Feb/March: London SS led by Mick Jones and including Keith Levene, recruit Paul Simonon who Mick begins to teach to play bass.
April 3: The Sex Pistols play the Nashville Rooms in London as support to The 101’ers whose singer Joe Strummer is mightily impressed.
April 21: Joe Strummer is approached at a dole office by Mick Jones and Paul Simonon. He thinks they’re going to mug him, but they just want to say they like his style but think his band stinks.
April 23: The Sex Pistols once more support The 101’ers at London’s Nashville Rooms. After the gig Joe is approached by Bernie Rhodes who asks him to come to a squat in Davis Road the following day.
April 24: Joe turns up at a squatted rehearsal room to hear what was London SS play a few numbers and hear what they have to say.
April 25: Joe Strummer joins Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Keith Levene in an unnamed band managed by Bernie Rhodes. They jam on a Mick Jones song titled I’m So Bored With You that Joe rewrites as I’m So Bored With the USA.
July 4: The Clash travel to Sheffield to play their first gig as support act to the Sex Pistols at the Black Swan pub. The line-up is Strummer, Jones, Simonon, Levene and Terry Chimes on drums.
August 13: A handful of invited music journalists watch The Clash play a set at their new rehearsal space in Camden, Rehearsals Rehearsals. Paul has spray painted their clothes (and the room’s walls) and Joe’s had a haircut and dye job.
August 29: The Clash play at midnight at Islington’s Screen On The Green, the Sex Pistols headline.
August 31: The Clash play the 100 Club in London’s Oxford Street as support for the Sex Pistols.
September 5: The Clash play the Roundhouse in Camden, third on the bill behind Crazy Cavan and the Kursaaal Flyers. It is Levene’s last gig with the band
September 20: The Clash (Strummer, Jones, Simonon and Chimes) play the 100 Club Punk Festival (London) along with the Pistols, Damned, Buzzzcocks, Subway Sect and first incarnation of Siouxsie & The Banshees featuring Sid Vicious on drums.
October 9: Gig at Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre Leyton Buzzard
October 15: Gig at Acklam Hall, under the Westway, London
October 16: Play support to Shakin’ Stevens at the University of London
Ocotber 23: Headline A Night of Pure Energy at London’s Institute of Contemporary Art, support act Subway Sect
October 27: Headline at Birmingham Barbarella’s, support act Suburban Studs
October 28: Headline at London’s ICA. Future Pogues singer Shane Magowan has his ear bitten by Mad Jane Modette in front of NME writer Miles.
October 29: Play support to Roogalator at the Town Hall, Fulham
November 3: Headline Harlesden’s Colliseum, London
November 5: Headline A Night of Treason at the Royal College of Art in London supported by Subway Sect and The Jam
November 11: Headline act at The Lacey Lady, Ilford, Essex County Ground
November 18: Headline act at The Nag’s Head, High Wycombe, Bucks
November 29: Headline act at Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry. Terry Chimes’ last gig (for a while)
December 1: The Anarchy In The UK Tour begins. The Clash recruit Rob Harper on drums (he’d played a few rehearsals with the band prior to Chimes joining) and they travel the country on a tour bus with the Pistols and Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers, and The Damned. Most dates are cancelled except:
December 6: Leeds Polytechnic
December 9: Manchester Electric Circus
December 14: Caerphilly Castle Cinema, Wales
December 19: Manchester Electric Circus
December 20: Cleethorpes Winter Gardens
December 21 + 22: Plymouth Woods Centre
December: Polydor Studios, London. With Guy Stevens producing and Terry Chimes on drums, the band record Career Opportunities, White Riot, Janie Jones, London’s Burning and 1977 as demos.
January 1: The Roxy, London. Headline act at the official opening of The Roxy Club in Covent Garden, the band play two sets, both with Rob Harper on drums.
January 1: Sounds music paper puts The Clash on the cover as their tip for 1977.
