STIFF Little Fingers formed in 1977, the year that punk rock changed the world.

Jake Burns and his bandmates were just teens when they were exposed to chaotic shows, mohawks and safety pins and anarchic musicians sticking their middle finger up at the establishment and the mainstream.

To say the least it made an impression.

Jake said: "What really stood out for me was the sheer number of new bands that appeared almost overnight and the fact that they all seemed to have at least one great song in them.

"For many, that was all they had, but it was enough. It was truly exciting from that point of view.

"It was also really cool that rock and roll music got back to its three chord roots.

"It really was the closest most of us got to being around at the time of Little Richard and Elvis.

"The Pistols didn't last long enough for me to see them, but I saw pretty much everyone else like The Clash, Buzzcocks, The Damned, Stranglers.

"The Clash were the lyrical highlight as far as I was concerned. They showed that the music had a future to it – even with Johnny Rotten chanting 'no future' to all and sundry.

"It showed that there was more to it than just a six month 'flash in the pan' which a lot of people had been predicting."

Stiff Little Fingers became an integral part of that punk movement.

They wrote initially about their own lives, growing up at the height of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, in songs like Suspect Device and Wasted Life.

So was that a cathartic experience?

"I didn't see it like that," said Jake.

"All we were doing was writing about what we knew. And what we knew was our lives in Belfast at that time. It didn't feel cathartic, rather, it felt natural."

But what it also did was give the band a strong identity which soon caught the attention of the music industry and press.

The key moment was when they released Suspect Device and Wasted Life on their own record label, Rigid Digits, and sent a copy to BBC Radio One DJ John Peel, who started playing it every night.

Jake added: "He helped hugely. When you look back at the bands Peel had championed on the radio from Pink Floyd in 1967 through to Stiff Little Fingers in 1978 and bands beyond, I don't think you can overestimate his influence on the British music scene."

Jake's parents were not convinced though.

He said: "I was 19 when we formed Stiff Little Fingers. I think my folks thought it was another phase I was going through that would pass as quickly like when I wanted to be George Best when I was 12.

"They were probably relieved that I was doing something other than getting involved in what was happening on the streets of Northern Ireland at the time.

"As it became obvious the band was more than just a hobby, then their concerns grew as the music business is notoriously difficult and, certainly the outside perception is, that it's filled with sharks and so on."

But Jake has managed to negotiate the industry's murky waters as – 40 years on – the band remains.

The 59-year-old added: "Obviously I can't speak for any other bands, but I think from our point of view, it's had a longevity because we've always written about things that concern me and our audience, by and large, share those concerns.

"We never became so successful that we lived a life divorced from that of our supporters. So, the problems I've faced in everyday life are mirrored by the problems the audience have."

More recently Jake has used music, with songs like My Dark Places, to tackle his 14-year battle with depression head on.

Jake said: "I always knew I wasn't alone with it but sharing it has helped a lot of people and that, in turn, has helped me. To be honest, that was a happy side effect I really didn't see coming."

So after 40 years how have Stiff Little Fingers' audiences changed?

"Well, it's not a room full of old codgers," Jake joked.

"There are a large number of younger folks at the shows as well. In fact, the shows have become something of a family affair as parents bring their kids along, even grandkids in some instances.

"Now, if you'd said to me in 1977 that a Stiff Little Fingers show would one day be a family night out, I would have laughed at you...

- Stiff Little Fingers play at the Parr Hall on Saturday, October 7. Visit pyramidparrhall.com or call 442345 for tickets.