Bonds Residency
Supported by the Modettes, and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

List of support acts

Three weeks & 17 gigs that shook up New York and America.

updated May 2005
updated 8 Jan 2010 - added punters comments, new photos and video

updcated Nov 2020 better recording (3)

Audio 1 - alternate master
Sound 3 - time 1hr 40mins - tracks 24
Cuts out at the start of Police & Thieves and omits Bored with the USA.

Safe European Home

Audio 2 - DAT master - FULL
Sound 3.5 - time 1hr 47mins - tracks 26

Safe European Home

Audio 3 - upgrade
Sound 3.5 - time 1hr 44mins - tracks 26

Safe European Home

video - Bonds TV News Reports - short live clips and interviews from Channel 4 & 7 (on Clash on TV Vol.1)

audio - Radio & TV Reports - a collection of news pieces reporting on the ticket crises at it happenned - 25 mins - updated Jan 2009

More info including full audio and video News Reports here.

For all video, it is presumed that significant footage comes from the first night but it is also highly likely it came from other nights.

For further details on video on from the opening nights go to the 28th

For information on the Clash on Broadway reels go here

Audio recording

The taper who recorded most if not all of the circulating Bonds audience recordings, had serious problems with the first half of his recording of the 29th May concert. Near the end of Lightning Strikes the sound that up to that point suffers seriously from hiss, low output and flatness breaks down further for a few seconds then markedly improves there after.

Whatever the cause of the original problem we do know that as it comes from DAT via the master recording that it was a result of problems with the tapers settings or equipment rather than poor transfers from the master.

The sound from Ivan Meets GI Joe onwards is one of the best of the Bond’s audience recordings; clear instrumentation, good range and clarity. It suffers though like all Bonds audience recordings from distance, a lack of “in your face” immediacy. On the first half of the concert it is like hearing the concert from a gap in a semi-closed dressing room door but in the second half it is as if the door is wide open!

The widely circulating recording has the wrong encores which are actually from the 28th May, whilst we know from the Bonds TV reports that the normally circulating 28th May recording had the wrong encores (almost certainly from the 29th May) tacked onto the end! See 28th May review for details.

Certainly when the encores are swopped over the sounds match their wrongly divorced partners! The first 2 nights were the only Bonds shows to end with Bored With The USA, and Police & Thieves is confirmed as played on the 29th by the Boston Rock article.

For more information ...

1. Background

2. Bonds Residency

3. The Clash arriving in New York and the build up

4. News Reports video and audio

5. The Ticket Fiasco

6. The remainder of the residency

7. History of Bonds

7a. Longer history of Bonds plus old photos

8. Posters and adverts

9. Badges, FSLN handouts, flyers, Clash press release ...

Even before the end of The Clash’s first concert at Bonds on the Thursday night the Fire trucks and Fire Marshall’s were waiting outside. The Fire Marshall interviewed for Channel 2 said “Last night there were 3649” people in Bonds and imposed a closure order on the venue. The Plasmatics had recently played Bonds with 4000 people inside and blew up a car onstage. The truth as to why there was a problem when The Clash played has never been exposed but the widely held view was that it was a result of inter-club rivalry and a residency by the high profile Clash was too much for one or more of Bonds competitors. As Joe said, “…somebody paid somebody, who paid somebody, who paid somebody to come in and shut the building down” Mojo 96.

After a meeting though with Fire chiefs and Bernie and Kosmo a compromise was agreed which allowed the scheduled show to go ahead on Friday night. There was a limit set of 1725 people and Ticketron tickets would be honoured first, as it was believed that most of these would have been bought by non New Yorkers, and thus would have had the furthest to travel and be inconvenienced the most. Those who had bought tickets direct from Bonds would have to wait for additional Clash shows slotted in at the expense of Gary Glitter and Stranglers concerts.

This again all changed the following morning when the Building Commissioner stepped in and closed Bonds indefinitely - but that’s a later story.

Tonight’s concert went off without a hitch although touts (scalpers) were charging $40 for the $10 Ticketron tickets. Boston Rock No.9 (link) gives a review of the concert. A hostile reaction to the support acts continued over from the first night with opening acts The Modettes and an unspecified group of rappers booed off. Mick dedicated Magnificent Seven to Grandmaster Flash tonight and perhaps spurred on by the hostile reaction by at least part of their audience to the new music they were now embracing, The Clash deliver tonight one of the best performances of the Bonds residency.

