STIFF LITTLE FINGERS & BLACK WATER COMMUNION
O2 OXFORD
Black Water County do a sterling job of warming up a busy Friday night congregation of the Fingers faithful. The short infectious set had a distinctly more-ish Galic feel, and this band is definitely worth catching if they ever pass by your town. The “here we go” intro music of ‘Go For It’ ushers Punk legends Stiff Little Fingers to the Oxford stage before the airtight band opens with the teeth-baring ‘Straw Dogs’ and a celebratory ‘Nobody’s Hero’. The hooks and anthems flow as ‘Just Fade Away’, ‘Listen’ and ‘Full Steam Backwards’ keep the floor busy and those pesky phones firmly in pockets. Now there is always one beered-up dick at any gig, and tonight is no exception as a pint hurled at the stage hits main man Jake Burns front ‘n’ centre smack bang between the chest and neck. After a few choice words and an embarrassed man exiting sharply, we continue. Hit single ‘At The Edge’ still sounds sharp and fresh, as do ‘Get A Life’ and ‘Harp’. ‘Each Dollar A Bullet’ is now an SLF classic, while Jake’s personal but everyone’s ‘My Dark Places’ rightfully keeps its place in an ever-competitive setlist.
Fan faves ‘Wasted Life’, ‘Gotta Getaway’ and a machine-gunned ‘Suspect Device’ send the band stage left. The encore duo of ‘Tin Soliders’ and, of course, a bellowed back word-for-word ‘Alternative Ulster’ completes another Stiff Little masterclass. This is a band that just gets better and better with every passing milestone, and they remain as relevant, vital and on point as they did way back when, if not more so, in these politically troubled times.
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