In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Clash’s landmark album London Calling, KEXP will travel to London for a 4-day live broadcast and online event, featuring live performances and exclusive interviews. JOHN will take the Studio 9294 stage on Monday, February 4 alongside fellow British bands Ibibio Sound Machine, Big Joanie, and Avalanche Party. Get familiar with the band before their performance below.
The Clash had a fairly straight forward, yet impactful name. It's lean, fierce, and undeniably punk. London duo JOHN echoes that simplicity with their own name and possesses the frantic punk sound to back it up. They've found themselves in good company, touring with the current wave of UK punk acts like IDLES (who will also be playing our Internation Clash Day broadcast), USA Nails, and Pulled Apart By Horses.
Before JOHN brings their manic, ripping sound to our London broadcast, KEXP spoke to the duo about the significance of The Clash and London Calling in a brief interview. Read below.
What does The Clash mean to you and have they inspired your music?
Despite being too young to have felt their force at the time, their influence is almost folkloric. We grew up surrounded by their music, even before we knew it was The Clash.
Do you find there to be parallels between the lyrical content and ethos of London Calling and the current state of England?
There’s still relevance to London Calling in the present context of UK, particularly in its ability to show the political within the personal. Of course, a lot has changed since 1979, but it’s as important, as ever, to question the conventions of our daily lives, and the creative arts are an ideal vehicle for this.
What can audiences expect from your performance for KEXP's International Clash Day London broadcast?
Expect four arms, four legs, two heads, wood, metal, and plastic.
JOHN will perform at KEXP’s International Clash Day London broadcast at 9:30 pm on Monday, February 4. Check out the full schedule of performances here. Listen to recent KEXP Song of the Day, “Balfron,” the opening track on God Speed in the National Limit, below.
Big Joanie will perform at KEXP's International Clash Day London broadcast on Monday, Feb. 4
Ibibio Sound Machine will perform at KEXP's International Clash Day London broadcast on Monday, Feb. 4
KEXP will travel to London for the 7th Annual International Clash Day, with a full week of live performances celebrating The Clash, the 40th Anniversary of the release of London Calling, and the strength of London’s music scene.
