Bonds Residency The Bloods opened the show f/b The Bush Tetras.
Three weeks & 17 gigs that shook up New York and America.

List of support acts

For more about The Bloods see the bio on the Women in
Punk site

Audio 1 - aud. master

Sound 3 - time 1hr 42mins - DAT Master - tracks 25
distant clear -slight distortion -

The Magnificent Seven

From audience DAT master.

Same taper and equipment as the earlier recordings, (all from the audience DAT master) so a pretty similar sound again. First impressions due to the lower volume suggest that this is a weaker sound but there is as much detail and clarity as usual, although a touch flatter with some minor distortion.

An edit just before Washington Bullets brings an improvement in sound; louder, fuller and crisper although the distance limitations remain.

From Annie Toone, member of
new wave band The Bloods.

Thanks for using my piece about Joe 'punk rock heart' on your site, thanks.

It was one of the high points of my life, sharing the stage (and dressingroom) with The Clash. Also the tetras and us were called punkfunk or no wave cuz of our funky component. That mix and the fact that we were all girl was a big appeal for The Clash.

thanks again for all your great documentation and a great site! -A Toone

Typical and consistently strong

There is a school of thought, particularly in the music press, that The Clash were at their peak at Bonds. Thanks to the recordings circulating from all the 17 shows we can draw our own conclusions from the ample evidence available.

Certainly over the first 7 concerts The Clash were able to produce night after night, powerful professional performances that retained much of the passion and fury of their early years but now added greater musicianship, pacing and variety of musical styles. None of these Bonds shows however match the heights reached at Turin and Florence a few weeks earlier or the best of earlier years.

Tonight’s Bonds show is typical with consistently strong and committed performances but Mick’s playing ranges from the inspired to at times lazy and ineffective, and the improvisations always interesting are not always effective.

The heavily bootlegged professionally recorded FM radio sourced show is often wrongly credited with this date. It is in fact from the 9th June concert with the From Here To Eternity concert from the 13th June. These two pro-recordings are often credited as being one and the same but a listen to Bankrobber for example from the circulating FHTE outtakes clearly shows this is not the case.

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"attack, attack, attack!”

See also review from the 4th at Bonds

The recording starts as a fine London Calling is counted in with plenty of ‘controlled feedback’ from Mick. The sound is a little flatter than usual but soon picks up. Next Safe European Home blasts in and Mick plays around interestingly to begin with his guitar parts on the end section but then seems to lose interest.

The band are still in the process of warming up on The Leader but are responding to another very noticeably enthusiastic and noisy Bonds audience.

Train In Vain is brought back again to its 4th position in the set and there is a change in the arrangement (and in later gigs) with an extended instrumental break after “..speak to me”. During this tonight Mick speaks to the audience but his words are unclear. The audience are very appreciative and before a fine White Man In Hammersmith Palais Joe responds with a pleased “Yeah, yeah, yeah…it was like a morgue in here last night - attack, attack, attack!” Joe as usual adlibs over the final section but his words sadly are unclear due to the sound quality limitations.

An extended This Is Radio Clash is followed by the return of Corner Soul and then Guns of Brixton; all fine performances but unexceptional. The Call Up tonight though is inspired. It’s preceded by Joe’s “Any minute now the drums will play” and Mick’s firework sounding effects are prominent but effective. It’s a very fine performance, tighter and more spirited than most of the earlier Bond’s performances of this underrated live Clash song.

It’s straight in then to a fine Bankrobber and then Joe asks the audience, “come on lets have some encouragement” and certainly gets it, the audience going wild for a stunning (at Bonds now recharged and reworked), Complete Control. There is an extra long teased out start, and the band really tear into the song, Mick’s solo verges on the histrionic, and when the song ends abruptly, the audience roar their approval.

