Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros Live at Acton Town Hall 2LP

Joe Strummer's iconic November 2002 London benefit concert for striking firefighters, Live at Acton Town Hall, saw Joe reunite on stage with Mick Jones of The Clash for the first time in almost two decades. As well as being the closest The Clash ever came to reuniting, this monumental show was also Strummer's final London show and one of his last ever live performances before his passing in December 2002.

As rumors of a possible Clash reunion circulated ahead of the band's pending induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the unplanned reunion of Strummer and Jones playing out at a benefit show proved to be a fitting backdrop for the closest the world got to seeing The Clash reforming. Jones joined Strummer and the Mescaleros for the last three songs of the set for The Clash classics, "Bankrobber," "White Riot" and "London's Burning."

Remastered by three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks (The Beatles, George Harrison, John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie), other highlights of the show include early versions of "Coma Girl" and "Get Down Moses," which later appeared on the posthumous Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros album, Streetcore, and as previously unreleased outtakes from Strummer's final recording sessions on the recent Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years box set release.

2022 marked 20 years since the passing of the legendary Joe Strummer. Punk poet, musician, composer, actor, and style icon, Strummer spent his life smashing musical and cultural boundaries both as the singer of The Clash and as a solo artist. His songs sound as urgent and vital today as when they were written. Calling out social injustices and giving a voice to the struggles of the working class, Strummer's politically charged lyrics struck a chord with legions of fans and the press alike, with Rolling Stone calling The Clash "the greatest rock & roll band in the world." He famously once said, "Without people, you're nothing." Through his art, Joe Strummer played his part in shaping the musical landscape of the world and with it left an unrivaled and timeless legacy.

...the warmth and passion of Strummer's performance is front and center throughout, his engagement with his bandmates and the audience is total, and the live takes of 'Bhindee Bhagee,' 'Shaktar Donetsk,' and 'Johnny Appleseed' connect more strongly than they did in their studio recordings. What Live at Acton Town Hall does best is preserve one night in the musical life of Joe Strummer and remind us why he was always special - and why no one has truly taken his place in the musical zeitgeist all these years later.