Early years
Prior to becoming Stiff Little Fingers, Jake Burns, vocals and guitar, Henry Cluney, guitar, Gordon Blair, bass, and Brian Faloon, drums, were playing in a rock music cover band, Highway Star, in Belfast. Upon the departure of Gordon Blair (who went on to play with another Belfast group, Rudi), Ali McMordie took over on bass. Cluney had by this time discovered punk, and introduced the rest of the band to it. They decided that Highway Star wasn't a punk enough name, and after a brief flirtation with the name "The Fast", decided to call themselves Stiff Little Fingers, after the Vibrators song of the same name.
It was while they were doing a gig at the Glenmachan Hotel that they met up with Gordon Ogilvie, who was a Marxist journalist with the Daily Express newspaper, invited along for the evening by Colin McClelland, another journalist, with whom Jake had been corresponding.
Ogilvie suggested they play material based upon their experience of the Troubles. McClelland arranged to get the band some recording time at a local radio station, and in the studio normally used to record jingles, they recorded "Suspect Device". The single was packaged in the form of a cassette, with a cover depicting a cassette bomb, apparently causing great hilarity in the group, when one record company phoned them and asked for another copy, as they'd thrown the first one in a bucket of water for fear that it was a real bomb.
A copy of the single was sent to John Peel. He played it repeatedly leading to a distribution deal through Rough Trade. The single was released on the band's own Rigid Digits label and sold over 30,000 copies. Peel would later do the same with the first single by another famous Northern Irish band, The Undertones. There were a number of well-publicised arguments between the two bands; the Undertones accused Stiff Little Fingers of sensationalising the Northern Ireland conflict, while they retorted that The Undertones ignored it.
The lyrics of many Stiff Little Fingers' songs concerning the troubles are extremely critical of the paramilitary organisations and governments involved, showing them to be exploititative of ordinary people (particularly the young) and all as bad as each other. Their second single, "Alternative Ulster", was originally intended to be given away free with the fanzine of the same name.
Inflammable Material
In the second half of 1978, they toured with the Tom Robinson Band, and in 1979, they released their first album, Inflammable Material. The band agreed a contract with Island Records, but it fell through, leaving the band to release the album on their own label. Despite the album's independent release, it reached number 14 in the UK Albums Chart and reached Silver status, selling over 50,000 copies. Inflammable Material was the first album distributed Rough Trade records, and the first independent album to chart in the UK. This inspired their move to London, which led to the departure of Brian Faloon and Colin McClelland (who along with Gordon Ogilvie had been joint manager of the band up until that point).
Jim Reilly became their drummer in time for the "Gotta Gettaway" single, and played in the Rock Against Racism tour.
Nobody's Heroes and Go for It
In mid-1979, Stiff Little Fingers signed their Rigid Digits label to Chrysalis Records, and in 1980 released their second album, Nobody's Heroes. 1981's Go for It followed. Soon after the Go for It tour, Jim Reilly left the band. His place was taken by Brian 'Dolphin' Taylor, who Jake remembered from Taylor's days with the Tom Robinson Band.
Breakup
Now Then...
In 1982 came a 4 song EP called £1.10 or Less and then their fourth studio album, Now Then... (although their fifth album, as they had released a live LP, Hanx, between Nobody's Heroes and Go for It). By this time they had diversified musically, and Now Then had an almost pop feel about it in places. This led some of their more hardcore fans to feel alienated, and in the face of low sales and concert attendances, they broke up in 1983, when Burns said: "Our last LP Now Then was to my mind the best album we have made. But it is also unfortunately the best I think we will ever make. So I have decided to call it a day." The band later revealed the original split had been somewhat acrimonious, with bandmembers apparently having fistfights rather than talking through their differences.
Reformation
They reformed in 1987; according to Burns, because they were "skint and wanted to make a bit of cash to get back to Ireland for Christmas". They released some live albums and did short tours towards the end of the 1980s, and by 1990 were thinking of reforming permanently.
Flags and Emblems
Ali McMordie decided he could not commit the time to tour full-time or record, and so left, being replaced by Bruce Foxton (previously bass guitarist in The Jam) in time to record 1991's Flags and Emblems. In Britain, the single from this album, "Beirut Moon", was withdrawn from sale on the first day of release, allegedly because it criticised the government for not acting to free hostage John McCarthy, who had been held in the Lebanon.
In 1993 Burns made what he described as one of the hardest decisions of his life and asked Henry Cluney to leave the band, and the trio of Jake Burns, Bruce Foxton and Dolphin Taylor continued for the next four years, joined on live shows by either Dave Sharp or Ian McCallum.
Get a Life
In 1994 they released Get a Life in the UK, releasing it in the U.S. in 1996. By the end of 1996 Taylor left due to family commitments. Burns called in Steve Grantley who had played drums for Jake Burns and the Big Wheel in the late 1980s.
