Dark Horse Records reissues Joe Strummer’s iconic London benefit show for striking firefighters with the physical release of Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros: Live at Acton Town Hall on CD and special edition 2LP Clear vinyl. The show saw Strummer reunite on stage with Mick Jones of The Clash for the first time in almost two decades. As well as being the closest The Clash ever came to reuniting, this monumental show was also Strummer’s final London show, one of his last ever live performances before his passing in 2002, and the final time the historic pairing of Strummer and Jones played together on stage.
The vinyl is packaged in a gatefold sleeve featuring never-before-seen photos from the show, plus new liner notes. This will be the first time the concert has been properly released with full packaging on vinyl, with its extremely limited previous incarnation as a Record Store Day exclusive in 2012 featuring just a DIY-inspired clear sleeve, and the first time it has ever been released on CD. PRE-ORDER HERE
As rumors of massive paydays from festivals and promoters for a possible reunion of The Clash circulated ahead of the band’s pending induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the unplanned reunion of Strummer and Jones playing out at a benefit show for striking firefighters proved to be an appropriate backdrop for the closest the world got to seeing The Clash reform. Jones spontaneously jumped on stage and joined Strummer and the band for the last three songs of the set for The Clash classics, “Bankrobber,” “White Riot” and “London’s Burning”.
Remastered by three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, George Harrison), other highlights of the show include early versions of “Coma Girl” and “Get Down Moses”, which later appeared on the posthumous Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros album, Streetcore, and as previously unreleased outtakes from Strummer’s final recording sessions on last year’s Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years box set release.
Punk poet, musician, composer, actor, and style icon, Strummer spent his life smashing musical and cultural boundaries both as the singer of The Clash and as a solo artist. His songs sound as urgent and vital today as when they were written. Calling out social injustices and giving a voice to the struggles of the working class, Strummer’s politically charged lyrics struck a chord with legions of fans and the press alike, with Rolling Stone calling The Clash “the greatest rock & roll band in the world.” He famously once said, “Without people, you’re nothing.” Through his art, Joe Strummer played his part in shaping the musical landscape of the world and with it left an unrivaled and timeless legacy.
