Dieser Abend gilt dem Mann, der Mario Irrek bereits in seiner Jugend (1978) mit der Band „THE CLASH“ extrem beeinflusst hat, so wie viele seiner Generation auch.

1999 nach einem Auftritt von „JOE STRUMMER“ & The Mescaleros in der Hamburger Markthalle hatte Mario das große Glück, ihn kennenzulernen. Die Rede ist von keinem anderen als „JOE STRUMMER“, mit dem Irrek vom Tage der Begegnung an eine enge Freundschaft verband. Neben zahlreichen Treffen in London und Paris tourte Irrek mit „JOE STRUMMER“ & The Mescaleros durch Europa und lernte bei der Gelegenheit auch weitere Mitglieder von „THE CLASH“ kennen.

Als „JOE STRUMMER“ am 22. Dezember 2002 verstarb, gab Irrek sich das Versprechen, ihm zu Ehren jedes Jahr einen Gedächtnisabend zu veranstalten. Bereits zum 14. Mal findet dieser Abend - sein „Joe Strummer Tribute“ – statt. Und zum 11 x in Berlin

Neben Live-Musik von THE ZIPS (Schottland ) THE BAND OF THE UNDERHAND ( UK ) and SPECIAL GUEST werden auf zwei Leinwänden gleichzeitig The Clash Videos, rares Filmmaterial, Interviews gezeigt und SPECIAL GUESTS DJ & COMANDANTE MACANDO ( Spain ) DJ THE EMPEROR ( Berlin ) PUNK ROCK POWERPOP SKA REGGAE werden musikalisch durch den Abend führen.

Es findet eine Verlosung statt, an der jeder Gast automatisch mit seiner Eintrittskarte teilnimmt und einige seltene Clash Raritäten gewinnen kann.

1st price The CLASH - SOUND SYSTEM ( BOX ) by SONY

Anschließend wird nach „altem Brauch“ gefeiert.

„Without people you're nothing“- JOE STRUMMER

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BAND OF THE UNDERHAND
https://www.facebook.com/Band-Of-The-Underhand-485...
https://soundcloud.com/dave-earl-1

A cross between Bruce Springsteen, anything punk and a hint of blues and funk, The Band Of The Underhand, will be show casing their music throughout the UK in April. Eileen Shapiro chatted with frontman Dave Earl for Louder Than War.

Louder Than War: Introduce your band, where are you all from?

Band Of The Underhand
Dave Earl – vocals – guitar
Peter Assirati -guitar -vocals -harmonica
Tony Cosaitis – keyboards
Bob Wond- drums
Martin Campbell – bass

We are originally all from London. That is where we met but now Pete lives in Wiltshire and I live in Kent.

How long have you been together?
The group has been together four years. But I started to write with Pete and Tony a bit before that.

Do you have a favorite song that you enjoy performing?
Fave song live would be either In and Out of Love; it’s a great song about the death of love, when the only thing you have in common is that you have nothing left in common. Bit of an epic with a great piano solo Or “504” a stomping rock n roll sing a long inspired by New Orleans and the Treme.

What were or are your musical influences?
We all grew up in and around punk. I love songwriters like Strummer, Dylan, Steve Earle and Mike Scott. We have a wide selection of individual influences from Northern Soul to Nick Cave and Perry Keyes.

Do you plan to tour?
We try to play when possible but unless you can get a support slot building a fan base through gigging is pretty dead these days. We have used Facebook and Soundcloud to promote the band and tried to play select shows.

What message do you hope to get out there?
We want to play great rock n roll. We want the songs to make you want to dance and the lyrics to take you on a journey. I try to work very hard on the lyrics. Kirk Brandon said they were “heart felt”. Someone else said “if Springsteen came from the Old Kent Road in South London he’d sound like this.”

Is there anything that you would like to promote for yourselves?
We had a song in the British gangster film Who Needs Enemies, which was cool. We picked up airplay on both sides of the Atlantic via Internet radio. We are due to perform on RT in a show called “Going Underground”.

We play with The Shapes at T Chances on 22 April and both Strummercamp dates – Manchester 28 May and London 29 May. We are proud to be part of the Strummercamp scene. We played the festival the past two years. This year they are taking a break and having an all-day event in Manchester and one in London. We have made some great friends there.

Are you working on any new projects?

We are working on an album and hope to release a single in the very near future along with a free live cd. It’s not about money but getting the music out there. I’d rather give it away and be listened to that try to sell it and not.

We have all been friends for a very long time and that friendship and our love of making music is Band of the Underhand.

THE ZIPS

Pacing the floor at Punk’s birth in the 70s, splitting up as it was overtaken by Ska and New Romantics in the 80s, and re-forming due to European bootleg interest in their back catalogue in 2002,The Zips, are keen to make up for lost time. With 5 new cd eps on their own Tenement Toons label, a download single for Oxfam’s Make Poverty History campaign,The Zips finally released their debut album, Guitars4Hire, Sept 2006 – 27 years after their debut single, The Zips ep, which was a fave of the late John Peel, and copies of which, now fetch up to $427 on eBay!

2009 saw a 500 copy re-release, of the 7” by Brooklyn label, Sing Sing Records.

In 2011, The Zips unleashed their 2nd album, 19 Forevva, and on the 10th anniversary, of Joe Strummer’s death, the band released a download-only, single, Road To Strummerville, with profits to his charity, Strummerville.

A split vinyl album with Berlin-based tour buddies, Erotic Devices was issued by Clash-City-Records in 2014, ahead of a 3rd tour of Germany.

No strangers to local and internet radio, the band also have a reputation for rip-roaring performances, supporting bands like, Dr Feelgood, UK Subs, 999, The Lurkers, Vic Godard, TV Smith and Eddie & The Hot Rods.
This means they are always in demand on the live circuit, throughout Europe.

2015 saw the self-titled, Stepfathers of Punk release an advance copy of their 3rd album, Down With The Zips, to coincide with a further mini-tour of Germany.

In 2016, the band released a split CD EP with Fire Exit, and played promo dates together in Belfast & Dublin, having played a string of UK dates, including the Nice N Sleazy Festival, and a fifth tour of Germany in May. Meanwhile, the Down With The Zips album was released worldwide, download & cd, on CDBaby.com in April.

2017 is already looking good, with The Zips confirmed for Rebellion Festival in August, their 6th German tour at the end of April, an appearance at the 14th Joe Strummer Tribute on 3rd June, at the Lido, Berlin, and other dates being
negotiated. However, priority will be given to recording a 4th album, including 2 songs recently recorded in Berlin, but destined first for a limited-edition 7” single in time for the German tour.

Prior to that, Tarbeach Records (NYC) will release a 7” single with The Zips’ Barabara Wire, on one side, and a Jonzip acoustic version of 19 Forevva, on the other, on 15th March.

Watch this space!