January 5-14: Beaconsfield Studios, Buckinghamshire. Unhappy with the Guy Stevens demos recorded in December 1976, The Clash re-record the same songs but with an old pal of Joe’s from 101’ers days, Mickey Foote producing. Terry Chimes plays drums and returns to the band.
January 28: The Clash sign to CBS Records.
February 10—27: CBS Studio #3, Whitfield Street, London W1 The band record their debut album, with Terry Chimes on drums and Mickey Foote producing
March 11: Harlesden Colliseum, London. The Clash headline and Terry Chimes quits again after suffering a barrage of bottles and spit thrown at him by the crowd.
Mid-March: The band audition 200 drummers and find Nicky Headon, who is immediately nicknamed Topper by Paul.
March 18; The first single, White Riot c/w 1977 released, both produced by Mickey Foote. Reaches #38 in the UK singles chart.
April 8: The Clash’s debut album released in the UK. Titled The Clash the running order is: Side 1: Janie Jones/Remote Control/I’m So Bored With The USA/White Riot/Hate & War/What’s My Name (Strummer, Jones, Levine) /Deny/London’s Burning. Side 2: Career Opportunities/Cheat/Protex Blue/Police & Thieves (Junior Murvin)/48 Hours/Garageland. All songs written by Strummer/Jones except where noted. Produced by Mickey Foote.
April 11: The Roundhouse, London. The Clash play support to John Cale, Subway Sect also play.
April 12: The NME give away a special single featuring the Clash being interviewed on the Central Line of the London tube (by Tony Parsons), c/w a recording of Capitol Radio and Listen, both produced by Mickey Foote.
April: The band play six dates in France, their first outside of England.
May 1: The White Riot Tour begins at Guildford Civic Hall. Scheduled as 25 dates in the space of 30 days, it included a gig at London’s Rainbow Theatre (May 9) which ended in a riot; fans ripped up seats and threw them onto the stage. Support acts on the tour included The Jam who left after the Rainbow gig, The Subway Sect and The Slits.
May 13: CBS release Remote Control c/w London’s Burning (in both a live and studio version depending on pressing). Production by Mickey Foote. The band didn’t know and didn’t approve the release and it failed to chart.
June 14: The Clash play Grona Lund, a fairground near Stockholm in Sweden in front of 1400 fans
July 17: Birmingham Barbarellas. After a previously announced Punk Festival at Birmingham’s Rag Market had been cancelled by police the same day, The Clash use a metal band’s gear to play this gig.
August 5: Mont de Marsan Festival near Paris, France. The band play (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais for the first time live.
August 11: Bilzen Festival, Liege, Belgium. The Clash set took place during a riot during which Paul’s bass amp was broken by a flying brick.
September 23: Release of Complete Control c/w City of The Dead. A riposte to CBS release of Remote Control without the band’s permission, the A side was produced by Lee Scratch Perry, the b-side by Mickey Foote. Reaches #28 in the UK singles chart.
September 26—October 9: A short European tour kicks off at Amsterdam’s Paradiso Club, and includes dates in Brussels, Paris, Zurich, Venna, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Malmo, Ronneby and Oreboro (both Sweden)
October 20—December 20: The Clash Get Out Of Control Tour should have begun in Belfast but the first night was cancelled because of ‘insurance problems’ at the venue, so kicked off in Dublin on Oct 21 instead. Two dates were added in Belfast at the end of the tour to compensate, but only one was played on December 20. Support acts Richard Hell & The Voidoids and Suicide were often physically assaulted while playing.
December: Filmed in Manchester in November, Granada programme So It Goes (producer Tony Wilson) broadcast four live numbers by the band: Capitol Radio, Janie Jones, What’s My Name and Garageland.
January: BBC television filmed the band performing Clash City Rockers and Tommy Gun, then interviewed them for Somethin’ Else.
January 24/25/26: Three dates quickly arranged by manager Bernie Rhodes so that American record producer Sandy Pearlman can see The Clash perform live. At the last date, Lanchester Polytechnic band roadie Robin Crocker knocks the American out as he tries to get into the dressing room.
