kindle a fire ...

'' album, with help from Ian McCallum who joined as a full-time member for 1999's '' Hope Street''. This same line-up recorded 2003's '' Guitar and Drum''.

Lineup change

On 18 January 2006, Foxton left the band. Slfcurrentofficial

On 23 January 2006, it was announced that original bass guitarist Ali McMordie was to rejoin the band for the duration of their upcoming March tour. The tour was a success, with many fans writing into SLF's message board saying how much they enjoyed it, and how fired up the band seemed to be. After much discussion regarding the status of McMordie within the band after the tour, on 21 April 2006, Burns posted on the message board "For the time being Mr. McMordie is happy to continue as long as his busy schedule allows. It may be that occasionally we have to bring on a "substitute", if he is up to his eyes and we need to do something, but hopefully we can avoid that." Mr. McMordie has occasionally been unable to tour due to other commitments and on those occasions, his place has been taken by Mark DeRosa of Chicago band, Dummy. On 25 May 2006, SLF announced Ian McCallum would not be able to join the band on its Spring US tour due to health reasons.

John Haggerty John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

Pegboy Pegboy is an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois with a relatively large cult following. They were founded in 1990 by John Haggerty (ex-guitarist for Naked Raygun), along with his brother Joe Haggerty (drums, formerly of The Effigies), Larr ...

and

Naked Raygun Naked Raygun was one of the first, one of the longest running, and one of the most recognized Chicago punk bands. They are considered by many to be the most important band in the history of Chicago punk rock and credited with creating “the Chi ...

fame would fill in on guitar. McCallum has since rejoined the band and has toured with them ever since.

''No Going Back''

On 9 March 2007, Burns announced that Stiff Little Fingers would record a new album, to be released later that year. A new song, "Liars Club", was added to their set lists that year. The track was named after a bar Burns drove past while listening to a press report about

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and the Iraq War. At the Glasgow Barrowlands gig on 17 March 2011 Burns announced that the new album was being recorded – hopefully for a 2011 release – before launching into a new song, "Full Steam Backwards", about the banking crisis in the UK. Stiff_Little_Fingers,_Slade_Rooms

On 16 October 2013, the band launched a project on

Pledgemusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

to raise funds for the album to be released in March 2014. The project reached its funding goal within 5 hours. Recording was completed in January 2014 and the album, titled '' No Going Back'' was released through

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

on 15 March 2014 and to the general public on 11 August 2014. A tour in support of the album kicked off in early 2014 and included dates in the US on the Summer Nationals tour with

The Offspring The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guita ...

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...

The Vandals The Vandals are an American punk rock band, established in 1980 in Orange County, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums, two live albums, and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped ...

, Pennywise and

. The album was the band's first UK chart success since 1983's "All The Best" and their first number 1 record on the BBC Rock Album Chart.

Personnel

Current line-up

* Jake Burns - lead vocals, guitar (1977–1982, 1987–present) * Ali McMordie - bass (1977–1982, 1987–1991, 2006–present) * Ian McCallum - guitar (1993–present) * Steve Grantley - drums (1996–present)

Former members

* Henry Cluney - guitar (1977–1982, 1987–1993) * Bruce Foxton - bass (1991–2006) * Brian Faloon - drums (1977–1979) * Jim Reilly - drums (1979–1981) * Dolphin Taylor - drums (1981–1982, 1987–1996)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:18 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1977 till:01/01/2021 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_Vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:album value:black legend:Studio_Album Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:4 start:1977 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1977 BarData = bar:Jake text:"Jake_Burns" bar:Henry text:"Henry_Cluney" bar:Ian text:"Ian_McCallum" bar:Ali text:"Ali_McMordie" bar:Bruce text:"Bruce_Foxton" bar:Brian text:"Brian_Faloon" bar:Jim text:"Jim_Reilly" bar:Dolphin text:"Dolphin_Taylor" bar:Steve text:"Steve_Grantley" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Jake from:01/01/1977 till:01/12/1982 color:vocals bar:Jake from:01/01/1977 till:01/12/1982 color:guitar width:3 bar:Jake from:01/01/1987 till:end color:vocals bar:Jake from:01/01/1987 till:end color:guitar width:3 bar:Brian from:01/01/1977 till:01/04/1979 color:drums bar:Jim from:01/04/1979 till:01/07/1981 color:drums bar:Dolphin from:01/07/1981 till:01/12/1982 color:drums bar:Dolphin from:01/01/1987 till:01/10/1996 color:drums bar:Steve from:01/10/1996 till:end color:drums bar:Henry from:01/01/1977 till:01/12/1982 color:guitar bar:Henry from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1993 color:guitar bar:Ian from:01/01/1993 till:end color:guitar bar:Ali from:01/01/1977 till:01/12/1982 color:bass bar:Ali from:01/01/1987 till:01/06/1991 color:bass bar:Bruce from:01/06/1991 till:18/01/2006 color:bass bar:Ali from:23/01/2006 till:end color:bass LineData = at:02/02/1979 color:black layer:back at:07/03/1980 color:black layer:back at:17/04/1981 color:black layer:back at:24/09/1982 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1991 color:black layer:back at:18/10/1994 color:black layer:back at:01/07/1997 color:black layer:back at:23/03/1999 color:black layer:back at:25/05/2004 color:black layer:back at:11/08/2014 color:black layer:back

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1979), (UK No. 14) * '' Nobody's Heroes'' (1980), (UK No. 8) * '' Go for It'' (1981), (UK No. 14) * '' Now Then...'' (1982), (UK No. 24) * '' Flags and Emblems'' (1991) * '' Get a Life'' (1994), (UK No. 89) * ''

