Stiff Little Fingers

They're still burning. Stiff Little Fingers celebrate 31 years of punk rock this year and they're just as good as ever. I know because I saw them last night at the Bristol Academy.

It's a bit of a trek up from Cornwall and I find it advisable to take a day off work afterwards because I don't get home until 0200 hours but Stiff Little Fingers still play with such conviction they keep me turning up at their gigs. Their live performances are consistently superlative.

I know most of the words as well and if you don't go to church or have no interest in football like me, the opportunities for community singing are somewhat limited so I need bands like SLF.

"Fingers!"

I went up with my mate Gary and when we arrived at the venue, two little girls had been sidelined by the door staff since they'd drunk the best part of a bottle of whisky between them. Gary and I had arranged to meet up with Gary's mate Dave from Gloucester so, as we were waiting, we ear-wigged to what was going on as we hung around in the entrance hall.

The two little girls were dressed up in their best punk gear but couldn't have been any older than sixteen. The smaller one could have been as young as twelve. They had valid tickets but, as the door boys and girls pointed out, they couldn't come in because they were clearly under age drinkers and the Bristol Academy couldn't prove they hadn't been plying these children with booze and so could lose their license to sell alcohol to grown ups.

"But that's so gay!" the little girls whined, although they didn't look in the least cheerful. "We've only drunk half of it!"

"The bottle's nearly empty," said the security man. "You have not acted at all sensibly."

"Oh please!" the baby punks said.

"No," came the reply, "we owe you a duty of care. Just put this experience down as an important lesson."

"But we really want to see them!"

"No. You've behaved really stupidly. Besides, we've phoned your mum and she's coming to pick up you up."

Dave missed all this because he was waiting for us outside. Mobile phones don't always make things easier. I thought the door staff and management acted brilliantly. Crowd surfing was not allowed and the sound was good. The venue has a multi-storey car park nearby and we came into Bristol over the spectacular Clifton suspension bridge.

Stiff Little Fingers were great. They played all our favourites but didn't mention anything about the new album they've been talking about for the last four years or so. I think they're enjoying themselves too much touring.

I had a mosh. It seemed rude not to and sometimes I wonder how much longer I'll be able to do it. A lot of my mates have sports or motorcycle injuries and some of us are just old.

It didn't stop some of my contemporaries last night. Unable to contain themselves in the presence of Stiff Little Fingers playing live, they leapt into the mosh pit and pogoed like they used to only to end up, some 30 seconds later, at the side of the stage doubled over, soaked in sweat. But who cares? They joined in and that's what mattered.

There was the usual pushing and shoving and creating your own space with your arms but on the whole it was good-natured, apart from one or two who fancied themselves as being too hard to enjoy the true spirit of wild abandon inspired by great music. Funnily enough these were they seemed to fall over quite a bit. Or were they pushed - maybe the crowd was picking on them.

As soon as anyone fell over, however, those around them hoicked them up. Two blokes collapsed in a matey embrace at the end of "Tin Soldiers" but were so slippery with beer and soaked with sweat they were very difficult to pick up.

At the end of each song as well as the gig there was the usual slapping of strangers backs, group hugs and high fives with people you'd never seen before or would ever meet again. We were all fellow fans and were enjoying ourselves together. We'd established a rapport even though not a word had been exchanged. Such is the power of sublime shared experiences courtesy of SLF -"Fingers!"

Jake Burns, the front man of Stiff Little Fingers (but you knew that!) said he didn't feel too well last night and was worried that if he leapt around as usual he might chuck his guts up over the front row. We were rather surprised about this because he seemed just as lively as ever. "Listen to your heart" was just as powerful as it should be and the opening bars of their finale, "Alternative Ulster", always makes my hair stand on end.

So that'll be the hairs in my ears and nose, then, seeing as there's not much on my scalp these days.

Stiff Little Fingers typically tour twice a year and are recommended by Bob Blackman, the Engine Punk.