February 17: Release of single Clash City Rockers c/w jail Guitar Doors. Produced by Mickey Foote. Reaches #35 in the UK singles chart.
February/March: Joe and Mick travel to Jamaica to write new songs for a second album. They return with the basics of Safe European Home and Drug Stabbing Time written.
April: Paul and Topper are arrested on the roof of Rehearsals Rehearsals in Camden, London after shooting at racing pigeons with air pistols. Joe and Mick write Guns On The Roof about the incident.
April 30: The Clash headline the Rock Against Racism benefit gig at London’s Victoria Park, Hackney. The band’s set is filmed by the makers of a movie based around the band to be titled Rude Boy.
May 1: The band play Birmingham Barbarella’s for the makers of Rude Boy. The performance of Police & Thieves from the gig is used in the finished film.
May: The band begin recording of a second Clash album at Basing Street Studios in Nottting Hill. Sandy Pearlman is producer.
June 16: Release of the single (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais c/w The Prisoner. Produced by The Clash. Reaches #32 in the UK singles chart.
June 28—July 27 The Clash Out On Parole Tour with support acts The Specials and Suicide. The band play twenty-six gigs in thirty days. They’re joined on stage at various gigs by Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols (who had split up in February of 1978). It ends with four nights at Camden’s Music Machine.
August/September: Mick and Joe are taken to San Francisco’s Automat Studio to continue recording the second album with Pearlman. After a few weeks they move to New York’s Electric Ladyland Studio and are joined by Paul and Topper to finish off recording and mixing.
October: The Clash sack Bernie Rhodes as manager after he books them for live dates at Harlesden’s Roxy without checking their availability.
October 13—January 3, 1978: The Sort It Out Tour, with The Slits as support began in Belfast before moving to France, Holland and Belgium and then hitting mainland UK. There were 44 dates, including the final night, a benefit for Sid Vicious who was on remand for murdering his girlfriend, Nancy Spungeon in New York.
November 10: Release of second Clash album, Give ‘Em Enough Rope. Produced by Sandy Pearlman.
November 24: Release of Tommy Gun produced by Sandy Pearlman c/w 1-2 Crush On You produced by The Clash. Reaches #19 in the UK singles chart.
January 31—February 20: The Clash begin their first North American tour, The Pearl Harbour Tour in Vancouver, Canada. They drive to California, through the mid-west and onto New York where they play The Palldium before returning to Canada and play the final date in Toronto. Support on all dates is Bo Diddley.
February 23: Release of English Civil War produced by Sandy Pearlman c/w Pressure Drop produced by The Clash. Reaches #25 in the UK singles chart.
March: Writing of new songs for the third Clash album begins at new rehearsal studios, Vanilla, in Pimlico, London.
March 8: The Tyne Tees TV television show Alright Now broadcasts live Clash performances of English Civil War, Hate & War and the Israelites, plus an interview with the band.
May 11: Release of The Cost of Living E.P: I Fought The Law (writer Sonny Curtis), Groovy Times (The Clash), Gates of the West (The Clash) and Capital Radio (Strummer/Jones), produced by Bill Price, recorded at Highbury New Park Studios, London N5. Reaches #22 in the UK singles chart.
July 5/6: ‘Secret’ gigs at London’s Notre Dame Hall.
July 14: Headline at the Rainbow, London at a benefit for the Southall Defence Fund.
July: The Clash is released in America for the first time, having sold more than 100,000 copies in export. It includes extra tracks: Clash City Rockers, Complete Control, (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais, I Fought The Law and Jail Guitar Doors, and excludes Deny, Cheat, Protex Blue and 48 Hours.
August 5: Turku, Finland performance at the Ruisrock Festival.
September 8—October 16: The Take The Fifth Tour of America, twenty-four dates across the country, beginning in Monterey, California at the Tribal Stomp Festival, taking in 2 nights at the Palladium, New York, five dates in Texas, the Hollywood Palladium and ending in Vancouver.
