Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello, Willie Nile, Ivan Julian of Richard Hell & the Void Oids, Pete Stahl of Scream, Kris Gruen and a who’s who of downtown’s underground rockers gathered at the Bowery Electric on January 20 to play the music of the Clash. The program also featured a screening of the new redux version of Danny Garcia’s film The Rise and Fall of the Clash. The concert was a benefit for Jamaican hurricane relief.
The Clash formed in 1976 in London, England, and quickly became leaders in the original wave of British punk rock. Unlike many of the band’s punk pioneer peers, the Clash had a broader musical output, fusing elements of reggae, dub, funk, ska and rockabilly into their punk sound. For most of the band’s recording career, the Clash consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Joe Strummer, lead guitarist and vocalist Mick Jones, bassist Paul Simonon, and drummer Nicky “Topper” Headon.
In 1982, Headon parted the band due to internal friction surrounding his increasing heroin addiction, and Jones left the following year. In an October 2013 interview, Jones confirmed that Strummer had intentions of reforming the Clash and that, in the months prior to Strummer’s death, Strummer and Jones had written new music together.
In January 2003, shortly after Strummer’s death, the Clash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Originally released in 2012, The Rise and Fall of the Clash followed the British punk band’s rise to success and then the band’s collapse.
The Rise and Fall of The Clash Redux is a newly re-edited and enhanced 90-minute 2025 re-boot, featuring never-before-seen footage of the band on and off the stage. It also inserted new candid interviews with band members and key insiders, including Rude Boy protagonist and Clash insider Ray Gange and Anarchy in the UK author Mick O’Shea.
All photographs by Jini Sachse
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