Brett Callwood
The Black Star Riders/The Almighty/Thin Lizzy man found hope in the Belfast punk band’s classic debut.
I was thirteen, growing up on the edge of Belfast in Northern Ireland in the late seventies at the height of the Troubles; the future looked bleak until my sister bought me the debut album by Belfast punks Stiff Little Fingers.
It tore out of the speakers of our old record played like angels scraping their wings over broken glass and barbed wire. The songs were angry, anthemic, and inspirational; even better they were from my city — Belfast!
The lyrics spoke to me on every level of my disjointed youth; suddenly there was light, there was a cohesion, there was a future. I had to get a guitar, I had to make moves.
Imho, Inflammable Material is the finest rock ’n’ roll debut album there is. It’s the real sound from real streets of a volatile existence, but at the same time offered hope — hope of changing, hope of getting out, and hope of living on your own terms. ❖
Ricky Warwick’s new solo album Blood Ties is out March 14. The video for “Don’t Leave Me in the Dark” (feat. Lita Ford) is out now.