It seems all the insider info we were getting a couple of months back about The Stranglers appearances at the big summer festivals have all come true – with the V Festival added on top of the recent confirmation of T in the Park and of course, Spain’s Summercase. Lots to look forward to on the live front this year – and it continues this autumn: in one of the UK’s colour supplements, the band are advertised to be performing a Greatest Hits set for the tour of the UK. Perhaps this coincides with another Greatest Hits? Rumour has it, another new compilation – with the snappy title of ‘Forty Two Forty’ - is due out September.

After Hugh’s nationally-reported onstage bickering at his last acoustic gig in Motherwell – thoughts are turning to his future appearance at Kirkcudbright’s Wickerman Festival this July: many of us are hoping for the return to the Horn in St. Albans, Hertforshire. After all, Hugh seems to favour the venue over the years for warm-ups to big gigs in the past. Watch this space.
 

 

Stranglers London date... Friday 28th March 2008

On Sunday 29th June, the band are due to play at Hard Rock Calling – the second of two days at the rebranded Hyde Park festival. Headlining are The Police - with KT Tunstall, Starsailor and Carbon Silicon (featuring Mick Jones of The Clash) also on the bill. Tickets for this date range from £65 to a whopping VIP-priced £245.

 

Outside Tokyo - Spain - and more festival chat... Wednesday 20th February 2008

JJ will be performing a couple of solo live dates in Japan: the Shinjuku Loft in Tokyo will host two acoustic nights in March. Brush up your Japanese for more details to be found on the band’s official site: http://www.stranglers.net/glist.html   On top of The Stranglers Isle of Wight date in June, Spain's Summercase 08 has been mooted too – featuring Maximo Park, Mystery Jets and Pete & The Pirates. Back in the UK, it is rumoured The Stranglers are due to play T in the Park and the V Festivals too. Although not officially confirmed, organisers are expected to announce final line-ups imminently. As always, Stranglers dates are only confirmed when the official site posts them.   For Hugh Cornwell fans, the Wickerman Festival at Kirkcudbright in Scotland has announced he will appear at July’s bash. Once again, confirmation is expected in due course at hugh’s official site: http://www.hughcornwell.com/live.html   Back to now – and Sunday saw JJ and Baz performing in the intimate setting of a hotel in Doncaster - but the big gig of the weekend was…

 

The Stranglers at Buxton Opera House, 16.02.08 - and PaulinLondon was there! Wednesday 20th February 2008

Spa town heroes!       The hills are alive - to the sound of The Stranglers - soon! But first, we’re standing in a hotel reception dressed in our Stranglers T-shirts attracting odd glances from the glib staff - Best Western - I can’t help thinking about cowboys and Indians for some reason. Thank God they’re only here for one night - is what’s going through their minds as we check in. Little do they know we’ll have the night porter busy with booze until half-three!   A beer and wine taster at the Queen’s Head with Adrian, Pigeon and Saminblack is top priority, but a reccy of the venue leads to us spotting another familiar face: “Gor, it’s bloody cold here….” Says a chipper Jet Black on his way to the afternoon sound check.   Our pre-gig pub venue soon becomes a bulging throng of Stranglers fans, as the jukebox plays The Stranglers. The hapless locals appear amused - honoured perhaps - by this afternoon’s invasion-in-black. Meanwhile, familiar names are put to faces from far and wide, and we catch up with Steve Tyas who we haven’t met in years; he was with us on our infamous 1989 Car Tour. Ah, those were the days. But all too soon, the afternoon session dissolves into blackness, as we grab some fish and chips and head for our night at the Opera House: this stunning all-seater was built at the beginning of the last century and has been recently redecorated - and there is something endearing about seeing the band in such a classical setting. Folky support band, Amsterdam, receive hearty applause before the lights go down on Buxton… And Waltzinblack is back!   We stand – in a split second, a mosh develops at the front - as the crowd buckles to growling opener, 5 Minutes. JJ looks fabulous in a round necked T-shirt (as opposed to the V-shape of recent years) and sings with passion and aggression. The band look lean and mean and the locals around us clearly love the spectacle. The sound is first class and the songs are performed note perfect. The humour on stage is there and one gets the impression that this band still has a long way to go; the individual component parts each love being on stage despite JJ looking a little tired. But nothing deters him from jumping high in the air and Karate kicking at 45 degrees. The crowd lap it up - no ballet dancers or sopranos on stage at the Opera House tonight. Throughout the venue, there are people standing up and dancing about. At the mosh, several fans clamber onstage before being confronted by the two big and burly bouncers for subsequent eviction. I spot JJ casting his watchful eye over the proceedings, just in case, like.   It’s a first class Stranglers show with songs performed to meticulous precision – with no real surprises in the set – and no new oldie from the awesome back catalogue. Nonetheless, the highlight is Nuclear Device: JJ comes right up to the front of the stage in between the two microphone stands and stands there - practically playing the entire middle eight to the front row. Amazing! At the end of No More Heroes - now half-naked - JJ flings his guitar pick into the crowd and the show is over. To the tune of Meninblack, we leave the heat for further sustenance nearby.   Thirty Stranglers fans make the ascent to the upstairs part of the India Palace restaurant, where we alter the seating plan to open-plan: very Roman orgyesque. We fit everyone in: Rodders, Ice Cube, Gizzard, Fendale, Billyinblack, Pigeon, The Strangler, Ladp, 50 Million Watches, Lucy, Elm, Saminblack, Radioactivity, Paul B, Adrian and Sancho Panza and myself... Rodders organises Stranglers songs to continue as we dine – but the speakers can’t quite handle it. Mr. & Mrs. ThruBeingCool pop in for a quick hello – and we head back to the hotel for a nightcap or two!   Pix: © Colin Mace   Buxton Opera House   5 MINUTES GRIP SPECTRE OF LOVE NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY UNBROKEN PEACHES ALWAYS THE SUN GOLDEN BROWN I HATE YOU SUMMAT OUTANOWT WALK ON BY STRAIGHTEN OUT BURNING UP TIME ALL DAY & ALL OF THE NIGHT DUCHESS LONDON LADY * NUCLEAR DEVICE SOMETIMES ** HANGING AROUND NO MORE HEROES

