London Called And I Heard It Loud And Clear

     Back on December 14,2019, I was lucky enough to be invited along to take pictures at Mr. Smalls Theater when, The Clash tribute band, The Guns Of Brixton reconvened to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of London Calling being released.

     The Guns Of Brixton is loaded with players from various bands from different parts of the Pittsburgh music scene.  Witnessing load in and sound check immediately made my aching back appreciate that I was only there in a capacity to take pictures.

     There were four guitar players, a bass player, three singers, two drummers, a keyboard player and a horn section with four or five people.  Damn near every microphone and wedge monitor that could be found in the building was put to use.

     The reasoning behind showing up with a small army's worth of musicians was due to the task at hand of playing London Calling from beginning to end.  The Clash spared no track on the mixing board when London Calling was recorded and it was jam packed with so many sounds that if you listen to the record carefully, you can hear the kitchen sink in the mix.

     Beings that I wasn't even ten years old when The Clash broke up, I did not have the opportunity to see them on the two occasions that the band came through town.  I have heard mixed accounts of both shows from different people that were there so I'm glad that I still have the mental image intact of what I think it would have been like to see The Clash at the height of their powers.

     Joe Strummer never came through Pittsburgh with The Mescaleros and I did not have a chance to travel to Cleveland or Washington DC when they toured in the late 90s.  Any excuse that I had for not making those trips was rendered immediately regrettable when the man passed in December of 2002.

     The Guns Of Brixton opened the show with a set of songs off of The Clash.  A few songs in, it became evident to me that the hours of practice over the weeks leading up to the show were hours well spent.  I was able to steal a few moments from taking pictures to close my eyes and let the music sink in while I listened.

     Eleventh Hour hit stage next and played Give 'Em Enough Rope from front to back.  I'm not sure who anybody in Eleventh Hour is but the way they attacked those songs, I will definitely try to track down what they do on a regular basis.  They were another example of what can be accomplished after several hours of practice.

     After a brief change over, The Guns Of Brixton came back out to fulfill their mission of playing London Calling.  From “London Calling” to “Train In Vain,” being in a room while those songs were being played live was mind bending.  I have several hours of Clash bootlegs, from almost every era of the band, and none of them have the dynamic range compared to actually being in the room while it was happening.

     As much as the glut of cover bands in the Pittsburgh area drives me crazy, that is not the intention of The Guns Of Brixton.  They aren't going from watering hole to watering hole playing the greatest hits to scrape together beer money.  They get together once every several years to honor Joe Strummer and The Only Band That Matters.  Whether people were in the band or in the crowd, almost everybody in Mr. Smalls that night had The Clash in their DNA and needed to hear the music treated with the reverence it deserves.

     For me, Joe Strummer and The Clash loom large over my life and who I am as a person.  If the man were alive today, I can't help but think that he'd be leading the charge against the awfulness that seems to be surrounding us.  In his absence, it's up to all of us to figure out how we're gonna come while they're kicking at our front door.