The recording begins just as the intro music ends and the band kick into London Calling. The sound is poorer on this first half of the recording but all the instrumentation comes through OK and Mick’s solo cuts through. His guitar sound for the Bonds residency has again changed subtly from the European tour and is high and clear in the sound mix. A short pause then Safe European Home after which Joe first addresses the very lively sounding audience with a “good evening and welcome”. The Leader would remain the third song in the set list for the remaining Bonds shows, which reverted, back largely to the set order of the European tour.

Somebody Got Murdered is another strong, high-energy performance. Joe sounds more up for tonight than the first show where unusually it was Mick’s energy that drove it along. A strong White Man in Hammersmith Palais has Joe adlibbing over the ending. The band run through fine if unexceptional performances of Guns of Brixton, Radio Clash and The Call Up, the deficiencies in the sound reducing their enjoyment. “Guitar festival” is Joe’s intro to Complete Control which builds and builds, showcasing Mick’s fine playing.

“Not too slow” orders Joe before Junco Partner and the band respond with a fine performance, and an improvised ending. Mick’s ‘fireworks’ effects, like on many songs tonight feature prominently. Lightning Strikes sees further improvisation and near the end of the song the sound improves markedly, which coupled with high energy performances makes the rest of the recording very enjoyable indeed.

“I leave you now with Mr Topper Headon” is Joe’s intro to Ivan Meets GI Joe the sound now detailed and clear, but still too distant to make it an especially enjoyable sound. Charlie Don’t Surf is the first of the inspired performances tonight; Joe is fired up, adlibbing an intro of “Choppers, the choppers descend, ? payback, light the red flare” then Mick’s guitar comes in followed by a scream from Joe. He continues to adlib but they are largely unclear but their effect coupled with some terrific guitar playing from Mick is very impressive. Bankrobber starts with Joe leading the audience through “Daddy was…, Daddy was…” call and response style and Mick adds some very effective guitar licks.

Magnificent Seven is proceeded by, “This next number is for all those people who loved and appreciated Grandmaster Flash because without him this number probably would not have existed”. The band fired up, kick into a terrific extended 7-minute version of hard as nails punk funk. Mick’s soaring guitar is a delight and Joe acts mid song as musical conductor instructing, “OK then guitar, get on the guitar” as Mick takes in into the bridge, then “shush..listen to the bass guitar”, Joe adds adlibs then Topper builds it up again with repeated drum rolls. “Magnificent” screams Joe repeatedly, the band clearly enjoying themselves with Joe and Paul play riffs off each other before Topper’s crescendo drum rolls bring it to an end. The crowd roars its approval.

“… And now” shouts Joe as Mick’s 81 style guitar intro signals an excellent Wrong Em Boyo. It’s then straight into Train In Vain, which sounds fresh and inspired with Mick’s terrific playing clear in the mix. Joe says “Over to you..” before Mick screams “1-2-3-4” and the band crash into a high octane Career Opportunities. With no gap and with their backs to the audience The Clash storm into Clampdown then swivel around as Joe shouts “what are going to do now?” Joe conducts the orchestra; “Drums, drums” as Topper lays down an avalanche of drumming then “guitar.. shush” allows Mick to stretch out and play as the band deliver a terrific performance. As the music drops down Joe repeats, “working for the clampdown, you’re begging to be melted down” Topper builds it back up for a thunderous finale and the song ends with a scream from Joe.

The encores (taken from one of the 28th May tapes) begin with One More Time, a shorter performance than the norm now, fine but unexceptional. The lively crowd roar their appreciation as the band tear through Brand New Cadillac. Washington Bullets, a constant feature of the Bond’s sets for obvious reasons tonight has an extended ending with some fine playing from Mick but no El Salvador message, unlike at the first concert. The band kick the energy levels back up with a charge through Janie Jones to end the first encore with Joe’s adieu of “goodnight, sleep tight!”

An edit restarts with the second encore opener of Armagideon Time, which features some great lead guitar, but there are no adlibs from Joe and the song ends with a heavily echoed “suppers up”. Next its straight into an excellent Police and Thieves (rarely played once on the European Tour) the arrangement is played ‘straight’ but Mick’s guitar playing is a delight and there is a short improvised end section before Topper’s familiar drum pattern brings the song to an end. Joe then says “OK thank you.. Monsieur ..USA” and the band blast into a searing I’m So Bored With The USA, the last time a Clash concert would end with this song.

