On Thursday, May 5, 1977, a performance by The Clash at Eric's club in Liverpool became a pivotal moment in the city's music history, inspiring a generation of musicians.
A Night of Unmatched Energy
Ian Barry, guitarist of The Destroyers, who regularly opened gigs at Eric's, recalled the night vividly. He told the ECHO: "It was one of the few nights I remember in there. It was an amazing night. There were lots of bands that would play that we didn't bother watching after we'd come off stage. But, there was no way on God's earth we were going to miss The Clash. The second they started, bang, the place was bouncing, people were up and down, pogoing off their head, it was insane."
He added: "The energy in the room was just phenomenal. The energy in the room matched the energy on stage. They were feeding off each other."
Inspiring Future Stars
The gig had a profound impact on the audience, with many reportedly inspired to start their own bands. Ian Barry remembered seeing future stars in the crowd: "That was the night Julian Cope was dancing on his own in, I don't know what you'd call it, but a wispy chiffon number. Pete Wylie was also there."
Pete Wylie later said: "That day everything changed… nothing in Liverpool was ever the same again." Julian Cope claimed in his autobiography that he, Pete Wylie, and Ian McCulloch formed their band The Crucial Three that night, saying: "By the end of the evening, we were a group. It was all Wylie's trip. He suggested Arthur Hostile & the Crucial Three. Duke [McCulloch] said, 'Sod the bloody Arthur Hostile bit off, it's crap.' So we were the Crucial Three."
Divergent Paths
Since that night, The Destroyers and The Clash have had contrasting levels of success. Ian Barry and his bandmates released four tracks before parting ways, with Barry now working as a barrister in Ontario, Canada. The Clash became one of the UK's most highly regarded punk bands, achieving global fame with their album Combat Rock in 1982.
Reflecting on the gig's legacy, Ian said: "You're in your teens, you're living in the moment, and it was just a great moment. We had no eye to the future. The future was in the future, it wasn't now, and we were only interested in the now. But it was a fantastic gig to be at, and it was certainly one that people talked about later on."