An edit begins the 2nd CD with Joe adlibbing over the beginning of Lightning Strikes “lightning strikes at random, random”. Mick adds some great guitar, the band in strong form, and Joe adlibs aplenty (although largely unclear). A fine Ivan Meets GI Joe next and then Charlie Don't Surf with a lengthy intro, “into the darkness”, Mick’s improvised guitar work here though is less effective.

Magnificent Seven tonight is shorter but very tight, powerful and effective; “keep your eyes on front, keep your eyes straight ahead”.

Broadway appropriately gets its live debut at Bonds, with the same arrangement as later performances. Mick’s guitar fills are great and inventive but an abrupt ending shows the arrangement live is not quite worked out yet. “Its time to work” shouts Joe before Somebody Got Murdered, which builds from a very slow intro into a very good performance. Career Opportunities is dropped from the set and replaced by Police and Thieves with a new intro; Topper plays the drum intro but Mick now plays the melody over the top as Topper keeps the drum rolls going before the usual reggae chords kick in. Whether intentional or not its very effective, the band continuing to reinvigorate songs that had been staples in previous live sets.

Mick’s playing is inventive and improvised but as previously at times tonight more interesting than especially memorable. Next Clampdown crashes in with Mick again improvising around his usual guitar intro. Joe’s (and Mick’s) vocals are impassioned and Joe rants powerfully over Topper’s drumming over the suitably climactic finale to the song and the main set.

An edit begins the first encore with as usual One More Time, which has a lengthy Topper intro as presumably the rest of the band return to the stage, and then finally Joe’s rhythm guitar comes in. There’s no Mick guitar sound to begin with so either a sound problem or Mick has not made it back from the dressing room! There is a lengthy instrumental gap mid song but Mick’s crucial contribution to the song is somewhat lacking so it is not a memorable performance.

An edit before Brand New Cadillac brings a better performance and an improvement in sound, fuller bass but distance problems remain. A further edit before Washington Bullets and the sound now is noticeably louder, fuller and clearer, this is the best sound on the recording and continues through to the end. There is lots of cheering mid song as presumably the El Salvador leaflets are released from the ceiling onto the audience. Tonight’s speech from the El Salvadorian is mostly unclear but Mick’s playing here is some of the most inventive and enjoyable tonight. It’s straight into then an impassioned Janie Jones to bring the encore to a close.

An edit before the second encore, which begins with Armagideon Time. Joe adlibs aplenty during a strong performance with Mick’s playing and effects particularly enjoyable. A shorter concert than those previously ends in fine style as Joe screams New York's Burning and the band then tear through London’s Burning.

Did you go? What do you remember?

Info, articles, reviews, comments or photos welcome.
Please email blackmarketclash

Review from the 4th at Bonds

Link

Setlist

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 Train In Vain White Man In Ham Palais This Is Radio Clash Corner Soul Guns of Brixton The Call Up Bankrobber Complete Control Lightning Strikes Ivan Meets GI Joe Charlie Don't Surf The Magnificent Seven Broadway Somebody Got Murdered Police and Thieves Clampdown One More Time Brand New Cadillac Washington Bullets Janie Jones Armagideon Time New York's Burning

The drama of the Bonds residency

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12	Background Bonds Residency The Clash arriving in New York and the build up News Reports video and audio The Ticket Fiasco The remainder of the residency History of Bonds Longer history of Bonds Posters and adverts Badges, FSLN handouts, flyers, Clash press release ... Clash on Broadway Reels List of Support Acts

1. Background: The Clash at Bond's

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 ...

2. Residency

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

3. 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.

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

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

6. The remainder of the residency

7. History of Bonds

8. Longer history of Bonds plus old photos

9. Posters and adverts
Bits and pieces inclduying all adverts and posters.

10. Badges, FSLN handouts, flyers, Clash press releases ...

11. Clash on Broadway Reels
What was filmed and what happened to it?

12. List of Support Acts

13. Photos
Random phonts bundled here.

14. Comments
Comments for those who attended one of the gigs