International Clash Day 2023 is celebrated annually on February 5 unless the date falls on a Saturday or Sunday. It is never observed on a weekend, and will occur on February 7 this year. We attribute the growth of music after 1977 to the punk-rock band the Clash. Reggae, pop, disco, punk, rock, rap, and even world music were profoundly influenced by the band. International Clash Day is observed annually, but the messages represented by the band’s music will endure forever.
International Clash Day: History
From the ashes of the short-lived band London SS emerged Mick Jones, Tony James of Generation X, Paul Simonon, and many others who would go on to form popular punk-rock groups. Jones and Simonon joined Joe Strummer, the former lead singer of the 101’ers, to form the Clash in 1976. Strummer was initially motivated to enter the punk-rock genre by the Sex Pistols. Keith Levene was a founding member of the group until his drug use led him to depart. Nick Headon, a former jazz drummer, replaced Terry Chimes, who abandoned his music career to become a chiropractor, as the band’s drummer. The majority of the Sex Pistols’ career was overseen by Bernard Rhodes, a former member of their management team. Strummer, Jones, Simonon, and Headon are largely considered as The Clash’s iconic lineup, having toured the majority of the world and released five albums.
Topper Headon left the band in 1982, resulting in “clashes” between the remaining members and Mick Jones’s forced departure in 1983. The Clash recruited younger guitarists, and a new lineup recorded “Cut the Crap,” their final album. Before disbanding in 1986, they undertook a modest U.K. tour.
International Clash Day began as a grassroots campaign on February 7, 2013, when John Richards, radio host at KEXP in Washington, D.C., played the Clash’s songs all day. There is a wildly popular video available online that explains how the movement began and quickly became a global phenomenon. In 2021, the holiday will be observed for the ninth consecutive year. Since its debut, a number of cities, including Vancouver, Seattle, and Austin, have commemorated it with formal proclamations. In 2021, KEXP’s daily playlist will feature music by or influenced by the Clash. The day’s schedule will also include in-depth discussions on the band’s influences. Radio DJs from Latin American radio partners in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico will investigate the group’s philosophy. According to Joe Strummer, co-founder of the Clash, the group is “anti-fascist, anti-violence, anti-racist, and pro-creative. We’re against ignorance.”
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5 FACTS ABOUT THE CLASH EVERY FAN SHOULD KNOW
- Paul Simonon has been the only consistent Clash member.
- Sandy Pearlman, the producer of the record “Give ‘Em Enough Rope,” did not like Joe Strummer’s voice.
- Magazine “Playgirl” readers Simonon is the most handsome dude in the world!
- Bernie Rhodes, the manager of the Clash, attempted to replace Mick Jones with the Sex Pistols’ guitarist Steve Jones.
- The Clash is the first white band to have their name painted on the renowned wall of Lee Perry’s Black Ark recording studios in Jamaica.
INTERNATIONAL CLASH DAY DATES
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2022 | February 7 | Monday |
2023 | February 7 | Tuesday |
2024 | February 5 | Monday |
2025 | February 5 | Wednesday |
2026 | February 5 | Thursday |