Festival organisers have announced The Stranglers are added to this year’s sell out Isle of Wight Festival. They will be performing in a new 5,000 capacity big top on opening night Friday 13th June. Also appearing are the Sugababes, and the Kaiser Chiefs, as well as The Police, Feeder, Sex Pistols, The Kooks, Ian Brown, Lily Allen and the Australian Pink Floyd Show.

The Stranglers’ live year kicks off with another sold out concert - this time in the Peak District’s spa town Buxton - despite tickets prices set at an eye-watering £27.50. The following night, JJ and Baz play in Doncaster (see below).

Final outing for the Meninblack in 2007. Bruges photos courtesy of our Man From Bruges, Stef ©

Flemish moon

Not fancying watching the warm-up act, I get there at 8 - the time on my ticket. Then I realise there is no warm-up! Soon as I sit, the show starts. This is a 500 seater venue - in the pretty provincial town of St.Niklaas - 10 minutes down the road from where I live. My 8 year old daughter has performed here several times with her dance group. In years to come I’ll be able to say she shared the same stage as my heroes, if not on the same night. It’s a comforting thought. I’m not expecting much difference with the first acoustic gig I saw in Ghent, so I leave pen and paper at home. Sod’s Law – there;s plenty of differences tonight!

‘Instead of This’, sung perfectly by JJ. His singing has really got better over the last two years post-Paul. After rapturous applause, JJ welcomes the audience to the show. Belgium still hasn’t managed to form a government (175 days after the elections – see previous Gent review!) and much to the delight of the maestro himself: ‘It really is a great honour for us to be performing here in Belgium where there is no government. Playing in an anarchist state is what we’re all about. I never thought I’d see it in my time!’

Laughter all round as JJ goes on to point out to the Flemish members in the audience that they needn’t be afraid of the numerous English fans who have made the trip from across the Channel. ‘They may be a bit loud, but don’t worry – they’re completely harmless.’ Up next is a stunning ‘Long Black Veil’. This time it’s Baz’s turn to welcome the audience. One fan walks up to the front of the auditorium and asks Baz if he can ask him a question. ‘I won’t bore you with what he’s just asked me, ladies and gentleman, but can I just take a minute to give him an answer?’ Yes, we all shout. ‘Right, I’ll only say this once: FUCK - OFF!’

Lots of hoorays and clapping follows, after which, JJ gives us an introduction to ‘Dutch Moon’. ‘Seeing we’re in Belgium, we had thought of changing the title of the next song to Flemish Moon, as we’ve heard the Flemish don’t really like the Dutch.’ (which is more or less true, it’s bit like the relationship between Scotland and England). Cheers from half the audience, as the other half is made up of English and… Dutch fans! St.Niklaas is only 15 miles from the Dutch border. Baz duly changes the last chorus to ‘… a yellow Flemish moon’ and when JJ finishes ‘European Female’, it’s time for a JJ and Baz double act. Move over Morecambe and Wise:

JJ (turning to Baz): ‘Why do you do that thing with your guitar?’
Baz, who has been shaking his guitar throughout the song: ‘Shall I explain it to you? Do you think the audience wants to know?’
JJ: ‘But I want to know.’
Baz (in pedantic mode): ‘Well then, if I play these chords like this (i.e. with no movement), you hear this (i.e. just the chords). Whereas if I do it like this (shakes his guitar), you hear this (i.e. an echo effect).’
JJ: ‘Oh, I see.’
Baz: ‘So, let me explain again… Also it helps dissipate the smell of my farts.’
Top notch comedy which, incidentally, is also appreciated by the Flemish members of the audience.
 