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

ned flood says
sleazy bruce, trip and bernie rhodes…it was a blur…i know we used our passes to sneak friends into the shows…i was assigned to selling ‘official” clash shirts on broadway..literally..”on the street’…

i got into a shouting match with clash manager kosmo vinyl about the prices i was charging…way to go ned….piss off the band on the first night. and remember kiddies it was when times sq. was shady…drugs/hookers/dive bars.

it’s where i met ‘the drunk cabbie” who printed up the legendary “clash in times sq.”shirts…so i go back stage and give a shirt to joe strummer personally

…i was nervous…he cut the sleeves off with a switch blade…paul simonon came up asking for the shirt..i don’t remember if i came back. i did have a beer while trying to act cool. grand master flash opened some shows…they got booed…

i saw joe ely in the crowd.the funny thing was the saturday riot was for the afternoon show.everybody looks so young. death or glory-ned “vender” flood -bond’s survivor.

The Clash Photos at Bonds Casino 80s Retro Punk Rock
all photos and text copyright Keith

Before getting into the business of restoring old soda machines, i was in the T-shirt business for many years. Me and a couple of friends started printing shirts in 1977 on my best friends parents porch.

Although we would print anything to make a buck we really loved printing shirts of our favorite rock bands. It was right around that time we got into punk rock, and our favorite punk band was The Clash !

So a few years later when we got to do the printing for the official Clash at Bonds Casino gig in NY City we where ecstatic. We printed the shirts, drove them to NY City, sold them in the streets and even manned a concession stand in the show. Talk about a great time, hanging out in NY City, selling shirts and going to Clash concerts.

My memory is a little hazy, not sure how many shows we saw or how long we stayed in NY but we where there on May 30TH.

The Clash were originally scheduled to play eight shows: May 28, 29, 30, 31 and June 1,2, 3, and 5, 1981.

But on May 30TH the concert was canceled by the Fire Department because of over crowded conditions. The promoter sold far to many tickets than the place could hold and it almost caused a riot around the theater which was in Times Square. Police on horse back pushing people out of the streets, people running around yelling who knows what.

But eventually order was restored and no one was hurt and The Clash being a band of the people decided to honor every ticket that was sold and kept playing every night until all tickets where used.

Hope you enjoy the pictures and if you have any memories of when the Clash took over the Bonds Casino in NY City please share them here.

