EVERYBODY’S HEROES: STIFF LITTLE FINGERS STIR UP A STORM IN MANCHESTER

LIVE REVIEW | STIFF LITTLE FINGERS w/ The Meffs | MANCHESTER ACADEMY | 13th March 2026 by Craig Harston

Nearly 50 years since the release of their seminal debut album, the incomparable 1979 album Inflammable Material, Stiff Little Fingers have still got it. Playing to a packed room in Manchester on a drizzly Friday night, the boys from Belfast blasted through an extensive set of songs from across their discography.

First up though were rising punk upstarts The Meffs to get the early crowd warmed up. Lily and Lewis once again proved they can fill a big stage as well as they can a grassroots one, with the twosome getting a great reaction from the early arrivers. Playing mostly songs from their Broken Britain EP’s, they of course made time for their blistering cover of The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’, a couple of new songs (‘Business’, ‘Like Gravity’) and finished with the excellent ‘Clowns’.

By the time Stiff Little Fingers hit the stage, the crowd were more than ready for them. Entering during the recorded version of ‘Go For It’ they quickly launched into ‘Tin Soldiers’ before getting a great singalong on ‘Nobody’s Hero’. It’s no secret that Stiff Little Fingers first four studio albums are considered to be their best (1980’s ‘Nobody’s Heroes’, 1981’s ‘Go For It’, 1982’s ‘Now Then’ and their aforementioned debut) and their set reflected this with the majority of songs performed coming from those albums.

Jake Burns and company got the crowd dancing on their cover of ‘Roots, Radicals, Rockers And Reggae’, the melodic ‘Silver Lining’ and a fantastic rendition of The Specials ‘Doesn’t Make It Alright’, the abrasive ‘State Of Emergency’ (one of the first SLF songs ever written), ‘At The Edge’ (about how Burns’ dad thought they’d never make it as a band) and ‘Wasted Life’ went down an absolute storm and they got a little melancholy with a heartfelt performance of ‘Bits Of Kids’.

Making time for a few relative deep cuts that included ‘Back To Front’ and ‘Walkin Dynamite’ (to prove they weren’t ‘just’ a political band), Stiff Little Fingers even managed to fit in a brand new song, the excellent ‘Raise Your Heart’, proving they still have plenty of creative juice in the tank! Blasting through their last couple of songs before the encore, ‘Gotta Gottaway’ had the crowd raising the roof, singing the chorus before Burns had a chance to and was followed by a barnstorming ‘Suspect Device’.

Returning to the stage after a short break, the four-piece played a truly fantastic rendition of Bob Marley’s ‘Johnny Was’ before they ended the night on a huge high with the always excellent ‘Alternative Ulster’, which remains as relevant as it ever was. Is it too much to hope that we’ll get another half century out of Stiff Little Fingers? Probably, but based on tonight’s performance, they clearly have no intentions of slowing down just yet.

Stiff Little Fingers return to Manchester on 12th July to play the Castlefield Bowl in support of the Sex Pistols (and Frank Carter) with a line up that also includes Dr John Cooper Clarke and The Undertones. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.