‘Princess of the Streets’ contains a fantastic bit of harmonised singing between JJ, Baz and Dave at the end of the number. ‘Strange Little Girl’, ‘Always the Sun’ and ‘Grip’ complete part one of the show. The second part opens with ‘Spectre of Love’. JJ treats us to another observational gem. ‘Dankuwel’ he says in accent-free Dutch. ‘We speak many languages… No, not really. The fact is everyone in the Netherlands and Flanders speaks English so well, we don’t need to learn to speak Dutch. And let’s face it, no other fuckers are gonna learn Dutch, are they?’ Quite. JJ’s moving ‘In the End’ up next, which is preceded as follows:

JJ: ‘I think we’ve come to a point in our relationship where we can be totally honest with each other. That is us, the band and you, the audience.’
Male member of the audience: ‘I love you, JJ!’
JJ: ‘Ooh, I’ll see you later!’
 

What JJ actually wants to know is who in the audience has ever been divorced. Not many hands are raised, so JJ turns to his band members, all of whom have their hands in the air. Jet in the meantime has disappeared offstage. JJ: ‘If Jet had been behind me, he’d have needed two hands to answer that question.’ A wonderfully moody ‘Southern Mountains’ next, which Baz dedicates to ‘JJ’s admirer in the audience’. The band then throw up a surprise by playing ‘English Towns’ with Baz on lead vocals (Baz changes the very last line in camp fashion to: ‘no love in a thousand …boys’). JJ follows this with what I can only put as a surreal English language class. He asks the audience if they have heard of rhyming slang. JJ then explains that this slang was used in the old days as a code language. The audience is invited to come up with examples, the best one being ‘Mary Hinge’. Then all the band members are asked to have a go. Baz delivers the pick of the bunch: ‘James Blunt’. Percussionist Neal gives us ‘Berwick upon Tweed’: speed. JJ: ‘Ah, that brings us round nicely to the next song. Drugs also have their own slang. Charlie is cocaine, dope is any drug and Harry is heroine. This is an anti-drugs song by the way!’ And thus we are treated to a dark version of ‘Don’t Bring Harry’, swiftly followed by a rare live outing for ‘North Winds’, a song not played in the first acoustic gig in Ghent. ‘Well, that was a happy song,’ JJ sarcastically adds. ‘Here’s another happy one. It’s dedicated to my ex-wife’s lawyer.’ Yep, it’s time for ‘I Hate You’!

Baz then wants to know who in the audience are ‘miserable bastards’. House lights are switched on as Baz inspects I also raise my hand at this stage as I’ve been having to put up with a woman suffering from a severe bout of verbal diarrhoea all evening. Honestly, some people! Before ‘Old Codger’ starts Baz points out that he’s been so busy being a miserable bastard he’s forgotten to introduce Dave on the guitar. The lads then take the time to thank a number of people before a rousing ‘Sanfta Kuss’ blows the final whistle on the show. The next bit of comedy comes in the form of the encore. On walks Baz with a cap on and sits in percussionist Neal’s seat, followed by Neal (who also has a Baz style shaven pate) and steps up to the mike: ‘Hang on, I can’t play the guitar.’ Up gets Baz: ‘And I’m no good on this.’ ‘That’s the same joke from Mechelen (22nd November)!’ shouts one of the crowd. ‘Yeah well, we have to do the same thing every night. It’s what we do!’ replies Baz. ‘OK then, especially for you…’ and Baz gives us a neatly improvised guitar solo.

‘Walk on By’ and ‘No More Heroes’ end the festivities – the atmosphere is spot on. The band hangs around on stage to greet the fans personally, which is a nice touch.

The Stranglers’ diary for 2008 is pretty empty so far. Surely this type of gig would go down a treat in the UK… However, if there are no takers, we’re more than willing to have you back!

Mothership returns to The Roundhouse

– but not without hardship!

© Onstage photos: Calvin Brady

SADLY, A LOT of the juiciest footage from the forthcoming DVD of tonight’s tumultuous concert will doubtlessly end up on the cutting room floor; eight songs into their ‘Rattus at the Roundhouse’ event, the band make a snap decision to entirely restart the gig from the top! Totally unprecedented as it sounds - it is understandable if you, err, hear the sounds: Dave Greenfield’s keyboards cut-out continually, peppering the mighty 1977 Roundhouse set list with breakdowns and breaks in service. The band leave the stage as the crew fiddle. Priceless drama in north London’s old theatre.

