The Olympics were brilliant. At least that’s how we felt here in London, it’s been over a week and Londoners are still trying to remove these obnoxiously happy gleaming grins from our faces. It feels so unnatural, seeing everyone this cheery and colourful – something has to be done. So to help London regain its famously aloof swagger it’s time for some post-games nitpicks.
The Opening Ceremony was incredible, it may have left half the world scratching their heads, but it made most Britains very proud indeed – apparently the way to rekindle our love affair with the National Health Service is to have Lord Voldemort attack it (who’d have known). Danny Boyle had his finger on the pulse covering so many musical bases from The Sex Pistols and The Kinks to The Arctic Monkeys and Dizzee Rascal. It’s a shame the same cannot be said of the Closing Ceremony.
While Conservative politicians were dancing to The Spice Girls (nice hip thrusts Boris) it became immediately apparent that director Kim Garvin had skipped a few chapters. In fairness to the famous choreographer, there’s simply too much Great British music to fit into two crowd-pleasing ceremonies – it’s an impossible task. So with that in mind Guitar Planet singles out three Guitar bands who deserve a little extra recognition.
Joe Strummer’s legendary Punk (and legendarily London) outfit were featured in Danny Boyle’s Opening Ceremony, but honestly, if they hadn’t written a song called “London Calling” would they have made the cut?
The Clash are the perfect representatives of contemporary London. They still define the city’s adventurous marriage of the punk and indie aesthetic, and they continue to inspire the seminal rock bands (would The Libertines even exist without them?)
More than that however, The Clash captured the city’s multicultural heart on their wildly diverse double album London Calling. There was classic punk, indie and rock on display of course, but these “limited” and “amateurish” upstarts mastered ska, reggae, lounge music, light jazz, the blues, ragged New Orleans R&B, rockabilly, and of course vintage pop.
They didn’t quite manage to incorporate Bangara, but they had pretty much every other base covered. Joe Strummer’s charisma defined so much of The Clash’s music, but while his barmy inflections are impossible to duplicate, the band’s music remains a real source of inspiration. They told guitarists across the world, in no uncertain terms, that no idea is too out there or too silly. If you’re a metal guitarist and you want to try your hand at lounge jazz – do it, The Clash made it work, and so can you...no excuses.
