THE punk ethos was always that the establishment meant nothing.
So in a week when the punk dream that it would one day all crumble to dust came close to reality, it was perhaps appropriate that Stiff Little Fingers, one of the movement's greatest talents, returned to town in triumph.
The band rose from the shattered backstreets of Belfast at a time when the Troubles were at their height, so always had a more genuine claim than most to be the true voice of youthful rebellion and rejection of a society that disregarded them.
And if they proved anything to a vibrant, adoring crowd at the Victoria Theatre, it was that the anger, the relevance of the lyrics and the crispness of the music was as strong as ever.
Galvanised by the return of bass man Ali McMordie, a key figure in their glory years, the band set a cracking pace from start to finish, blending newer material with favourites from the Inflammable Material album, which launched them so spectacularly a generation ago.
Front man Jake Burns belted out the lyrics as strongly as ever, with Safe as Houses, his heartfelt broadside at cosy domesticity, a particular highlight.
It all set up a superb encore starting with the seething but poignant Tin Soldiers before they brought the curtain – and the house – down with the anthemic Alternative Ulster.
Punk is dead? No way. It's not even sleeping.
Tony Dawber