Suspect Device Revisted
Published May 28, 2003
Now the heroes of my adolescence are recording a new album, their first of the 21st Century, if I can be a bigger cliché. I've followed Stiff Little Fingers since the first moment that "Suspect Device" made me want to break stuff, start a revolution, and...break more stuff. As of the last reports from their website, they've yet to acquire a US distributor for their most recent album, slated for an August release in Europe. A note to They Who Distribute These Things in America: I'd buy it. Lots of my friends would buy it. And those who wouldn't buy it, well, we'd go to their houses and...break stuff. Or at least the angst-filled adolescent who hasn't left the building would like to think we would, but knows that we won't. Don't let that discourage you.
- Suspect Device Revisted
- Published: May 28, 2003
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Alternative Rock
- Writer: Emily Jones
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Comments on this articleComments
Mark,
I wouldn't say "unknown", but I agree with you that they've never gotten the attention they deserved.
God, I loved SLF. I don't know if it's _really_ the music, or just the associations, but I can't imagine anyone _not_ getting a rush of adrenaline just from those opening moments: "Inflammablematerialplantedinmyhead.."
But a new album? I dunno'. They seem so rooted in a time and place and, dare I say it, age. Can 40-somethings really be legitimate playing that kind of music?
Yeah, Larry, but they've come a long way from "Suspect Device". The raw anger may be gone, but the talent isn't.
SLF -- wow, was any band ever pushed under the carpet of punk history so completely? Even Sham 69 have a better rep. I'd forgotten all about them.
For a few months they were the business, the music for leaping around to and having meaningful shouty arguments about, but I have to admit that I never gave the band a second thought after 1979, couldn't tell you if they made a second album, broke up, whatever. Couldn't say why. Other bands to listen to, or maybe their version of "social realism" became a bit too much of a chore to listen to after a while. Was that when we old punks decided we'd had enough yelling and it was time to start listening to Kid Creole and the Coconuts instead -- or was it when we switched to the more internal traumas of Joy Division and Magazine? So hard to get the chronology right....
There still going in UK tour July 04 check out www.slf.com....... Saw them last year brilliant!!!!
The Real Punk Asylum Seekers are a 5 piece "Punk Rock Review" tribute type band playing the best Punk Rock songs from the heyday of PUNK. The band was formed at the start of 2004 thanks to desire to authentically reproduce the sounds and energy from the 70's punk era
We were sick of hearing the nicey nicey bands that were playing all the local venues. The first gigs showed us for sure that interest in punk was on the way up again.
Concept:
Get people drunk
Make them loose their inhibitions
Introduce them to the joy of punk rock
Give them a night to remember
Punk 4 us came and never went away!
I never discovered SLF until the late eighties, I've now seen them 15 times. Quite simply the best band in the world ever!! Songs like Nobodys Hero, Suspect Device and Tin Soldiers have stood the test of time, As strong and vibrant as ever and the newer stuff is not too bad. Stuff like Strummerville and Guitar and Drum are excellent.
The Real Punk Asylum Seekers are a not what they think there cracked up to be. Not to be trusted their preformances vary greatly and are defo armchair saddo. Up yours Mick!
Stiff Little Fingers,still great live, energy,anger,speed,.Congrats on 30 years fellas
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definitely a great (and underrated...maybe even unknown) band.
every once in a while i pull out my vinyl copy of Hanx.
great stuff.