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music · Friday 21 August 2026 · 7:00pm 
Stiff Little Fingers with Ruts DC at The Academy
At The Academy · 57 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1
At The Academy · 57 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1
Stiff Little Fingers are one of the few bands from the original punk era who can honestly claim their best songs still carry the same charge they did in 1977. The Belfast group formed during the Troubles and their debut album Inflammable Material - released in 1979 - captured something specific and urgent about growing up in Northern Ireland at that time. Tracks like “Suspect Device”, “Alternative Ulster” and “Nobody’s Hero” connected with audiences far beyond Belfast, and they continue to hold up live in a way that a lot of punk records simply do not. This show at The Academy on Friday 21 August 2026 brings them to one of Dublin’s most reliable mid-sized rooms, with Ruts DC on the bill as special guests. The Ruts were a London punk and reggae band whose 1979 debut The Crack sits alongside Inflammable Material as one of the period’s defining records - the two acts share a serious legacy.
A standing room gig with proper punk energy - this is not a nostalgic night for people who want to sit down and reminisce. Stiff Little Fingers play with the intensity their catalogue demands, and the set will draw heavily from Inflammable Material and the records that followed it through the early 1980s. The band have continued writing new material and regularly work it into their live sets alongside the anthems. Ruts DC - the continuing version of The Ruts, led by bassist Segs Jennings - open the evening and are very much worth arriving early for. Doors at 7:00pm, strictly 18 and over with ID required. The Academy’s main room holds around 650 standing and fills quickly for shows like this.
The Academy sits on Middle Abbey Street in Dublin 1, a short walk north of the Liffey and a few minutes from O’Connell Street. The nearest Luas stop is Jervis on the Red Line, roughly five minutes on foot. Dublin Bus routes serving O’Connell Street stop nearby. Taxis can be picked up on Abbey Street or O’Connell Street after the show. Parking in the city centre on a Friday evening is limited - Parnell Street car parks are the closest reasonable option, though most people come by public transport.
Middle Abbey Street puts you within easy reach of the Northside’s pub scene, and the area around Mary Street and Capel Street has some good pre-gig options. There is more to see in Dublin and across Co. Dublin.
Heading to The Academy in Dublin? Dublin has plenty more to see. Read the Dublin area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.