International Clash Day

The Clash is a British punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the early wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporates elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly. International Clash Day is celebrated on February 7th every year, which celebrates the Clash's legendary punk music in the UK, as well as celebrates the music as a social consciousness created by the band The Clash throughout great sounds.

Punk was born in the 70s of the 19th century in England. Here, the classic Rock and Roll bands begin to play with a faster tempo. Their performances are held in small stages, calling for few viewers and most especially often held in garages, so at first the music was called Garage Rock, then Street Rock was called Punk. Rock, or more concisely, Punk. Subterranean and very underground, that was the beginning of Punk, which until now still remains and must be preserved. DIY – Do It Yourself in organizing performances and small stages picky listeners.

Around the years 1974 - 1976, the time of the revolution of culture and music. British society at that time collapsed politically, culturally and socially after World War II. Poor families became broken because of illness, discrimination between rich and poor, alcohol and violence in the family. Families, thieves, criminals, teenagers from such families often run away from home. That is why the Rock 'n Roll artists in the UK became critics in their lyrics, not artistic, literary high, and those songs only depict reality, criticism and protest against British society. .

The clash is a band that is said to be a pioneer in the movement to use music to describe the real problems of life at that time. Most listeners when listening to The Clash's music felt that these were the words and feelings of the youth at that time about their lives.

By the end of 1976, The Clash in London was recognized as the vanguard of a new musical movement

If in the US, listeners are reeling from the simple but fun punk songs of the Ramones, in the UK, young people are boiling with more violent punk songs when targeting the politics of the Sex Pistols. . So, when The Clash was created with the goal of opposing the Pistols, the new music market exploded and went crazy and punk music told about life and difficulties, as if it came from the mouths of teenagers from working class in England.

For most of their musical career, The Clash's lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Joe Strummer, lead guitar and backing vocals Mick Jones, bassist Paul Simonon and drummer Nicky "Topper" Headon. When Mick Jones first saw the Sex Pistols perform, he was completely mesmerized. It was the band's neediness to stand on stage. Regardless of the audience below, it doesn't matter whether they like or hate the sound coming from the other sound system. The point of punk music must be in the band itself. They have to play hard, loud and boisterous!

Therefore, when Mick met Joe Strummer, it was a fateful fate. Mick played lead guitar and Joe sang lead vocals and played rhythm guitar, so Joe took the name "Strummer", literally Joe "Fan Cha". Both Joe and Mick share the task of composing for the group and the two get along really well. The group's debut album of the same name was immediately praised, and welcomed, satisfying the curiosity of listeners before the ad "The only band worth listening to" - a reckless PR ad. but the effectiveness of manager Bernard Rhodes. The following albums in turn continued to be praised and received enthusiastically by both critics and music fans.

On January 25, 1977, the band The Clash signed a recording contract with CBS Records for £100,000. That's a lot of money, especially for a punk band. At that time, this 4-member band was only 1 year old, only played 30 shows, and never been the top name at any music festival.

The sound that Clash produces is also more technical than its peers. On the drums, from Terry Chimes (appearing on the first album) to Topper Headon, the emotional rhythm that seems unnecessary in punk music that specializes in punching the face, suddenly brings out more attractive colors. Especially in the play of an uneducated person like Topper, when he was taught from the original Jazz, by "feeling" instead of hitting like a sewing machine. So there are songs where the band's speed increases steadily, but is kept on the disc because of its improvisation. The "feel" of the drumsticks allows Topper to play any genre of music, something that Mick Jones enjoys when it comes to composing music. For Paul Simonon, his bass playing technique is influenced by Reggae and Ska music, which makes him different from the bassists in the rest of the bands. Even though Paul's technique was just enough, Paul's fire and ferocity was enough to warm up the atmosphere on stage. It was the classic image on the cover of London Calling that Paul was furiously banging his bassinet because the audience was told to stay in their seats while watching Clash perform.

The Clash from the second disc on, playing music also has a longer duration, richer in genre. In addition to Reggae, the band incorporates Funk, Jazz, and Hip Hop into their punk products, proving to the world that punk music is not monotonous, that a masterpiece as diverse as the London Calling album does not have a single which track is redundant, even on a double album.

How to observe International Clash Day

On International Clash day, go to the record stores, buy yourself albums of the Clash and enjoy the loud, exciting punk music. Do not forget to share your favorite lyrics on social media with the hashtag #InternationalClashDay.