“White riot - I wanna riot White riot - a riot of my own” The Clash

I was lucky enough to see the Clash play twice--a great show at NYC's Palladium and one of their famous shows at Bonds. The latter show was a little lackluster, finally catching fire around halfway in--kicked off by a rousing version of Complete Control as I recall. One moment I remember clearly: a crew member put a small TV onstage so Mick Jones could watch the band perform on the Letterman show, pretaped earlier in the day. Joe Strummer was obviously annoyed at this, finally kicking the TV in. - Marlowe As for greatest live bands well i saw the clash in nyc when they sold too many tickets for bonds in Times Square and were obliged to play something like 2 weeks straight to honour all the tickets sold. This was the sandinista tour but the show covered every period and was quite simplyamazing. Strummer got visibly pissed off when the crowd did not sing along with the obvious anthems but then you can’t expect perfection from a rock audience.Support that night was funkapolitain and the slits which blew my mind as i had no idea they were on the bill. Pearl harbour was the dj between sets. I've been a Clash fan for a very long time. I had tickets for all 8 of the original Bonds Performances. I was right up front opening night when the club was overpacked by double. Quite a few people passed out and had to lifted and surfed to the stage area to be removed. Bouncers were passing out jugs of water to the front. If my memory serves me correctly, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the very first opening act (4 or 5 per night) and they SUCKED! I told my friend who had been drinking a premixed bottle of vodka and orange jucie to chuck the bottle at the group (he did). It was then that the rappers went into a tyraid of "The Clash asked us to be here. They wanted us to perform". Though I love GF&TF5 they couldn't be any worse live. To be squeezed into a sardine can, and hear a pounding bass drum and nothing else was more than anyone should bear. I LOVE Grandmaster Flash but they were AWFUL. As a matter of fact they were beyond awful. It wasn't racism, it was a matter of an overpacked house and a group that wasn't making music, it was barely noise. What would you call listening to a kick drum for 10 - 15 minutes? Leaving, I literally couldn't stand up straight, there were fire marshalls at every door. SinceI had tickets for the original 8 nights bought at Bonds, my ticket was not valid the following evening. But, I saw 8 shows, and they were all fantastic. I saw them every tour since then, and they remain one of the greatest acts in R&R. One night I was dying of thirst and Mick kept sipping from a large soda cup. So I kept looking at him and motioning for a drink (security would pass water to the crowd). Mick points to his cup and shakes his head no, but finally he gave in and it was RUM and a tiny drop of coke for flavor. I took a sip, passed it on and within a few seconds people were fighting over the cup. There were a ton of opening acts at the Bonds shows, and none were memorable. Snowman “I had tickets for all 8 of the original Bonds Performances. I was right up front opening night when the club was overpacked by double. Quite a few people passed out and had to lifted and surfed to the stage area to be removed. Bouncers were passing out jugs of water to the front. If my memory serves me correctly, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the very first opening act (4 or 5 per night) and they SUCKED! I told my friend who had been drinking a premixed bottle of vodka and orange juice to chuck the bottle at the group (he did). It was then that the rappers went into a tirade of "The Clash asked us to be here. They wanted us to perform". Though I love GF&TF5 they couldn't be any worse live. To be squeezed into a sardine can, and hear a pounding bass drum and nothing else was more than anyone should bear. I LOVE Grandmaster Flash, and they were AWFUL. As a matter of fact they were beyond awful. It wasn't racism, it was a matter of an over packed house and a group that wasn't making music, it was barely noise. What would you call listening to a kick drum for 10 - 15 minutes? I saw them a few years later on Long Island where the levels were decent and you could understand what they rapped. It was great. Leaving, I literally couldn't stand up straight; there were fire marshals at every door. Since I had tickets for the original 8 nights bought at Bonds, my ticket was not valid the following evening. But, I saw 8 shows, and they were all fantastic.” David S “Grandmaster Flash did open for the boys at Bonds. I was there and thought it was really closed-minded and small the way the crowd reacted. They wouldn't even give basic courtesy. Grandmaster Flash was right; the Clash did ask him to play, and frankly the reaction of a white crowd to an inner city act like that had to smack of racism. Some reports have The Slits also on the bill on the 28th but it appears from the press review that they did not play this night. The New York Nobody Sings- Clash at Bond's reosted from my blog... At 15, I saw the Clash at Bondís International Casino on Broadway and 44th street. The space was a beautiful disco with lots of playful elements. There was a big staircase... Remember When - The Clash Photos at Bonds Casino – 80s Retro Punk Rock So a few years later, when we got to do the printing for the official Clash at the Bonds Casino gig in NY City, we where ecstatic. We printed the shirts, drove them to NY City, sold them in the streets... They Shoot Actors, Don't They? Bond's Casino Facebook The Clash at Bonds Casino, Times Square, NYC gigs 1-3 of 17. IT'S ALL THE STREETS YOU CROSSED NOT SO LONG AGO -The Bow-Ties that Bond BOND INTERNATIONAL CASINO--1530 Broadway, on the east side of Broadway between 44th and 45th Streets. (Often referred to as Bond's.) A short-lived discotheque most famous for hosting the "Clash on Broadway" residency in 1981, Jo Streno Personal memories RETRO MEMORIES The Clash at Bonds Casino NYC, 1981 The Clash at Bonds Casino, Times Square, NYC gigs 1-3 of 17. where you there?

