Barbed Wire Love – A People’s History of Stiff Little Fingers is the story of one of the UK’s most influential punk bands in the words of over 400 fans.
Compiled by Ian Smith, Barbed Wire Love is an oral history of Northern Ireland’s premier punk export to the world. It will chronicle the handful of early shows from 1977, capture the glory years that produced a string of classic albums – Inflammable Material, Nobody’s Heroes, Hanx, Go For It and Now Then – and finish with the farewell shows in February 1983. All in the words of over 400 fans, friends and collaborators.
Did you see SLF in concert? On television? Meet them on the street or at the stage door? Hear, buy or steal one of their records and have it change your life? We want to hear your SLF memories. Every submission will be acknowledged, and as we approach publication, we’ll let you know if your story is going to be included in the final book.
If you are sending us a story, around 400 words in length is ideal. For those who would rather recount a great tale verbally, telephone interviews can be arranged. If it’s a gig memory, please include the date of the show (we can help with this). If you’re sending photos, 300kb or higher resolution is ideal (less than that and they probably won’t reproduce in the book), and please attach them as separate jpegs if you can.
Barbed Wire Love – A People’s History of Stiff Little Fingers will be published in hardback by Spenwood Books of Manchester, UK in 2026.
To share your SLF memory, please write to Ian at slffanbook@gmail.com