It all starts so impeccably, for the fans anyway: the day kicks off for this particular Stranglers fan swigging and munching and chatting on PaulinLondon’s Finchley patio with an already nationwide throng, to the tunes of Stranglers’ past glories before boarding the charabanc parked in the roadway for Camden Town. Organ Grinder and myself hop off at our hotel in Primrose Hill Road to dump bags and powder noses. It’s a complete surprise, some thirty minutes later, to find ourselves in the company of JJ Burnel!   One moment we’re strolling along (and minding our own business…) downhill towards Chalk Farm when a dark Renault pulls into a driveway in front of us. Inside sits a chipper JJ Burnel at some steel gates. I take the opportunity to pitch my set list concept:   Me: “Are you playing Down In The Sewer tonight?” JJ: “No. The set will be the same as last night.” Me: “And Down In The Sewer?” JJ: [LOL] “The set will be the same as last night!” Me: “Okay. What about Down In The Sewer, then?” JJ: “Um…”   We leave JJ to prepare, while Organ discovers there are no corners to piss in at The Roundhouse! An atmospheric amble through the Camden sunshine leads us to the Spread Eagle in Parkway where our Stranglers’ buddies await. To be honest, it’s hard to tell who are the local winos and who are the fans. But lovely Laura sorts out The Stranglers on the jukebox with Porlee, and... Okay. Look - there’s no point trying to put this section into any prosaic semblance of meaning: you just have to be here to know what a fantastic time is being had. Roughly translated, that means we are horribly drunk. Well, not all of us get out that much!   The venue is awesome – inside, as it is outside. At the Roundhouse bars, beer choice is limited, to say the least, but I can do with a rest from the booze, I figure. But the omens are evident from the off: solo support act John Cooper Clark stumbles to centre stage in darkness and without introduction. At least, at first. I can’t help recalling the first time I accidentally bump into Johnny at the side of Southwark Cathedral on my way to meet Jet at the Stranglers’ HQ back in 1980. After an intro, as the lighting man struggles to catch up on events, the monotone Manc is good quality, and adept at heckler-thwarting to boot. Even so, his set is prematurely cut short when he mistakes a call-off from behind the scenes and exits - before returning for just a few more sharp-tongued minutes. I feel short-changed all the same. Spizzenergi could have cut the mustard better, and with a laugh.   Seventies DJ Andy Dunkley spins some hits of yesteryear, as well as a fairly recent ones, including a solo track from Hugh: “I won’t faackin’ be there!” said Hugh in Dingwall’s next door a few weeks back. He lied! Anticipation can’t get much higher, especially with those optimistic enough to (even) discuss Hugh’s return tonight in light of JJ’s BBC London News Friday evening interview where he bands about words such as ‘special’ and ‘reunion’, Curiouser and curiouser. And implausible.

Many might be forgiven for thinking The Stranglers play their own support slot nowadays! Mind you, I bet it is cheaper… and I expect the DVD product will paper over the cracks as it should do [the film editors will be doing some overtime, I reckon] so they can rightfully and respectfully portray the band as the potent outfit they clearly are, showcasing the feel and power of a quartet a quarter of their years – or more, in view of Jet’s age! And then there’s the final bow we expect from the Glasgow and Manchester warm-ups. Jet’s the only one here who’s as fresh as a daisy, but many are drawn to question: is this taking a bow a sign of the end of the band? Will Jet lay down those sticks? I say this - don’t be fucking stupid! Tonight I witness a band who, in their 33rd year, will continue to go on interminably and relentlessly. Through thick and thin. Till death us do part. Shit, the cliché’s are out in force tonight.

“Six months before this band played The Roundhouse thirty years ago, they supported Patti Smith at this very same venue. The crowd that night were not to appreciative but I informed them that, in the not too distant future, you will all be queuing around the block to see them - and I was proved right. Ladies and gentlemen - The Stranglers!”

In the cheers, the four figures in black take up positions after checking amps and other equipment with a glance to each other, saying they’re set. Spine-tingling intro No More Heroes reverberates as an unexpected opener, heightening expectation and anticipation as a torrent of half-full beer glasses fill the air, soaking all and sundry in a sea of swaying bodies below. Straight into Ugly, with the first slip-up of the night by Baz, unusually, and then spoiled by a JJ’s adlib near the end: "only the children of the fucking wealthy.." gets altered to "bald and deaf" – digging slightly at the shaven-headed Baz. Dead Ringer, Sometimes and Goodbye Toulouse blast out at breakneck speed until Hanging Around. The, everything comes to a halt……

A technical fault with Dave's keyboards, and then JJ aborts mid-song as Baz jokingly remonstrates it’s best he’s played that solo. Crew run on as JJ remarks it’s “just like the old days…” while Baz entertains the baiting crowd with his northeast banter about Newcastle United and London clubs too. Realisation dawns as the techy problem remains unresolved, for JJ to call the band offstage for a five minute break.

