In pictures: Former Clash frontman Joe Strummer at the Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea

Joe Strummer at The Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea June 8, 1999 Picture: Paul Windsor

As one of the bands of the punk era, The Clash hold a place in many people’s hearts.

And frontman Joe Strummer always had a reputation as being one of the decent people of the music industry – holding a personal philosophy that prioritised human rights and decency, and standing up for those who had no voice.

After The Clash spit in 1986 Strummer spent years in the punk rock wilderness drifting from recording film soundtracks and guesting with bands like The Pogues.

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Joe Strummer performing at The Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea

In 1999 he finally got a band together called the Mescaleros to record the debut album Rock Art and the X Ray Style.

To the delight of fans he was soon back on the road and in one famous Guardian review a few days prior to the Portsmouth show, the reviewer concluded: ‘There were grown men crying in the street.’

Portsmouth photographer Paul Windsor was at Strummer’s shows at the Wedge in 1999 and 2002.

Paul says: ‘The tour included one of the most famous shows at The Wedgewood Rooms, on June 8, 1999.It was a star-studded affair – actor/comedian Keith Allen was holding fort in the bar, rumours of artist Damien Hirst doodle in the dressing room being scrubbed off by a cleaner were sadly not true, and film director Julian Temple was also there.’

Paul remembers the singer shaking all the photographers’ hands as he strode on the stage.

‘The Clash are my favourite all time band so it was a big thrill,’ he said. ‘The band launched into a blistering London Calling. Joe Strummer was back.

‘The set leant heavy on old Clash material to keep fans happy plus songs from the new album. They even did London Calling again for the encore.

‘A few years later in 2002 he was back and this time the set concentrated on his solo material, but enough to keep fans happy.

‘Afterwards a fan was trying to get backstage with some of my prints from the first show. Suddenly it dawned on me I should have done the same. Oh well I thought “next time”. Sadly there wasn’t going be as tragically he died a few weeks later of a heart attack. It was a massive shock, you expect your musical heroes to last for ever. A friend’s mum commented “now you know how I felt when Princess Diana died”. She was probably right.’