Before The Clash Hit Times Square: Rappers Meets Rockers Midtown by Destroy Babylon Sound System on Mixcloud
When the Clash played their epic 17-night residency at Bond's Casino in 1981, they specifically chose opening bands that they were into and wanted to expose, and kept the bills as musically diverse as their current release, the sprawling triple LP set, Sandinista. When they arrived in the city, they immersed themselves in the burgeoning hip hop scene, collaborating with Futura 2000 and getting the Sugerhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, and Fab Five Freddy to open their shows.
Uptown rappers met downtown punks and everyone in between as they also featured openings sets ranging from Bush Tetras, ESG, and the Slits (notice the emphasis on female rockers), to the Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, Funkapolitan, and the Fall... for a short time, there were no musical boundaries. This mix proves it- all the artists here opened for the Clash on at least one of their nights at Bonds.
For more on the Clash's time in Times Square, check out this Dangerous Minds post.
