"London Calling" Clash Tribute

All in all, London Calling proved to be an excellent tribute to a totally legendary band, doing a great job at keeping The Clash’s music alive and kicking.

On Friday night I went to see the Clash tribute ‘London Calling’, as they took Norwich’s packed Waterfront on a journey through the iconic punk band’s discography. I’ve grown up listening to The Clash and watching clips of their live performances. I'll always be thankful to my parents for starting me off with an awesome musical education, and so the chance to see a tribute to one of my favourite bands was something I couldn't pass up on.

London Calling treated fans to almost 2 hours of legendary tunes, as they worked their way through The Clash’s 3rd studio album. ‘London calling’ was originally released as a double album and the tribute didn’t disappoint in delivering this long set list, with other renowned songs tagged on the end. Their energy was upheld throughout.

Tribute bands are often hit or miss and it’s sometimes difficult to find the balance between sounding like any old pub band and trying way too hard to replicate the original, but it’s safe to say London Calling struck the right measure, without being too corny. They seemed to really understand that their performance was not only about delivering stellar renditions of The Clash’s music, but also embodying the band’s mannerisms and ideals. The Clash’s political influences still resonate with many people’s views on today’s government. London Calling perfectly captured this sense of everyman angst and frustration, at what is perceived as a hugely unjust system.

The Waterfront was full to the brim with Clash fans of all ages, proving how timeless The Clash’s music really is. It was clear to see, that for lots of the fans this was the closest they’ll ever get to seeing The Clash live, but for others it was pure enjoyment of the music of their youth.

My favourite Clash songs are of course ‘Rock the Casbah’ and the iconic ‘I fought the law’ and getting to hear these live was a next level experience. Both songs were saved until later in the set list, after the London Calling album was played, but the crowd’s energy certainly wasn’t dulling and the atmosphere in the mosh pit was electric. Another hugely crowd pleasing number was London Calling’s rendition of ‘Bank robber’- this really kicked the crowd into gear and had everyone singing along to the chorus. Two of my other favourite Clash songs have always been ‘Guns of Brixton’ and ‘Charlie don’t surf’ and I’d been really looking forward to hearing them live, so I was a little disappointed when neither of them appeared in London Calling’s set list, though it felt as if the tribute were trying to cater to the more riot inciting side of The Clash’s music and so perhaps these songs didn’t quite fit the vibe.

All in all, London Calling proved to be an excellent tribute to a totally legendary band, doing a great job at keeping The Clash’s music alive and kicking.