Flamin’ Groovies: Shake Some Action tour

Flamin’ Groovies, Shake Some Action, September 15. The band’s surviving founder Cyril Jordan is leading a five‑stop UK run to mark the 50th anniversary of the power‑pop classic — a neat moment for anyone who follows the crossroads of 70s rock and the birth of punk.

Why this matters

Shake Some Action is often cited among the great rock singles of the 1970s. The record — cut at Rockfield in Wales at Christmas of 1975 and produced by Dave Edmunds — helped reframe American garage roots through a British‑influenced power‑pop lens. Rolling Stone later singled the band out as one of San Francisco’s best.

What to expect onstage

Cyril Jordan, the ever‑present frontman, guitarist and last remaining original Flamin’ Groovies member, says the set will centre on that era: expect maybe eighty per cent of the songs from the Shake Some Action album alongside earlier numbers and new material. Jordan describes the show as “still an energetic rock’n’roll show.”

Stories from the road

The Groovies were present at several pivotal 70s moments. Their 1976 headline show at the Roundhouse featured the Ramones and The Stranglers on the bill, a gig often mentioned in histories of punk’s rise. Jordan recalls recording the title track by assembling three separate sections over a few months until they became one song.

He also tells a vivid anecdote about the Sex Pistols era: the band’s passports, five thousand pounds in cash and Jordan’s fuzz‑tone pedal were taken from their briefcase during an encounter involving Malcolm McLaren’s new act. The briefcase was later returned with everything intact except the fuzz‑tone; Jordan later learned Steve Jones had taken it. "It all made complete sense to me the first time I heard Never Mind The Bollocks," Jordan says.

Tour details

The run begins this evening (September 15) in Bristol and continues in Leeds, Edinburgh, Nottingham and London. These are billed as rare UK shows; fans of tight, guitar‑forward songwriting and the early punk network will find plenty to pick through.

For listeners tracing punk’s genealogy or anyone who loves concise, melodic rock, this anniversary shows the Groovies’ continuing pull: songs built from American roots, refined in British studios, and played with the kind of edge that helped push a new scene into view.