November: Finishing the third Clash album, London Calling at Wessex Studios, London, with Guy Stevens producing and Bill Price engineering.
December 7: Release of London Calling c/w Armagideon Time, produced by Guy Stevens. Reaches #11 in the UK singles chart.
December 14: Release of the third Clash album in the UK, a double set titled London Calling which sold for the price of a single album. Keyboards played by Mickey Gallagher. Produced by Guy Stevens, engineered by Bill Price.
December 25, 26: Acklam Hall, London. ‘Secret’ gigs to warm up for the Concert for Kampuchea.
December 27: Concert For Kampuchea at Hammersmith Odeon with Ian Dury and the Blockheads.
January 5: London Calling the album released in the USA.
January 5—February 22: The band play the UK leg of their 16 Tons Tour, making 28 appearances, with Mikey Dread as support act.
February 3: With Mikey Dread at the controls the band record Bankrobber in Manchester’s Pluto studio.
March 1—March 10: The 16 Tons USA Tour begins in San Francisco and takes in LA, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Boston and Detroit.
March 12: The band enter New York’s Electric Ladyland Studio to begin work on their fourth album.
April: The band fly to Jamaica’s Channel One to record tracks for what will finally become Sandinista.
April 25: The Clash appear live on ‘Friday’s’ TV show in LA.
May 13—June 21: The 16 Tons Europe Tour begins in Berlin, East Germany and swings through West Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, France and Italy before landing back in the UK for dates in Derby, Bristol, Newcastle and Hanley plus the band’s only headline dates at London’s Hammersmith Palais June 16 and 17. The tour ends at a festival in Finland.
August 8: Bankrobber, produced by Mikey Dread is released c/w Rockers Galore UK Tour produced by The Clash. Reaches #12 in the UK singles chart.
August: At London’s Wessex Studios, engineer Bill Price works on songs for the new album with the band.
September: Joe, Mick, Paul and Topper fly to New York and the Power Station to finish mixing Sandinista.
November 21: The Call Up produced by The Clash and Bill Price released c/w Stop The World, produced by Bill Price. The sleeve contained a big plug for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Reaches #40 in the UK singles chart.
December 12: UK release of Sandinista, a triple album for the price of a single. Produced by The Clash.
January: Sandinista is released in the USA. It gets to #24 in the Billboard Top Forty.
January 16: Hitsville UK produced by The Clash released in the UK c/w Radio One, written and produced by Mikey Dread. Reaches #56 in the UK singles chart.
April 10: Release of Magnificent Seven produced by The Clash c/w The Magnificent Dance produced by The Clash, remixed by Pepe Unidos. Reaches #34 in the UK singles chart.
April 27—May 23: The Impossible Misssion Tour begins in Spain and takes in Portugal, France, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, West Germany, Scandinavia and Italy.
May 28—June 13: The Clash play a residency at Bond’s Casino, New York. Originally intended as a week’s worth of dates, the over-selling of tickets and the band’s insistence that everyone who paid got to see them play meant they played 17 gigs, including two matinees.
June 5: The band appear live on The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder and perform The Magnificent Seven and This Is Radio Clash.
June: The band record This Is Radio Clash at Electric Ladyland and film a video for its release, with grafitti artist Futura 2000, scenes shot on the roof Bond’s, NY.
September 23—30: A week-long residency at Paris’ Mogador Theatre serves as a warm up for a forthcoming tour.
October 5—October 26: This Is Radio Clash Tour comprises fifteen gigs, including a ‘residency’ at London’s Lyceum Theatre from Oct 18—26 with 23 and 24 as days off.
November 20: release of This Is Radio Clash c/w Outside Broadcast and Radio 5, produced by The Clash. Reaches #47 in the UK singles chart.
November/December: Work begins on new songs for what will be the band’s fifth album, Combat Rock, in New York and London.
