The Clash

The Clash was a successful British punk rock group that existed from 1976 to 1986. While the Sex Pistols were the first notable British punk rock band, The Clash are among the definitive British punk rockers. While the Pistols were anarchic and nihilistic, The Clash were fiery and idealistic, charged with righteousness and a leftist political ideology, not to mention a talent for agitprop. One of the most critically lauded bands of their period and their genre, they were noted for being musically far-reaching (they incorporated reggae, rockabilly, and eventually many other music styles into their repertoire), for displaying a political and lyrical sophistication that distinguished them from most of their colleagues in the punk movement, and for uncommonly intense stage performances. The Clash are considered to be one of the best and most influential punk bands of all time. Besides contemporary American pop-punk outfits like Green Day, blink-182, and The Offspring, and Canadian pop-punk band Sum 41, which cite The Clash as a major influence, seminal alternative rock bands like U2, The Cure, and R.E.M. borrow much from The Clash. The 90s British music of the Britpop movement has also been influenced by The Clash – via revolutionary looks and the big, catchy hooks.

Sound Sample

, from London Calling. 30 seconds, 616 KB

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