Paul Simonon: Wot No Bike, ICA

In January the ICA, London will welcome back an old friend. Paul Simonon, legendary bass guitarist of The Clash, is returning to the site of one his old band’s first gigs, but this time it will be an altogether quieter affair. After the death of friend and collaborator Nigel Dixon, Simonon went back to painting and although this is his first exhibition in six years, his brushes and easel have been keeping him so busy that he no longer has time to play guitar.
The paintings in this exhibition in London are full of motifs from his rock and roll lifestyle. Wot No Bike refers to an image of front man Joe Strummer’s leather jacket. In fact bikes, boots and jackets litter the exhibition like fragments of the post-World War II counter culture that The Clash played such a definitive role in.
That Simonon exhibits these works at this contemporary art gallery, the scene of some of his early gigs, makes this particular encore feel a lot like a homecoming.
A music fan? Click here to see which gigs Culture Whisper recommends for 2015