Video - Clash on Broadway Reels - "all the original reels have been found and are now with Sony. UPDATE1 The footage the footage that was found is very expensive to transfer. Don hasn't yet ID'd the film boxes (03/2015). UPDATE2 On the Facebook page dedicated to the summer 1981 Nyc residence, from one Kevin Bud Jones that was hired by Don Letts to help shout ing The Clash on Broadway docufilm: "We shot one complete show with multiple cameras and a 24 track mobile recorder. We also shot most of every show with one camera and in house 8 track recording. The band wore the same gear every night and Topper was such a consistent drummer - and the band well rehearsed - that we were able to build edits from different nights with no trouble at all."‬ (03/2015)" There are around 36 tapes in all, each of which would cost at least £500 per tape to transfer (the prohibitive cost is why the filmakers didn't have this material transferred at the time) - it's on a rare early video format called EIAJ. Sam Facebook The same guy who posted that also wrote this in the comments (bold emphasis mine): "We shot one complete show with multiple cameras and a 24 track mobile recorder. We also shot most of every show with one camera and in house 8 track recording. The band wore the same gear every night and Topper was such a consistent drummer - and the band well rehearsed - that we were able to build edits from different nights with no trouble at all." "Sadly - we never shot the opening acts. We started the gig with the intention of doing a six song DVD EP - not a full scale documentary. Shooting expanded as the story expanded and the shows stretched on." "We were not making a concert movie per se - and my part in the post production ended when the material left the US after doing the Combat Rock video which John shot in Texas." All of this makes me wonder where all that footage is and why they haven't done a long form concert video or if they will at some point. I mean, a whole show in multi-camera, 24 track?! I can't imagine that kind of thing just inadvertently gets lost. I'm sure there is way more about this that is known that I am not aware of. I think I've read that lots of footage has been lost but I don't know any details about that. Concert movies have been constructed from way less (The Doors Hollywood Bowl for one, I expect there are more). Found in London garage 2006 - handed to SonyThere are around 36 tapes in all, each of which would cost at least £500 per tape to transfer (the prohibitive cost is why we didn't have this material transferred at the time) - it's on a rare early video format called EIAJ.  From - I saw the Clash at Bonds play at Bonds - Facebook page My partner John Hazard and I were fortunate enough to be hired by Don Letts and The Clash to produce and shoot the documentary of Bonds and beyond that is the Clash on Broadway film featured at the end of Westway to the World. What started out as a one week shoot to get six songs live in the can became a year of our lives. The video for This Is Radio Clash was a lift from the 10 minute trailer for the unfinished film that we shot on 16mm and went all the way to a 35mm blowup to show potential distributors. Needless to say - the project was never completed as the band disassembled after Combat Rock. Clash on Broadway is the rough cut we had finished by the time to project was wrapped and went back to the UK. We shot one complete show with multiple cameras and a 24 track mobile recorder. We also shot most of every show with one camera and in house 8 track recording. The band wore the same gear every night and Topper was such a consistent drummer - and the band well rehearsed - that we were able to build edits from different nights with no trouble at all. Sadly - we never shot the opening acts. We started the gig with the intention of doing a six song DVD EP - not a full scale documentary. Shooting expanded as the story expanded and the shows stretched on. Q. How come we've never seen the release of the entire show? We were not making a concert movie per se - and my part in the post production ended when the material left the US after doing the Combat Rock video which John shot in Texas. Clash on Broadway film UPDATE Update: March 2007. Researchers for the Julian Temple Strummer film, The Future is Unwrtten unearthed the full set of reels shot by Don Letts. Of which over 90% was recoverable. They had been kept in a garage lock in South London for over 25 years. They turned up purely by accident. The whole load of film reels that had been originally shot on 60 millimeter for a film called Clash on Broadway. The film, shot in New York in 1981, was principally going to be a clash movie. However it never actually got finished. The only version of the film that existed was a cutting copy as described above in the various releases, it wasn't great quality. The film researchers heard about a man who lived in South London, and he had a whole lot of film reels and he wasn't quite sure what they were. They visited him at his house and he told the story about he how he acquired these film reels, not neccessarily by straight forward means, he just had them. And for oer 25 years he sat on them. He kept them in his cellar, he did move house several times but always took them with him. There are 50 film reels from clash on Broadway. It includes amazing footage like The Clash visiting Martin Scorsese on the set of king of comedy. A real find. We at BMC just hope that all of it and we believe there may be about 20 hours worth, finds its way into some bonus DVD. message posted recently on Clash City (Satch's - If Music Could Talk) "I was told by the film makers that all the reels had turned up but they didn't know what state they were