The history of rock band photo shoots is littered with attempts – some successful, some definitely not successful – to make the subjects look real and edgy. But perhaps no-one has ever done it as real and edgy as The Clash in Northern Ireland in 1977, at the height of the troubles. Joe Strummer & co. were there to begin their Out Of Control tour at Belfast’s Ulster Hall, but whilst that show ended up being cancelled due to insurance problems, photographer Adrian Boot did manage to capture The Clash walking round Belfast’s war-torn, troops-heavy streets.
In Stuart Bailie’s excellent book Trouble Songs: Music And Conflict In Northern Ireland, Boot recalls how the insurance issue prompted a delay at the venue that gave him and the band the chance to get out and explore. “I wasn’t expected to take photos of The Clash in the street,” he recounts. “I was simply expecting to cover the event. I saw an opportunity. ‘Can I do a photo session?’ They agreed.” Someone from the band’s record company suggested that the shoot remain confined to the hotel, but Boot had other ideas. “I thought, ‘Well look, this is an amazing city…’. Amazing in the sense it was almost like a war zone. A perfect backdrop for pictures of The Clash.”
