Stiff Little Fingers

Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, playing at Manchester Academy on Oxford Road, a venue whose programme centres on pop, rock and indie concerts.

Stiff Little Fingers formed in Belfast in 1977, with Jake Burns as vocalist and guitarist. Their debut single, "Suspect Device", came out in 1978, and the album Inflammable Material followed in 1979, with its song "Alternative Ulster" addressing life in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. A second album, Nobody's Heroes, appeared in 1980. The band's fast, direct guitar-driven songs place them firmly within the first wave of British and Irish punk.

Manchester Academy is a concert venue on Oxford Road, and its programme centres on pop, rock and indie music. The night suits listeners who follow punk rock and the bands that grew out of it, and the act's catalogue of records from the late 1970s and early 1980s gives the set a clear reference point for longstanding fans.

The band has continued to perform across several decades, and this visit to Manchester places their punk material in a venue that regularly hosts rock acts.