With keys in place, the band return to rapturous cheers. JJ asks: “What should we do? Start from the top of Hanging Around or from the top of the whole thing?” The majority win and the band restart from the top of the night. What was the chance of that happening? As JJ fires up the bass riff intro to Heroes once more, the crowd go ballistic. Minus Goodbye Toulouse, the band retrace their steps – we all assume is for filming purposes. If anything, this unplanned interruption stokes up the band even more as they play out of their skins, even faster, tighter, with more venom. Each note and intonation hits perfectly. This, tonight, is The Stranglers at their prowess peak. But then disaster strikes: Dave's rig gives out once more, and for longer this time. JJ tells the crowd of a 5 hour fix of Dave's Hammond once in the US.

Pressure builds as the crew remedy the situation so the show can go on. From the top this time? Not likely - the band resume from where they end with more of the Roundhouse set including Bitching, I Feel Like A Wog, Bring On The Nubiles, Something Better Change, Peaches and Grip.

The band look like they are really enjoying themselves as JJ karate-kicks his way through many a bass-line, stressing the Shuker's power and precision [pun intended] with two-legged high jumps. Even Baz joins in with a few of his own star jumps. But his guitar work is still spot- on, riffing at 100 mph all the way. And despite Dave’s tribulations is also on top form: the sound effects and keyboard runs perfectly supplement the musical soundscape. However, plaudits for the night go to Jet, who to his credit, played as solidly as ever - on this performance any signs of his recent illness are well behind him. Not only does he supply the perfect backbeat throughout, but he plays tonight faster and longer than ever.

Go Buddy Go explodes into the night and JJ is at the mike again: “”The Stranglers aren't renowned for saying thanks - but, thank you for your patience - for the last thirty years." The band exit, returning for an encore of recent offerings, Spectre Of Love, the classic to be, Relentless, and then a frenzied finale of Duchess.

With guitars back on stands, JJ and Baz take a bow alongside Jet and Dave. Jet gets the biggest applause, and the usual chorus of “Jet Black! Jet Black! Jet Black!”. Ever the gent, he humbly accepts the accolade by assuming his 'unworthiness'. The faithful wave back and the band leave the stage to alien sounds advocating porky meat, echoing round the massed brigade-in-black, the house lights go up and it’s all over.

With those rumours of the band calling it a day, this could be a fitting finale. Regarding the performance tonight – there’s undoubtedly another few years in them. So how about Black And White in Buxton?

Now yer talkin’!

Baz Warne quote: ‘Who’d have thought it? The Stranglers sitting down!’

Belgium buns!

With a mix of excitement and trepidation, I arrive at the splendid Capitole Theatre to witness The Stranglers kick off their acoustic tour of Belgium and Holland. Obviously excitement stems from the fact that I was in for a musical treat: trepidation, from the fact The Meninblack are about to play to an audience mostly made up from a hospital charity foundation – not Stranglers’ fans, per se. It’s a full house, but my fears deepen when I look around: at 35 years of age, I’m usually one of the younger audience members, although tonight I’m virtually embryonic! And normally, Waltzinblack heralds the start of the show. Instead, introductions come from a dead ringer for Harry Potter’s Uncle Vernon, who manages to mispronounce JJ’s name as ‘GG Burnel’! But it is great watching Jet walk on looking so well. Also, percussionist Neil Sparkes is brilliant for this acoustic setting, adding a whole new dimension to the sound.

Instead of this opens - surely the best Stranglers’ song never to make an album. The audience take a while to catch up (not us true fans, of course) but when Baz and JJ thank them in Flemish with a ‘dank u’ - Baz looks around and adds: ‘Who’d have thought it? The Stranglers sitting down!’ to cheers and laughter all round.

An awesome version of Long Black Veil and Dutch Moon next, and then JJ gives us a magical European Female, where a hint of recognition ripples through the crowd – to be suddenly wrong-footed when a powerful and moody Princess of the Street comes next. Here, Baz gets sarcy, telling the audience he’s always wanted to get some audience participation going on. ‘You over there - clap, you lot over here…’. All very amusing. Always the Sun, and the crowd join in, albeit in a half-hearted fashion. More amusing banter: JJ asks the audience to raise their hands if they’d been divorced – and only the band members raise their hands!

‘Only us four have actually been divorced?’ An incredulous JJ responds. (Fact: Belgium has a divorce rate of 1 in 3 couples, so either the audience’s English wasn’t up to scratch or they were defying the statistics!) This leads into In the End, which at the end, Baz calls ‘lovely’. After an amazing English Towns (Baz: ‘there could be a thousand girls here tonight, ladies and gentlemen, and there would be no love in them at all’), another Mark II song got an unexpected airing - Southern Mountains. It was a real treat proving The Stranglers produced some great stuff in the 90s.

