Sort it Out Tour

updated 2 Jan 2009 - added radio interview

No known audio or video
If you know of any recording, email blackmarketclash

Radio Interview - 30 minute interview by Ian Penman with Mick and Joe

(version 1)

(version 2)

Book:

The last night of the tour according to A Riot of Our Own pg125 and it definately took place. It is listed on adverts in the music press as a late date for the Tour.

The Clash Takes on the World: Page 35
Transnational Perspectives on The Only Band ...Memories of the newcastle gig..

Tommy Gun / Bath / Newcastle advert

Did you go? What do you remember?
Info, articles, reviews, comments or photos welcome.
Please email blackmarketclash

"the Dec 2 Polytechnic, Newcastle gig did take place (thought you could be right it might be the 9th, it was a Saturday anyway) as I was at this concert, and out of the 20 or so clash gigs I attended this was my favourite due to the atmosphere. The clash were supported by the Innocents, and the Slits.

The poly was a guests only venue and most of the punks at the concert were not student union members so were not allowed in, and a lot of the students would not sign people in. There was no problem buying tickets so a lot of people were pissed of with he students as they thought they were being ripped off as there was also no refund (not that anyone wanted a refund). I managed to get in early and there was a lot of fire escape doors kicked open to let people in.

I can't remember much about the Innocents except they had a female singer and I think were along similar sound as the Raincoats or Kleenex. The Slits came on stage and Ari invited all the punks to "kick the shit out of the students for being wankers and not letting people in" or something along those lines, and a lot of the punks obliged. During the slits set someone at the front of the stage stuck their hand up Ari's mini skirt so he had the shit kicked out of him, by the audience, and Ari as he was pinned to the stage and couldn't go anywhere as Ari stamped on his face and couldn't turn around as the people behind were hitting him as well.

The Clash, and particularly Joe was apparently a bit peeved at Ari's outburst and the fighting and after playing Safe European Home (the opening song) asked for everyone to calm down, then went on to play the best gig Iv seen, probably due to the band being in a bad mood over all the fighting.

The next day the gig was on the front page of the Northern Echo with a shot of the Clash on stage taken from the back balcony of the Poly and a review of the mini-riot that had taken place (I was also in the picture :-)), and as far as I can remember the Northern Echo was only published on a Sunday at the time. Iv thought about checking the news-agency archives as I wouldn't mind a copy of the picture as I never kept the original article, it was not something I thought about at the time."

A second review of the Newcastle gig

Newcastle Poly 2.12.78

There was a lot of tension building up to this Clash gig, the last night of the tour, as only students were allowed to buy tickets. The local, and thriving, new wave scene took exception and students with good music taste (and a union card) received a degree of harrassment to deliver tickets.

At the time I was a student and working, voluntarily, on the Newcastle University newspaper "The Courier" and sensed a story. I was interested in how they could play a venue to such a limited, privileged audience and remain loyal to their well-known egalitarian beliefs. I phoned their manager, Caroline Coon, with the obvious questions and eventually had a couple of conversations with her to the effect that the band was determined to see the doors opened up on the night to the general public.

Newcastle Poly was (maybe still is) a typical venue with a number of entrances/ exits and a big high room which doubled up as the Refrectory in the day time. There were hundreds of people hanging round outside, on a very cold night - without tickets  - verbally assaulting me and my fellow Clash-loving student mates. There was a lot of tension in the air when The Slits came on. They were clearly not happy at playing to the selected audience and made their views well know, resulting in a few isolated fights.

When the Slits closed their (15 minute) set, there was a serious attempt by the general public to get into the venue. Many had tickets but they also had to show a Student Union Card to get in. A lot of students (including myself) dropped our Union Cards from an upstairs window to people trying to get in. Some managed it.

The tension and the aggravation clearly got to Joe and the band. It was the most incendiary live performance I've ever seen. He was furious with the Slits and stopped the show a number of times to get people to back off from the stage, saying this was not how he wanted to close the tour.

On the way out it was clear the venue was overcrowded and there were some hairy, potentially nasty scenes of people panicking to exit. Nevertheless anyone who was there will tell you that this was the gig to remember for the rest of your life.

A third review of the Newcastle gig

Dec 2 1978 Newcastle Poly - I'd just been married that afternoon and took the wife for her honeymoon so it definitely happened. Your reviewer is spot on about the situation. I had to leave my newly wed other half outside for an hour before a serious blag got her in. 25 years later she's still with me - now that is loyalty.

It was a rather fierce gig though - intense and the songs were played with real venom. A right mellee stage front.

If you know of any recording, email blackmarketclash

There are several sights that provide setlists but most mirror www.blackmarketclash.co.uk. They are worth checking.

from Setlist FM (cannot be relied on)

from Songkick (cannot be relied on)
... both have lists of people who say they went

& from the newer Concert Database

Also useful: Ultimate Music datbase, All Music, Clash books at DISCOGS

Numerous articles, interviews, reviews, posters, tour dates from the Sort it Out Tour, October to December 1978

If you know of any articles or references for this particular gig, anything that is missing, please do let us know.

The Clash Newcastle Polytechnic
Oct 28 1977 and Dec 2 1978
Posted July 16, 2012 - by vintagerock