in. They had been sat there in a lock in South East London for 25 years. When I got told they said they had possession of them and they were nervous as to whether they were preserved or not. A week later I got an email saying most of the reels where ok. About 5-10% may be lost. "Well, I collected 40 film reels and am planning to go and look at them next week. Some are pretty badly damaged and I don't know yet if they are repairable. It's certainly not all the rushes either but it looks like most of them are there. The Clash aren't aware yet that we have these - it seems premature to be telling them if the footage is in too bad a state to use, but it all looks hopeful. I'll keep you posted." "Not much is damaged. The garage film footage of CO Broadway is mostly fine, the only damaged stuff is not live footage. I watched everything but only had a limited amount transferred to tape as it was so expensive. There was quite a lot of Bonds stuff in the Clash on Broadway rushes that I found. " "Regarding the Clash on Broadway release, who knows - the rushes will probably be handed back to Sony as they are the joint rights holder along with the Clash so who knows? But it's going to need a lot of restoration before that - it's a big job." Filming shelved? "I worked for the Clash during the Summer of 1981 Bond's shows. They filmed everything for the intended "Clash on Broadway" film...you couldn't take a leak without a camera in your face. As I understand it the project was trashed when the band split up (I think it was when Topper left) shortly after the tour, and they were never able to work out the legal details while everyone was feuding. Noam" Video /Clash on Broadway/TV News Reports TV cameras from 2 channels covered the concert for the news channels on the opening night and good quality video dubs circulate on Clash On TV Vol.1. Channel News 4 has live clips of Armagideon Time, Bankrobber and I’m So Bored With The USA. Seperately there is footage that includes the press conference and nearly all of London Calling uncut with the band in the dressing room, running up the stairs and on stage, though this may be a mix of the opening press conference and Don Letts footage from the 9th June. Clash on TV [also booted identically as TV Calling]Clash on TV begins with a classic Joe interview clip - “Everywhere, everything is no good, everybody’s walking around going this is no good, everything is gone wrong” cuts to a live clip of Brand New Cadillac, then back to Joe “So there’s no time to stand around with some nice pair of velvet trousers on going on about what you’re gonna do to your women tonight!” Paul is also interviewed about their support of political issues. Channel 7 live has short clips of London Calling and Magnificent Seven, and includes an interview clip with Kosmo. It also shows missiles being thrown at Grandmaster Flash. These reports though broadcast on the 29th have live footage definitely from the 28th May, “last night” as it states on screen and then goes onto say “If you want to see them tonight you must have ticketron tickets” and talks about the situation prior to the City Building Department closing Bonds indefinitely on the Saturday 30th morning which resulted in the mini-riot when the matinee crowd were turned away. Footage from the 9th [aka Don Letts CoB footage] The CoB Trailer found on Essential Clash, Clash on Broadway and most of Don Letts footage seems to be fropm the 9th. London Calling sound is dubbed from the 9th June master using the master [as opposed to remixed broadcast version] where Micks vocals are out of the mix almost. Essential Clash contain no other tracks. Clash on Broadway [Westway DVD Bonus] The Clash on Broadway found on Westway DVD extras is certainly the best. It contains London Calling, which seems to be dubbed again from the 9th but from the radio broadcast version with Micks vocals in the mix? Most of London Calling features. Interspersed with Dons New York footage CoB then includes most of Guns of Brixton which is part dubbed. Quite of lot of Safe European Home which is dubbed with the original studio version. Only when we get to nearly full versions of Charlie Don't Surf and Radio Clash is the original sound. There is footage of the press conference and nearly all of London Calling but this circulates seperately. This starts with press conference, backstage, 16 Tons play on, London Calling nearly full [probably the same length as Westway? but the sound plays on to a montage of NYC/Clash pictures]. The sound is remixed from [Trick or Treat bootleg] radio broadcast from the 9th June as Westway. MTV Rockumentary is same as Westway/Clash on TV/Essential DVD but with only very edited clips of the press conference and London Calling. Nothing new except a couple of comments form Mick and Paul. Photos taken from the 9th further corroborate the date of the TV footage classic rock concert photos. Paul’s in a turquoise vest and black leathers, Mick in white trousers and red shirt and Joe in all red. Clash on Broadway never released The press conference was held on the 27th in Bonds foyer and shots from it including Mick’s “sell out” explanation are shown in Clash On Broadway on the Westway To The World and Essential Clash DVD’s. Sadly Topper’s sacking appears to be the reason this film was never released; in May 82 it was reported in the press that the film was almost complete and would shortly be released. But shortly after he was sacked, Topper took out an injunction preventing the release of the film and it went into storage and was later destroyed. What is left of the film though does capture the excitement, the chaos and the cultural changes of the Bonds residency very well.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