Golden Brown next, with jazzed-up drawn-out intro – impressive stuff! This was swiftly followed by Spectre of Love, Grip and a chilling Don’t Bring Harry. Cruel Garden – and what a song! Yet another B-side not getting it’s album status. Never to Look Back, then No More Heroes, and yes – this works brilliantly in an acoustic setting, when you’ve got musicians like Baz and JJ up onstage. And if all of this is not enough (I was secretly expecting Heroes to end…) Dave joined in on acoustic guitar for Old Codger! ‘Not only does Dave have a swelling organ…1 says Baz – who in turn, provides some pretty damn good (mouth) organ on I Hate You. Beforehand, JJ does the song introduction:

‘This song is dedicated to… a lot of people!’ before finishing the song with ‘I’ll hate you forever, even longer than… the Belgian Constitutional Crisis’. Brilliant! For all you non-Belgians, the country hasn’t had a government for over three months as the Flemish and the Walloons can’t agree on… anything!

Sanfta Kuss finally signals the end of the set. More Baz quips:

‘I’ve always wanted to say this - ladies and gentlemen, we’ve come to the end of our show. We hope you have enjoyed the evening. I had a great time. What about you lads?’

JJ (enthusiastically): ‘Yeah, it was great...’

Jet (in drole fashion): ‘Mmm. It wasn’t too bad...’

Dave (still clutching his guitar): ‘I’ve busted my fingers!’

The audience cheer loudly as the Meninblack exit the stage – testament to what a good night is had by all (even the geriatrics!). The band return for a stunning Walk On By, for ‘Uncle Vernon’ to appear and thank the event organisers. For those who can’t wait for the acoustic set to return England, it’s definitely worth the trip to either Holland or Belgium. As for me, the band are virtually playing in my back garden this November… I can’t wait.

First class trip!

The Mothership lands in Lincoln as our chariot takes both Crass and myself to the centre of the citadel. It’s late afternoon. The brooding grey sky is interrupted by menacing black clouds above The Engine Shed venue where tonight, The Meninblack will play. The setting is unique: situated on the picturesque Brayford, the following morning we are drawn to this leisurely pool as Crass and I muse the pleasure these sailors derive. Quite right too. In the drizzle, we meet Lord Justice Gizzard of Mitsubishi and proceed to the walking district of the town nearby. Clad in black, we three team up at the Cheltenham with the very fabulous Yellowcake UF6 who sports a black Suite XVI T-shirt and nasty cold. Lager and some mosh pit disco dancing will improve his health later on.

Everything proceeds as it should in any Mib and Wib get together as we are joined by 50MillionWatches, LadP, Homme en Noir, The Strangler, PaulB, John and BlackTania. The smiles and laughter say everything about how special these pre-gig gatherings are. Everyone is in high spirits and looking forward to the last electric UK Stranglers show before the band play Glasgow, Manchester and the highlight, The Roundhouse. We move to another watering hole closer to the venue, the Duke William, where pub diners are open-mouthed as we enter in our black garb, with ravens, nasty spiders and the odd rat emblazoned across our respective chests. The Real One! joins us for a G&T before heading for the Engine Shed to herald the advent of yet another aural sculpture.

This venue is Lincoln’s answer to the Roundhouse: in previous incarnations, they both housed steam locomotives. The only discernable difference is this one isn’t round, or old. Two of our party are ASLEF members, as we file into the huge hall and we see many other new faces. The support band play and I ponder the percentage of fellow MiB Forumsters. The crowd size is already eminently respectable, and I sense anticipation and excitement in the air.

Ten to nine. Suddenly the house lights dim; showtime! Waltzinblack starts up after a weighty pause. The suspense is fabulous. But, a minute in to the intro, there’s a surprise: the song segues into Longships! No it’s not the CD jumping… and then in the fade, The Stranglers walk on, donning guitars. In my most humble opinion, Longships is a great hark back to the band’s past, proving those roots are not forgotten. Sometimes opens and rocks the joint. All four Stranglers look on top form: JJ - mean and moody, ceiling-staring and then down at the crowd, perhaps picking someone out before nodding and shifting, acknowledging your presence like only JJ does. Its great to see him move about the stage, covering ground. Baz, meanwhile, is having a fine night and is up for Man of the Match. You can tell he is enjoying every second of tonight; his delivery of I Feel Like A Wog is stunning and full of passion and aggressive finesses. You can hear each word, and the roar from the crowd was the ultimate approval.

Ava appears in the crowd and says hello and I glance to a pensive Jet onstage, staring at the snare, concentration etched on his face, pounding out the beat. Dave is all smiles and engages in some great interaction with JJ; lots of laughing too, reinforcing the bond these Stranglers have for each other. And in Walk on By, Dave practically hangs over his top keyboard to watch a side-on Baz bash out guitar notes before they both move onto the next shift in the song. Totally live and thoroughly human. Great to see. The only thing that I miss with Dave’s stage appearance is the black sheeting around his keyboard rig. Not that I have nothing against Dave’s legs (ha!) but I miss that mysterious look of the Planet Greenfield spaceship workstation.