January 24—February 27: The Far East Tour begins in Tokyo, Japan and travels to Osaka, Japan; Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, New Zealand; Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth, Australia; Hong Kong and Bangkok, Thailand.
February: The band attempt to record on tour using a mobile recording unit.
March/April: Recording and mixing of the new album takes place in New York, London and San Francisco.
April: Drummer Nicky ‘Topper’ Haddon is sacked from the band.
April 23: Release of Know Your Rights c/w First Night Back in London, produced by The Clash. Reaches #43 in the UK singles chart.
May 14 + May 28: Release of Combat Rock in UK and US respectively. Produced by The Clash, mixed by Glyn Johns. Reaches #2 in the UK album chart and #7 in the US.
May 29—June 29: After hiring Terry Chimes as drummer, the Clash begin The Casbah Club USA Tour in New Jersey, and travel through the States playing 23 dates.
June 11: Rock The Casbah, produced by The Clash, remixed by Mick Jones released, c/w Long Time Jerk produced by The Clash. Reaches #30 in the UK singles chart (and #15 when re-released in 1991).
July 10—August 3: The Casbah Club UK Tour (again with Terry Chimes on drums) begins inn Brixton, London and finishes in Bristol, and comprises 21 gigs.
August 9—October 29: The Combat Rock Tour begins in Colorado and 43 gigs later, ends in California. It includes support gigs for The Who at various stadia around the country.
September 17: Release of Should I Stay Or Should I Go as a double ‘A’ side single c/w Straight To Hell, produced by The Clash, mixed by Bill Price. Reaches #17 in the UK singles chart (but makes #1 when re-released in 1991).
October 9: The Clash appear live on Saturday Night Live on America’s NBC network. They perform Straight to Hell and Should I Stay or Should I Go?
October 12 + 13: The Clash plays as main support to The Who at New York’s Shea Stadium. Don Letts films the band’s performance.
November 27: The Clash headlines the Jamaican World Music Festival in Kingston, Jamaica.
February/March: Terry Chimes is replaced as drummer by Pete Howard and the band rehearse for a short US tour.
May 18—28: The US Festival Tour begins in Texas with three dates, another is played in Arizona and then the band’s final live performance with Mick Jones takes place in San Bernardino, California.
May 28: Mick Jones plays his last gig with The Clash.
September/October: Joe and Paul keep Pete Howard on drums and recruit new members Vince White and Nick Sheppard on guitar to The Clash.
January 19—February 1: The new look Clash begin the Out of Control US Tour in Santa Barbara and play eight gigs in California.
February 5—March 17: The Out Of Control Europe Tour begins in Glasgow, travels to Manchester, Leicester and Bristol and then hits Scandinavia for two gigs, West Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy before returning to the UK and ending in Brixton, London. Total of 23 gigs.
March 27—May 31: The second leg of the Out Of Control US Tour begins in Nashville and 44 gigs later ended in Vancouver.
September 4—September 111: The Out Of Control Italy Tour begins in Salermo, takes in Naples, Rome, Reggio, Turin and ends in Genoa.
December 6 + 7: The Clash play two benefit shows for striking miners at London’s Brixton Academy.
January—March: The band record a sixth album in Munich, to be titled Cut The Crap, songs are co-written by Joe and Bernie Rhodes, who also mixes the album.
May 3—18: The Busking Tour begins in Nottingham. The band turn up unannounced in Leeds the next day, and then York, Sunderland, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester.
June 29: The band play the Roskilde Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark.
July 13: Clash play the Rockscene Festival in France.
July 27: The Clash headline the Greek Music Festival in Athens.
September 30: The final Clash single, This Is England is released c/w Do It Now. Produced by Jose Unidos (Strummer and Rhodes), it reaches #24 in the UK singles chart.
November 4: The sixth and final Clash studio album, Cut The Crap is released. Produced by Jose Unidos it reaches #16 in the UK album chart and #88 in the USA.
The Clash call it a day.