London Calling Safe European Home The Leader Somebody Got Murdered White Man In Ham Palais The Guns Of Brixton This Is Radio Clash The Call Up Complete Control Junco Partner Lightning Strikes Ivan Meets GI Joe Charlie Don't Surf Bankrobber The Magnificent Seven Wrong 'Em Boyo Train In Vain Career Opportunities Clampdown One More Time Brand New Cadillac Janie Jones Armagideon Time Washington Bullets I'm So Bored with the USA

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

To read al the news reports from Bonds including video and audio chronologically in one thread.

1. Background

2. Bonds Residency

3. The Clash arriving in New York
and the build up

4. News Reports video and audio

5. The Ticket Fiasco

6. The remainder of the residency

7. History of Bonds
longer history of Bonds & images

8. Posters and adverts

9. Badges, FSLN hadouts, flyers, Clash
press release ...

10. Photos various - PDF 48mb

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

The Clash at Bonds

Italy to New York
When The Clash landed at JFK airport in New York on the night of the 25th May 1981 they had no idea that their residency at a Broadway nightclub would create such a furore and nationwide media coverage that it became a pivotal event in their assault on America, helping to propel them into the major league Stateside. As Kosmo Vinyl has succinctly put it, “People who didn’t have straight trousers and short hair suddenly knew who we were. It got out - it was big!”. The Bonds concerts became one of the most enduring aspects of the Clash legend. ... more ...

Arrival
A collection of articles covering the bands arrival into New York including previews of the week. Also includes the WNEW preview broacast with Meg Griffin.

Ticket Fiasco
Numerous articles and audio and video reports covering the ticket fiasco.

Bonds News Reports
Audio and video reports covering the ticket fiasco. Fascinating watching / listening that captures those three days well. Includes notes.

Residency
The remainder of the press coverage once the bad had agreed to ensure all ticket holders got in by adding 8 more dates.

Photos - PDF 42mb
All randon phonts bundled here.

Adverts, posters and sundry
Bits and pieces inclduying all adverts and posters.

Comments
Comments for those who attended one of the gigs

Italy to New York
When The Clash landed at JFK airport in New York on the night of the 25th May 1981 they had no idea that their residency at a Broadway nightclub would create such a furore and nationwide media coverage that it became a pivotal event in their assault on America, helping to propel them into the major league Stateside. As Kosmo Vinyl has succinctly put it, “People who didn’t have straight trousers and short hair suddenly knew who we were. It got out - it was big!”. The Bonds concerts became one of the most enduring aspects of the Clash legend

WNEW Bonds week

Prior to The Clash's arrival WNEW FM ran a Bonds Week with Meg Griffin. It includes an intro to the Clash at Bonds week with a montage of old interviews and Clash tracks

Listen again here:

Bonds News Reports

28 May - 30 May 81 - updated 5 Jan 2009When the probelms started on the 29th at the venue the news media decsended and there s both audio and video circulating that captures those few hectic days.Audio: 30 mins of TV and Radio interviews, news and commentary.

Video: The Clash - News Reports about Bond's Casino Shows - June 1981

Video - Clash on Broadway Reels -

"all the original reels have been found and are now with Sony. UPDATE1 The footage the footage that was found is very expensive to transfer. Don hasn't yet ID'd the film boxes (03/2015). UPDATE2 On the Facebook page dedicated to the summer 1981 Nyc residence, from one Kevin Bud Jones that was hired by Don Letts to help shout ing The Clash on Broadway docufilm:"We shot one complete show with multiple cameras and a 24 track mobile recorder. We also shot most of every show with one camera and in house 8 track recording. The band wore the same gear every night and Topper was such a consistent drummer - and the band well rehearsed - that we were able to build edits from different nights with no trouble at all."‬ (03/2015)"There are around 36 tapes in all, each of which would cost at least £500 per tape to transfer (the prohibitive cost is why the filmakers didn't have this material transferred at the time) - it's on a rare early video format called EIAJ. Sam

Facebook The same guy who posted that also wrote this in the comments (bold emphasis mine):

"We shot one complete show with multiple cameras and a 24 track mobile recorder. We also shot most of every show with one camera and in house 8 track recording. The band wore the same gear every night and Topper was such a consistent drummer - and the band well rehearsed - that we were able to build edits from different nights with no trouble at all." "Sadly - we never shot the opening acts. We started the gig with the intention of doing a six song DVD EP - not a full scale documentary. Shooting expanded as the story expanded and the shows stretched on."

"We were not making a concert movie per se - and my part in the post production ended when the material left the US after doing the Combat Rock video which John shot in Texas." All of this makes me wonder where all that footage is and why they haven't done a long form concert video or if they will at some point. I mean, a whole show in multi-camera, 24 track?! I can't imagine that kind of thing just inadvertently gets lost.