JJ is having a fine night - his playing and singing are superb - the only let down is the bass guitar is a bit flat, sound wise. I can assume his onstage monitor sound is okay, even though at one point mid-song, I saw him crouch before his rig for a while to check the sound from the right hand Ashdown speaker cab. I also see a Trace Elliott amp on top of the left hand side of his bass rig, so maybe it is a rare off night in terms of sound clarity. Who knows ? In the absence of a bright and tonal bass definition, JJ is relentless: In Relentless itself, the bass is spot on, and rib bending in all the right moments. The band go off briefly. Gig highlights include the crowd chants of ‘Jet Black! Jet Black! Jet Black!’ And when Jet returns to the stage for the encore, he syncopates his bass drum to form Five Minutes. Totally fabulous! A ‘Jet moment’ to stay with many of us for years to come. He really is the Master. May we have many more years with Jet Black.

Tonight really is first class: we’re blessed with gems such as Sometimes, Wog and Bitching – which counteract the missing soundscapes like Toiler, Raven and Sewer (and the ever popular and mesmerising Nice ‘n’ Sleazy) – and it’s a true testament to the bands’ back catalogue of strength and depth in their compositions from the last 30 years. The only thing I want to see is the return of Norfolk Coast - a worthy member of the songs Toiler and Sewer are part of. A lot of us were right up front to the stage where ThruBeingCool appears, pogoing with glee to Bitching.

All good things come to an end - a statement I profoundly disagree with - but the lights are up, and very early too, thanks to University licensing regulations. As the crowd disperse, we congregate near the bar and I meet that fabulous time traveller, Mr. Freddie Laker with his usual post-gig smile. We leave, and have a couple of drinks in a nearby cavern of a bar. But now time to eat! We pile into the Light Of India and Paulb, Gizzard, 50MillionWatches, Homme en Noir, Ladp, The Strangler, Crass, me and Yellowcake UF6 all drink and be merry. And God, we are loud ! Stranglers’ song after Stranglers’ song are sung at top volume. Thankfully there aren’t many diners there, but those who were, including the staff, are very happy to let us vent whatever it was we were needing to vent. [Tolerated, more like?! Ed.] Great table top drumming by Ladp, Homme en Noir with some master class vocal delivery from Yellowcake UF6. And then, the Man we Loved to Meet: irony of ironies – after being in the restaurant for just ten minutes, we’re singing Nuclear Device when Helgy and his wife are sitting behind us. Of all the curry joints and eating emporiums in Lincoln, surely the work of the Meninblack?! Then someone called Sean, and his girlfriend, both local, both fresh from the gig joined in. Sean saw The Stranglers’ at Lincoln’s Drill Hall in 1978. Drunk he most certainly is, but a good addition for the singalongs and the evening’s fun. Then it is literally: lights out, gentlemen! Before we pay and go, the restaurant suffers a power loss. The bill is then scrutinised by candle light.

It is great seeing everybody for both the pre-gig and post-gig meet-ups: the banter is superb. In summary, an excellent day is had by all. The band are surely pleased to have such great support from the assembled Mibs and Wibs. I have to say, it’s another of those fabulous and unique family gatherings where the travelling fans are genuinely pleased to see each other. It’s a very special Stranglers thing.

Until we all meet again!

Paul Roberts performs at London’s 100 Club on Thursday 8th March to celebrate the 16 years he played with The Stranglers. See gig flyer HERE. We catch up with erstwhile Strangler John Ellis, who will be providing guitar on the night: “The set will be 2/3 Stranglers material Paul and myself contributed to while we were members - and a 1/3 Paul material.” Rehearsals are going ahead in town, and John is upbeat at the prospect of playing to a live audience once again: “I’m really looking forward to getting out there and performing. Hopefully, if this is successful, we might tour with it at some point. We’ll have to wait and see.” Word is, the event is already sold out.

LIVE REVIEWS: Hugh Cornwell                                                                                                                               Sunday 29th October 2006

To infinity, and beyond!

Gary Kent sees Hugh play the Scala, London 26.10.06.

TONIGHT IN a former porn picture house (once closed for screening Clockwork Orange) I watched the Good, the Bad and the Gorgeous tonight! All we need is a whistling Morricone soundtrack and tumbleweed - as Hugh appears in his Toy Story Woody's tan-colour tassled suede cowboy coat! Alongside is bad-ass drummer Chris Bell in place of Windsor and Hugh's cute bassist, the gorgeous Caz Campbell - deputising for Steve Lawrence for what seems to be for good. She's a welcome inclusion since spotting her at The Horn at St. Albans in June 2005. And just like then, tonight the cat-calls and eye-gazes are torn between the ex-Stranglers singing legend on the left - and the sexy, smiling young bassist on the right!

