DS Interview: Jake Burns, of Stiff Little Fingers, talks about the band’s final coast-to-coast US tour, new adventures, and more

Main photo by Will Byington

Stiff Little Fingers (SLF) is embarking on its final coast-to-coast North American tour. The tour also celebrates the 45th anniversary of the band’s seminal debut album, Inflammable Material. I caught up with SLF’s founder and frontman, Jake Burns, in advance of the tour’s commencement.

Jake Burns founded Stiff Little Fingers in his hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1977. Burns grew up during the “The Troubles,” as the sectarian civil war raging in Northern Ireland was known. Inflammable Material, which included amongst its classic songs, “Alternative Ulster” and “Suspect Device,” addressed the political turmoil and violence all around it, and brought them to the attention of music fans, and others, worldwide. It is still considered one of the greatest and most important punk albums ever made.

As stated on the band’s site, “Along with The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Damned, Buzzcocks, they were there at the start of the punk rock movement and are still recording and touring today.“

Burns, and his wife Shirley Sexton, moved to West Virginia a few years back from Chicago, where they resided for almost two decades. Burns and bandmates, Ali McMordie; Steve Grantley; and Ian McCallum, kick off their US tour on May 1st, 2024, starting on the East Coast and heading west.

Mer Gold: Please tell us about the inspiration for the title of the tour and the latest track from the band. I understand it is inspired by the “Hate Has No Home Here” campaign in Chicago.

Jake Burns: Yes, that’s correct. That local campaign had such a powerful title that I wanted to share it with people outside of Chicago. I felt it applied not just to a neighborhood or a city but, in fact, to life. So, I broadened the scope of the idea in the lyric to be pretty much all-encompassing.

What are you looking forward to most on this tour? What can your fans look forward to?

Playing a lot of towns that I know I’ll probably never see again. Most of the places we’re playing have incredibly fond memories for me and I’m looking forward to seeing them one more time. Also, they now contain friends I’m hoping to catch up with, even briefly, especially in Chicago. The tour set will be much the same as the recent one in the U.K., which means we’re putting in a couple of songs we rarely, if ever, play, as well as most of the old favorites.

Will you miss touring coast to coast?

I’ll miss the people, but not the travel. That’s one of the main reasons for scaling back. But, we’ll still do the occasional festival if we get asked. They usually involve a few shows around the main date, so it’s almost certainly not the last time we’ll play over here, but it will be the last “long scale” trip.

Last year, you and your wife Shirley, moved from Chicago to a rural area in West Virginia. How did that decision come about for you both?

Well, without banging on about my age all the time as I don’t “feel” that old(!), but 65 seemed like a good time to look at slowing things down in all aspects of my life. Take a bit of time to “smell the roses”, if you know what I mean. Both Shirley and I have always lived in large-ish cities, Washington DC and Chicago in her case, Belfast, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Chicago in mine. So, I fancied living in a small town before I shuffle off this mortal coil. I looked at a lot of small towns, not just here in the U.S. but also back in Ireland and Scotland and we decided on this little one in West Virginia. Shirley has family in the State, so we’d been coming out this way for Thanksgiving etc for many years and knew we loved the area.

You are married to an American from the DC punk scene, and became a US citizen partially to vote against Trump. What is your reaction to his continued support? And in general, the support for those worldwide whose own autocracy flourishes?

I find it incredibly saddening. From the selfishly wealthy who can never see beyond their bank accounts when it comes to elections to those who have been duped into buying the scapegoat nonsense that his campaign relies upon, it’s all very dispiriting that this is where humanity is in the 21st century. That an obvious charlatan and snake oil salesman such as Trump can deceive and delude so many people, so easily it would seem, is heartbreaking. I refuse to believe that all of his “fanbase” are rabid racists, although a proportion undoubtedly are. I think that we have all been fed such a diet of mis-information over the past few years that it’s very difficult for some people to see the wood for the trees. And, the consequences of that are truly terrifying.

Whether you are longtime fans of the band or are just discovering the punk legends, whether you have seen them live or have yet to do so, make sure to catch them on the road while you still can.

Thanks Jake! Cheers!