I'm sure there is way more about this that is known that I am not aware of. I think I've read that lots of footage has been lost but I don't know any details about that. Concert movies have been constructed from way less (The Doors Hollywood Bowl for one, I expect there are more).Found in London garage 2006 - handed to SonyThere are around 36 tapes in all, each of which would cost at least £500 per tape to transfer (the prohibitive cost is why we didn't have this material transferred at the time) - it's on a rare early video format called EIAJ. 

From - I saw the Clash at Bonds play at Bonds - Facebook page
My partner John Hazard and I were fortunate enough to be hired by Don Letts and The Clash to produce and shoot the documentary of Bonds and beyond that is the Clash on Broadway film featured at the end of Westway to the World. What started out as a one week shoot to get six songs live in the can became a year of our lives. The video for This Is Radio Clash was a lift from the 10 minute trailer for the unfinished film that we shot on 16mm and went all the way to a 35mm blowup to show potential distributors. Needless to say - the project was never completed as the band disassembled after Combat Rock. Clash on Broadway is the rough cut we had finished by the time to project was wrapped and went back to the UK.

We shot one complete show with multiple cameras and a 24 track mobile recorder. We also shot most of every show with one camera and in house 8 track recording. The band wore the same gear every night and Topper was such a consistent drummer - and the band well rehearsed - that we were able to build edits from different nights with no trouble at all.Sadly - we never shot the opening acts. We started the gig with the intention of doing a six song DVD EP - not a full scale documentary. Shooting expanded as the story expanded and the shows stretched on.Q. How come we've never seen the release of the entire show?

We were not making a concert movie per se - and my part in the post production ended when the material left the US after doing the Combat Rock video which John shot in Texas.

For all video, it is presumed that significant footage comes from the first night but it is also highly likely it came from other nights.

Clash On Broadway - 19:50
The Clash / Sound System box setIt is not clear which of these comes from which night?London Calling (first night?)
This Is Radio Clash (Tom Snyder show)
The Magnificent Seven (Tom Snyder show)
Guns Of Brixton (first night?)
Safe European Home (first night?)

A good listing of the contents of the The Clash's Sound System box set can be found here.

WNEW Bonds week

Prior to The Clash's arrival, WNEW FM ran a Bonds Week with Meg Griffin. It includes an intro to the Clash at Bonds week with a montage of old interviews and Clash tracks

Listen again here:

Bonds News Reports - 28 May - 30 May 81 - updated 5 Jan 2009

When the problems started on the 29th at the venue the news media decsended and there s both audio and video circulating that captures those few hectic days.Audio: 30 mins of TV and Radio interviews, news and commentary.

For full listing go here

Video: The Clash - News Reports about Bond's Casino Shows - June 1981

Video - Clash on Broadway Reels -

For a full details on video from the opening shows go to the 28th

For information on the Clash on Broadway reels go here

Private Super8mm film footage of the rucus outside Bonds
Someone had a video camera aand has more and better footage from outside.

Press Conference - "See out"
Would like the full press conference.

Video from Bonds

1. Essential Clash DVD
cut down version of CoB from Westway but with unseeen angles and clips. Includes an edited London Calling [audio is unmixed pro recording from 9th].

2. Westway to the World BONUS footage DVD
Includes nearly full tracks of - London Calling [Trick of Treat audio] - Guns of Brixton [dubbed partly] Safe European Home [dubbed with studio single] - Charlie Don't Surf [original sound but from mixing desk] - Radio Clash [original sound but from mixing desk]. Also includes a mash up of a lot of footage from New York and outside Bonds such as the riot.

3. video - press conference, backstage, 16 Tons play on, London Calling nearly full [probably the same length as Westway? but the sound plays on to a montage of NYC/Clash pictures]. The sound is remixed from [Trick or Treat bootleg] radio broadcast from the 9th June as Westway. 5.38min

4. MTV Rockumentary is same as Westway/Clash on TV/Essential DVD but with only very edited clips of the press conference and London Calling. Nothing new except a couple of comments form Mick and Paul.

Tom Snyder show NTV

The complete Clash appearance circulates on Clash On TV Vol.1 in very good quality (apart from some ghosting) from a TV rebroadcast (better than the YouTube broadcast below). For many years Clash fans had made do with very poor quality video copies of this important Clash footage.

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