But cowboy outfit, this is not. The King's Cross crowd will witness a fluent performance from a fine voiced Hugh, backed by the best rhythm section to date. But as he plugs in his Fender Telecaster, the crowd's exuberance is seemingly falling on deaf ears. Maintaining indifference and ignorance in his two-sizes-too-big suede epidermis, momentum becomes inertia while Hugh tunes, tunes, and tunes again… Measured and metered, he's oblivious to the warm cheers - even when they turn to perplexed stony silence. There's even time to do a total recall of some of the darker moments from one drab gig from the not-so-distant past - Cut to the Ashdown Theatre in March 2005 when Hugh, Steve and Windsor walk on stage, and then gawp at each other; you can hear that pin drop. Words get muttered before eventually immersing themselves into an extremely average performance, pedestrian and flaccid, with Hugh finally taking it out on the audience halfway though the show to berate us for not cheering enough:

"Is that the best you can do? Is that what they do in Croydon? Zzzzzzzz… Boring."

Cut to the Scala... When it finally gets going, Duchess is the opener, the set is urgent and smooth, with not a moment lost. Hugh, Chris and Caz flawlessly flick between Stranglers and solo stuff; for the most part, it's a reshuffle of The Horn's set. No More Heroes, Sleazy, Walk On By, Nuclear Device and Duchess are - and should be - Stranglers staples. Even Always The Sun sounds fresh and current. Thankfully, Golden Brown is still sidelined to the bench, as well as his Cadiz, Under Her Spell, Harry Power and 24/7: the acoustic stayed at home tonight. Picked Up By The Wind - the mooted single that wasn't - is the sole track off the last album, Beyond Elysian Fields. Leave Me Alone, Putting You In The Shade and Dark Side Of The Room from 2000's Hi-Fi sound cool, the latter aided by harmonica man John Dominic. Hugh kept the baiting mob at bay:

"Can you all hear what we're playing? He can't, down there - he must be deaf. And there's someone over here who can't see a thing. But he's blind..."

A little thinner on top, a tad greyer at the sides, he is his usual wiry self, rocking out and leading the charge with sporadic head nodding to the other two using muso's nous, or side to side, when things are not ready to end right now, not yet. Part impassive, part fettered ardour perhaps, at least I'd like to THINK Hugh enjoys these nights, going about his business whether there's a 3,000 strong crowd to perform to like in the golden days - or the 300 or so like here tonight. Nonetheless, his vocal timbre is rich and effective and his playing is crisp and clear.

Hugh, West London, November 2005 © Gary Kent

Then came something I certainly won't forget. An unlimited version of Bear Cage - it went on for an eternity. absolutely awesome, it was worth the entrance fee alone! Some knew from the Internet Hugh had played it on this tour, but nothing prepared the amazed audience for the extended onslaught in store. It was blissful. Hugh occasionally pulls one out of the bag like this, like at the Mean Fiddler in November 2004 when he played a mesmerising extended version of I Feel Like A Wog complete with psychedelic e-bow soloing… Dead Loss Angeles too, at the Islington Academy in April 2005… and Walk On By… I could go on.

The Bear Cage rhythm section throb was pulsatile and perpetual, Hugh studiously banging out those three chords, aided by Aural Sculpture brass stalwart Hillary Kops who ably fills in the missing keyboard pads with wicked trumpet scats, all drenched in hypnotic reverb and delay that bounce off the walls to the crowds obvious approval. In all these years, this was also the first time I witnessed Hugh singing it: previously I was left to watch Ian Dury et al. maul it at the Rainbow in April 1980! What an inspired choice tonight - a song The Stranglers must have clearly overlooked, for Hugh to get in there first. Unbelievable!

Sure, both Hugh and The Stranglers draw from the same song book, but comparing the two camps is fruitless. Recently, when both The Stranglers and Hugh played Preston's 53 Degrees within days of each other, Hugh told the local rag: "the audience should be offered the two tickets for a slight reduction so they can compare how they perform and how I perform and make a direct comparison."

A stark contrast to a time not long ago when Hugh refused point blank to play the songs that got him well known, and well paid. Thankfully, that's changed.

For many fans, it's simple: Hugh and The Stranglers are, and should be, two separate entities. Hugh is Hugh, and The Stranglers are The Stranglers. Never the twain… With Baz and JJ as dual front men looking more like The Stranglers were way back when, barring Steve Lawrence, bass players in Hugh's band have all been female (Michelle Marti, Midus and our luscious Caz), which could be a conscious step for Hugh to distance himself from the erstwhile image, keeping him remote. Just as much as binning his keyboard players ("having keyboards is like pouring glue on top of a song," he once said, which may allude to his Strangling days?) …and just as much as avoiding wearing the colour black. Is that why he dons the tan tassled suede thing? But, lo and behold! What do I spot en route to the bogs? A brand new selection of Hugh Cornwell T-shirts hanging up with the moniker written in same font as The Stranglers. Maybe Hugh wants the comparison after all? And the competition.

Bear Cage is a tough act to beat: a tour de force. Walk On By and Down In The Sewer (…yes!) came incredibly close. The trio's musicianship throughout was superb, fluent… and Sewer was probably the best version I've witnessed by either camp. There I go now, comparing. Whatever… I want more!