'' (1997) * '' Hope Street'' (1999) * '' Guitar and Drum'' (2003) * '' No Going Back'' (2014), (UK No. 28)

Compilation albums

* '' All the Best'' (1983), (UK No. 19) * ''The Peel Sessions'' (1989) * ''Tin Soldiers'' (2000) * ''Anthology'' (2002) * '' The Radio One Sessions'' (2003) * ''Wasted Life'' (2007) * ''Assume Nothing, Question Everything: Very Best of Stiff Little Fingers'' (2012)

Live albums

* '' The Christmas Album'' (1979) * '' Broken Fingers/Live In Aberdeen'' (1979) * '' Hanx!'' (1980), (UK No. 9) * '' Live and Loud'' (1988) * '' No Sleep 'Til Belfast'' (1988) * '' Greatest Hits Live'' (1988) * '' See You Up There'' (1989) * '' Alternative Chartbusters'' (1991) * '' Fly The Flags'' (1991 ) * ''BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert'' (1991) * ''B'S, Live, Unplugged & Demos'' (1995) * ''Handheld and Rigidly Digital Live'' (1999) * '' Pure Fingers Live - St Patrix 1993'' (1999) (recorded live at Glasgow Barrowlands on 17 March 1993) * ''Fifteen and Counting... Live at the Barrowland 17th March 2006'' (2006) * ''Live In Aberdeen 1979'' (2007) * ''Best Served Loud'' (2016) * ''Rockers'' (2016) * ''Live At

Rockpalast ''Rockpalast'' (''Rock Palace'') is a German music television show that broadcasts live on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). ''Rockpalast'' started in 1974 and continues to this day. Hundreds of rock, heavy metal and jazz ...

1980 & 1989'' (2021)

Video

* ''Live On Rockpalast'' (1980) * ''See You Up There'' (1988) * ''Handheld and Rigidly Digital Live'' (1999) * ''Best Served Loud'' (2015) * ''Live At Rockpalast 1980 & 1989'' (2021) They also made the music for the game Pro Pinball: Timeshock! (1997) Their single "Alternative Ulster" was featured in the

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and

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game

Skate 2 ''Skate 2'' is a skateboarding video game developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released worldwide in January 2009 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 after the spin-off title ''Skate It''. It is the sequel to 2007's ...

. (2009) °These albums were made available exclusively at live performances and through their website

Singles

* "Suspect Device" (B-side: "Wasted Life"), 4 February 1978 (Re-released: 17 March 1979)7" first pressing on Rigid Digits 500 copies * "Alternative Ulster" (B-side: "78 RPM"), 17 October 1978 7" * "Gotta Gettaway" (B-side: "Bloody Sunday"), 8 May 1979 7" * "Straw Dogs" (B-side: "You Can't Say Crap on the Radio"), 21 September 1979 7" ( UK No. 44) * "At the Edge" (B-side: "Running Bear (live)" and "White Christmas (live)"), 9 February 1980, (UK No. 15) 7" * "Nobody's Hero"/"Tin Soldiers" (Double A-side), 16 May 1980, (UK No. 36) 7" * "Back to Front"/"Mr. Coal Fire Man" (Double A-side), 18 July 1980, (UK No. 49) 7" * "Just Fade Away" (B-side: "Go For It" and "Doesn't Make It Alright (live)"), 20 March 1981, (UK No. 47) 7" * "Silver Lining" (B-side: "Safe as Houses"), 5 May 1981, (UK No. 68) 7" * "Talkback" (B-side: "Good For Nothing"), 1 April 1982 7" * "Bits of Kids" (B-side: "Stands to Reason"), 23 August 1982, (UK No. 73) 7" & 12" * "Price of Admission" (B-side: "Touch and Go"), 4 February 1983, (UK No. 95) 7" * "Get a Life" (B-side: "Harp (live)", "Tin Soldiers (live)", 1994 7" * "Can't Believe In You", 19 February 1994, (UK No. 97) only on CD single and 12" vinyl * "Guitar and Drum", 2004 file MP3 single, ''320 kbps''

EP and 12"

* ''78 Revolution'' ("Gotta Gettaway"/"Alternative Ulster"/"Bloody Sunday"//"Suspect Device"/"Wasted Life"), 1980 (French, Celluloid CEL 6591) * ''£1.10 Or Less'' ("Listen"/"That's When Your Blood Bumps"/"Sad-Eyed People"/"Two Guitars Clash"), 6 January 1982, (UK No. 33) * ''No Sleep 'Til Belfast 12"'' ("No Sleep 'Till Belfast", "Suspect Device", "Alternative Ulster", "Nobody's Hero" - live 17 December 1987), 1988 * ''The Peel Sessions'' ("

Johnny Was ''Johnny Was'' is an Irish/English gangster movie directed by Mark Hammond, written by Brendan Foley, and made in 2005 by Ben Katz Productions, Borderline Productions and Nordisk Film. It was released in the UK in 2006 by Sony Pictures and in t ...

", "Law and Order", "Barbed Wire Love", "Suspect Device"), 1988 * ''The Wild Rover'' ("

The Wild Rover "The Wild Rover" (Roud 1173) is a very popular and well-travelled folk song. Many territories have laid claim to have the original version. History In 2015 the English Folk Song and Dance periodical "Folk Music Journal" vol 10 No 5 had an artic ...

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", "Johnny Was" - live 1 March 1988), 1989, (UK No. 83) * ''The Last Time 12"'' ("The Last Time", "Mr. Fire Coal Man", "Two Guitars Clash" - live 1 October 1988), 1989 * ''Beirut Moon'' ("Beirut Moon", "Stand Up and Shout", Interview with Jake Burns by John Oley,

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