Tinderbox - Guitar and Drum
The trio of Burns, Foxton and Grantley recorded 1997's Tinderbox album, with help from Ian McCallum who joined as a full time member for 1999's and best of all...Hope Street . This same line-up recorded 2003's Guitar and Drum.
Lineup change
On 18 January 2006, the following announcement appeared on the SLF Website. Bruce Foxton has announced that he is to leave Stiff Little Fingers with immediate effect. After 15 years of writing, recording and touring with SLF Bruce says it is time to move on and concentrate on other projects. "The situation is amicable" says Foxton. "I have enjoyed my time with Jake, Ian and Steve and will miss them. Naturally I wish them all continued success and hope to catch up with the boys during their spring tour."
Obviously, we as well wish Bruce every success in everything he goes on to do in the future. He has been a fantastic asset to the band and we'll miss him as well.
Jake, Steve, Ian.
On 23 January 2006, it was announced that original bass guitarist Ali McMordie was to rejoin the band for the duration of their upcoming March tour. The tour was a success, with many fans writing into SLF's message board saying how much they enjoyed it, and how fired up the band seemed to be. After much discussion regarding the status of McMordie within the band after the tour, on 21 April 2006, Burns posted the following on the message board.
"For the time being Mr. McMordie is happy to continue as long as his busy schedule allows. It may be that occasionally we have to bring on a "substitute", if he is up to his eyes and we need to do something, but hopefully we can avoid that.
Cheers,
Jake."
New album
On 9 March 2007, Jake Burns announced that Stiff Little Fingers would be recording a new album which would hopefully be completed by the end of 2007. They have previewed a track from the new album, "Liars Club", at live concerts. The track is named after a bar Jake drove past on his way home whilst listening to a press report about Tony Blair, George W. Bush and the Iraq War. As of February 2009, the new album is still unreleased. This is mainly due to the fact that Burns had more or less completed writing, when he decided on a change of direction, and scrapped most of the songs.
Here We Are Nowhere
Stiff Little Fingers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's the scene?
Nothing to do
Y'know what I mean?
Nothing on the telly, there is no late-night show
No shows in town, there is no place to go
Here we are nowhere, nowhere left to go
To be young
'Cause every time we have some fun
They put us down and tell us that we're wrong
Every time they sing the same old song
Here we are nowhere, maybe that's where we belong
You know it's nothing but what they would do
Don't look at me now, I'm looking at you
And sitting there won't change a thing
Must we only wonder what the future will bring, two-three-four!
Here we are nowhere, nowhere left to go
And I said, here we are nowhere, nowhere left to go
In "Here We Are Nowhere," Stiff Little Fingers paints a portrait of the aimlessness and frustration of the youth living in late '70s Belfast. The song speaks to the ennui that sets in when you're young and long for something to do while finding yourself stuck with a sense of hopelessness. The singer seems to convey that the options before him are limited, with nothing going on in town, and nothing coming on the telly at late hours. The lines "Nothing to do, Y'know what I mean?" speak volumes to anyone who has experienced the pain of living in a small town or any place with limited recreational activities.
The song's chorus, "Here we are nowhere, nowhere left to go," reiterates the hopelessness of the singer and his people's plight. There are no shows in town, no late-night options, and no place to go if they could find something to do. The singer wonders if it's a crime to be young, cursing the establishment for dampening youthful spirits and taking away some of the joys associated with youth. In the end, the singer seems to suggest that nowhere is perhaps the only place the youth can belong, as their experiences and desires differ significantly from those of the adults who create the rules.
Line by Line Meaning
Friday night's here
The beginning of the weekend has arrived
What's the scene?
What are the plans or events for the night?
Nothing to do
There are no activities or entertainment options available
Y'know what I mean?
Do you understand and relate to this feeling of boredom?
Nothing on the telly, there is no late-night show
There are no interesting TV programs or performances to watch late at night
No shows in town, there is no place to go
There are no concerts or events happening nearby
Here we are nowhere, nowhere left to go
Feeling trapped and without options for entertainment
Is it a crime
Is it wrong or punishable
To be young
To be youthful and enjoy oneself
'Cause every time we have some fun
Because whenever we seek enjoyment or entertainment
They put us down and tell us that we're wrong
Society or authority figures judge and criticize our choices and actions
Every time they sing the same old song
Their disapproval is repetitive and unchanging
Here we are nowhere, maybe that's where we belong
Feeling misunderstood and isolated leads us to question where we truly fit in society
You know it's nothing but what they would do
The judgment and criticism we face is what society and authority figures have been doing for generations
Don't look at me now, I'm looking at you
I am just as much a victim of their judgment as you are
And sitting there won't change a thing
Passively accepting this situation won't bring about any improvement
Must we only wonder what the future will bring, two-three-four!
We need to take action and shape our own future instead of waiting for something to happen
Here we are nowhere, nowhere left to go
Reiterating the feeling of being stuck and without options for entertainment or fulfillment
And I said, here we are nowhere, nowhere left to go
Again emphasizing the hopelessness and frustration of the current situation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HENRY WILLIAM CLUNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind