Working for the Clampdown The Clash, the Dawn of Neoliberalism and the Political Promise of Punk The Clash, the Dawn of Neoliberalism and the Political Promise of Punk

‘From a wide variety of perspectives, Coulter and his contributors bring intelligence and insight to bear on a band that were so important to so many people.’
Professor David Hesmondhalgh, University of Leeds


‘Working for the Clampdown succeeds in the almost impossible balancing act of celebrating the lasting power of The Clash’s progressive subversions, while at the same time dealing with the band in its historical context with a clear-eyed lack of sentimentality. It is this combination of acute critique and heartfelt enthusiasm that makes the collection such a joy to read.’
Professor Sam Porter, University of Bournemouth


‘A collection like this gives credence to the claim that The Clash was the only band that mattered. Working for the Clampdown locates the group in its historical context, tracking how they reported, reflected and mythologised the changing world they inherited and shaped. It is indeed a book-length companion to The Armagideon Times.’
Professor Matthew Worley, University of Reading


Few bands have enjoyed quite as much adoration, or endured quite as much criticism, as The Clash. Emerging from the mid-1970s London punk scene, the band would soon cast off the fetters that restricted many of their peers, their musical tastes becoming ever more eclectic and their political field of vision ever more global. In the process The Clash would widen the cultural and political horizons of their audience and would for many come to exemplify the power of popular music to change minds. This critical acclaim would, however, always be less than universal. For their many detractors, The Clash’s radical politics were merely a self-mythologising posture, neatly serving the culture industries in their perennial ambition of ‘turning rebellion into money.’

In this collection, writers from different disciplines and locations set out to examine this most complex and controversial of bands. Across a dozen original essays, the authors provide fresh insights into the music and politics of The Clash in ways that are by turns both critical and celebratory. While the book locates the band in their own time and place, it also underlines their enduring and indeed very contemporary significance. A common thread running through the collection is the songs that The Clash crafted four decades ago to document a previous pivotal moment of geopolitical transformation have a singular resonance in our own current moment of global turbulence. Written in a style that is both scholarly and accessible, Working for the Clampdown offers compelling and original takes on one of the most influential and incendiary bands ever to grace a stage.