Former Wellington schoolboy praises Stiff Little Fingers at Paris gig

The Belfast four-piece, who rose to prominence during the late 1970s, said it seemed like "the thing to do" to continue with the gig as planned.

Famed for confronting the Troubles in iconic anthems such as Suspect Device, the rockers previously said their experience of the Troubles and bands not coming to their native Belfast during the conflict prompted their decision to carry on with the show.

And among the crowd was former Wellington School pupil, businessman Edward Marten, a gold leaf salesman now based in Florence, Italy.

He praised the band for fulfilling their commitment to play the show in spite of the recent security threats.

He said: "I'm not scared being here, no. I have liked this band since 1979. I come to Paris for work but I usually time it when there are gigs in town I like.

"Well done to them for coming here at this time. Others wouldn't."

Addressing the crowd at Back of the Mill next to the Moulin Rouge - mainly local punters - frontman Jake Burns said: "Thank you so much for coming out. It's an absolute pleasure to be in Paris this evening.

"We're just going to play a normal show, it seems like the thing to do - I hope you agree."

He added: "Obviously everybody in the world knows what happened in Paris on Friday night.

"And everyone in the world has their hearts with you."

Rock superstars U2 were among those to cancel high-profile gigs in Paris following Friday's terrorist attacks, which saw at least 129 killed and hundreds more injured.

The bloodiest attack came at the Bataclan theatre, where American rockers Eagles of Death Metal were performing when gunmen stormed the venue.

Tonight's gig saw the four-piece walk onstage with black tape around their left arms, while guitarist Ian McCallum wore a shirt emblazoned with the city's name.

They launched into opener Nobody's Hero, prompting a moshpit comprising veteran gig-goers.