Stiff Little Fingers/The Meffs - Glasgow Barrowlands 17th March 2026

St Patrick’s Day in the east end of Glasgow can only mean one thing – Stiff Little Fingers at the Barrowland’s. This is the bands 33rd St Patrick’s Day gig at this most iconic of venues; this is a run that, I think, started in 1993. I have not been at all of them, but I have been at most of them. I guess that raises two questions, why do they keep coming back and why do I consistently make the journey to Glasgow each March? 

I read earlier in the week that front man and lead provocateur, Jake Burns, loves the atmosphere of the venue, the affection the audience have for the band and the sheer terror of standing at the side of the stage as the crowd sing “Go For It”.  

But why do I keep coming back, well, it’s a lot of things. Tonight, Jake made a point of saying the band never set out to be political. For me, they always have been – “Suspect Device”, “Tin Soldiers” and “Wasted Life” point clearly to that. That was something I always loved about proper punk, the politics of it all baked into the heartfelt belief that a song could change the world. These Fingers anthems, all of which were given a run tonight, keep me believing in that.

I love Fingers for the romance of it all. Not just the teenage, love stuff; magnificently wrapped up tonight in the glorious “Listen” which made a very welcome addition to the set, but also the romance of knowing things can get better, new song “Raise Your Heart” was testament to that. There’s the romance of what could have been different for Sonny Liston, sung with passion in “Walking Dynamite” or that young people are actually just fine and will eventually come from the pupa as well adjusted butterflies – “Bits of Kids” tells that story so well.

I also come back because I love hearing the stories behind the songs; Jake’s dad looking for royalites for giving some, no doubt well intentioned, advice that turned into “At the Edge”. Or the band’s friendships with Spandau Ballet and The Specials, the latter of which saw the robbery of a song that became a stick out for both bands in very different ways, each made “It Doesn’t Make it Alright”, alright.

I also come back to be part of the tribe. We are all looking a bit older, some fatter and many balder but we are all still there. It was great to be with pals who I have been watching and listing to SLF with for many years, in Big Andy’s case, since out teens. This love of punk has been a bedrock for so many friendships and, once again, tonight I am grateful for what music has brought me.

I also come back simply for the great live show Fingers always present. Musically, I genuinely think the band are at the top of their game. Ian McCallum haunts the side of the stage. He is always a guy who stays out the spotlight but just takes care of his business. There are parts of the show when he is not playing, and the audible difference is clear and there are other times where this 60-year-old is jumping high into the air as he delivers yet another chord that underpins an anthem.  

At the other side of the stage there is original bassist Ali McMordie. Mid way through his own 6th decade he has the muscle and body tone many a man more than half his age would love, he also plays a ripper of bassline. Like so many punk bands, the SLF bassline doesn’t just support the guitar it has its own melody, its own key part in making the tune a whole experience. Have a listen to “Just Fade Away”; the bass line is masterful. Tonight was clear testament of that.

At the back of the band is powerhouse that is Steve Grantly. When encore number “Johhny Was” began, it was Steve who was in the spotlight, the lighting making him look like a cross between Star Trek’s Data and Max Headroom: chalk white, blond quiffed and keeping time with the precision of a phaser set to malky.

Finally, I keep coming back to see and hear Jake Burns, I want to be sure he is still doing what he does best, banging out riffage on that green guitar and still maintaining a justified anger at the troubles of the world. Tonight, I thought, Jake was on top form.

The band are now in their 49th year. Forty-nine years of trying to change the world one song at a time. Forty-nine years of bringing people together in big rooms and forty-nine years of reflecting on a world of forty-nine years ago.  

As I listen to “Alternative Ulster” I reflect on how Jake’s ambition has come to pass. The streets of Belfast look so much different now as to how they were when that opening riff was first played. Can music change the world? In all honesty, I don’t know. What I do know is that bands like Stiff Little Fingers have tried and the world has changed a bit and in some shared places, that change has been for the better and driven by many of the tribe represented in the Barrowland’s tonight.

This tour is called Raise Your Voice. Fingers have consistently done that, and we have just as consistently, sung along. Next year marks SLF’s half century and they are planning a return to the same venue on the same date in 2027. They will be there, you should come too and I very much hope you’ll see me and my pals standing and smiling. My mates will be even balder, and I will, no doubt, be even fatter but we will still be trying to help change the world, one song at a time.