The ghost of Joe Strummer hovered over the Barbican last night, wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt and waving a revolutionary flag. Here were musicians from Spain and beyond, paying homage to the Clash’s renegade spirit, tuneful idealism and decision to name their fourth album Sandinista.
Jonaz of Mexican electronic outfit Plastilina Mosh delivered a quirky London Calling. The Cuban crew from France’s Sergent Garcia did a hip‑twisting Rock the Casbah.

Tex-Mex experimentalist Alejandro Escovedo praised London, “the city that spawned the Clash”, before crooning Straight to Hell, whose lyrics decry injustice and racism, with Latin American-style accordion accompaniment. Then he pogo-ed into the skanking classic Pressure Drop.
“Thankyou, Clash, thankyou,” yelled Blanquito Man of New York Latin ska pioneers King Chango.

Diminutive but ferocious Rubén Albarrán of Mexican rockers Café Tacuba kicked over a mic stand and growled Fought the Law through a megaphone. “ACHOO,” he mock-sneezed, arm outstretched. “With love from Latin America.”

A Chilean reggaeton singer based in Mexico, the gorgeous Moyenei shimmied her way through an uneven but mesmerising The Call Up, an orange flower in her cascading black dreadlocks.

But the evening’s fitting highlight was Spanish Bombs, a song praising the heroism of Republicans in the Spanish Civil War, which came courtesy of effervescent Andalucian songstress Amparo Sanchez. “Yo te quiero infinito,” she sang as if to the Clash, and as if from all present, “I love you for ever.”