London Calling have come a long way as a one off tribute.

The Fleece, Bristol. - Saturday 22nd September 2007.

"London Calling" formed to do a one off gig in tribute to Joe Strummer on the first anniversary of his death. That gig took place on 12th December 2003 at The Junction in St. Pauls, Bristol where they performed twelve songs. Four years on, "London Calling" have come a long way since that night and now they are performing at The Fleece tonight in front of a dedicated crowd and some new faces to check out the show.

My knowledge of "The Clash" is what I have read about them over the years and owning some vinyl singles in my record collection, and here I am about to review one of the many tribute bands to them. Would they be able to recreate the excitement that happened when punk rock exploded onto the scene?

The back of the stage has a large graphic in black and white of a coach, people and police milling around and for some reason the Miners strike in Thatcherism Britain comes to mind. It sets the scene for rebellion and unrest in a way.

The show opens with "Complete Control", "Safe Euro Home" and "What's My Name". By the time we get to "Clampdown" the audience at the front of the stage start jumping and bounding around. After that the crowd on are the band's side including their fan base that have travelled all the way from Weston-Super-Mare. The audience is a mixture of those who remember "The Clash" first time around with some dressed the part and then the second generation who are discovering the punk era and absorbing what they can through bands such as "London Calling" and there is nothing wrong in that.

Vocally Reg Shaw in the role of Joe Strummer and Dan Heatley in the role of Mick Jones are strong but not sound-a-likes. They have their own identity and musicianship of all four is carried out with great conviction. They obviously enjoy what they do, even Mike Devine who takes the role of Paul Siminon takes one solo. Sam Evans has taken the stand in role tonight as the drummer Topper/Terry Chimes. He may be not have been born when "The Clash" began but he has spirit and if he wasn't a fan before he certainly is now!

There isn't much conversation or interaction between the band and audience but you don't get the chance to be bored as the show moves along at a fast and sometimes rebellious pace.

Songs such as "Janie Jones", "Brand New Cadillac", "Guns Of Brixton" and "White Man In Hammersmith Palais" are performed but it's "London Burning", "I Fought The Law" and "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" that are highlights, capturing audience involvement and joining in with the chorus. The encore of "1977" and "White Riot" where one of their fans gets on stage to help with the vocals is a bit of a gem in itself and a fitting end to a fast paced performance.

It may be a bit rough around the edges but that's what it would have been like back in the late 70's and early 80's. "London Calling" did a performance they can be proud of but not so much of a tribute band genre. They are a band well worth checking out but they may not be everybody's cup of tea having spoken to several audience members. One or two said they remain 'Clash' fans but won't become 'London's Calling' fans whilst others remain fiercely loyal to the band they saw tonight.

Kathryn Courtney-O'Neill

Copyright: Kacey-O'Neill (c) 2007. All written work and photos not to be used without my permission.