The
Stranglers’ first Brighton gig for years – and tonight they make
up for lost time
Brighton
Rocks!
THE PLUSH DOME is pretty much full. The stage is black
and the scene is set as mental instrumental Waltzinblack
counts in the band. On they walk, plug in and play to a
crowd they’ve not played to for quite a few years.
About time - I join the band precisely halfway through
the British tour - Time To Die is top of the shop: it’s
no storming starter – for it twangs and broods away in
metered menace, Meninblack style. Cinema undoubtedly
missed out on a chance for this to soundtrack a Blade
Runner follow-up. Nonetheless, I can’t help regress to
the start of Stranglers In The Night (if you don’t know,
it’s the first Stranglers CD to emerge in the wake of
Hugh’s 1990 departure and track one is Time To Die…) and
wonder at how time has shifted like sands on an ocean’s
bed. Or something like that. It seems only yesterday
when the altered line-up of The Stranglers chartered
through partial obscurity of the so-called wilderness
years (1998’s Coup de Grace being the murkiest) when
just about every co-worker or relative said those
cringing words:
‘The
Stranglers? Are they still going?’
Then there was the semi-return-to-roots sonic wake-up of
Norfolk Coast ( - was that really six years ago?) and
then the sans-Roberts follow-up Suite XVI in 2006 safely
and soundly tuned in to the same route of menace and
melody. Elsewhere, amid a steady plethora of compilation
releases, it’s the festival crowd that have got the old
black magic in recent years, and none more prestigious
than upcoming Glastonbury. Who’d ‘ve thunk it? The
Stranglers must be doing something right. And how many
TV ads feature Stranglers tunes? Only this week, Hovis
have No More Heroes, although the brown bread link is
lost on me. Golden Brown might be less tenuous (burned
toast?) but all the same, the brand name is back in the
frame. The Stranglers. not Hovis! And as a brace of
bright new tracks are tacked onto current compo, Decades
Apart, there’s wind of a new album sometime soon-ish…
But will it be their coup de grace… sorry, I mean, will
it be their last? Who knows? So let’s enjoy the party
while it lasts! At least before anyone dare says:
‘The Stranglers? Are they still going?’
Back to
tonight, cue Go Buddy Go – belting out, picking up the pace punk
‘n’ roll style the very same way it did in my schoolboy bedroom
back in June 1977. It’s been yonks since they played this. Two
songs in at The Dome, and these are tangible milestones in the
bands elastic history, which is testament to their spirit and
tenacity. You’ve only got to see them play. They’re buzzing, and
so are we: I’m with my friend Bez having a good time. The crowd
are not overly animated in general, though. Perhaps you gotta
look cooler in Brighton? Although small pockets of activity
surface later.
Earlier,
I bump into Mr. Warne. He’s in beanie hat and all smiles as he
steps in from the cold into our pre-gig bar. He has that glint
in his eye when he asks if I’m going across the road to watch the show (of
course!) before adding; ‘yeah, I’ll be there too.’ And he
is in fine voice tonight, and is quick to remind us that
Brighton is Dave Greenfield's home town, and even quizzing the
audience for anyone who went to school with him! Some say tonight’s
sound is far better than last night's, although we get the
impression that it wouldn’t do any harm if they tweaked it up
every time. Sleazy also goes down especially well, as does
Strange Little Girl. Noticeably, Retro Rockets is sounding
stronger on each play, producing a valiant feelgood factor that
will doubtlessly permeate throughout the rest of the newies in
the future.
I don’t
think it is the fault of the venue, but Genetix, and Norfolk
Coast to a degree, are a little muddied. But Curfew is nice and
crisp and powerful, slotting into the set seamlessly. Five
Minutes, Something Better Change and Hanging Around are
marvellous, and both Duchess and Nuclear Device get the crowd
singing at the top of their collective voice. I always think
songs like Golden Brown, Skin Deep and Walk On By – and Always
The Sun – are for the tourists although I’m sure the sold-out
Glastonbury mob will love any of these. But tonight’s highlight
is surely Down In The Sewer, reintroduced to the set, and like
Go Buddy Go, it’s a rare live track. As I watch the years
turning back, JJ is incredibly dynamic: moving, creeping,
stretching out the JJ leg-cock like some twenty-something. I
too, am transformed back to youth, while salivating at each
phase and twist of the song. A fantastic addition to the bands
revamped live set.
The party
is over and we’re all going home. For the band, it’s a quick
getaway followed by a day-off from their itinerary. For us, it’s
Time To Dine! It’s been great meeting other fans, none more so
than Edinburgh’s finest ex-pat Griff, over from Aus. So we all
head off post-gig to the ubiquitous Indian to compare notes and
chew the cud, pleased we all made our trip to Brighton.
Strangled
reader Stavros Striligas kindly sent us a link to a review with
images of the Athens gig which was the second of three nights
over in Greece
HERE
Stranglers live: Assembly Hall,
Royal Leamington Spa, 18.12.09
Crass was there…
IT’S
ICY, CHILLY and sunny as both Christmas and eager
Stranglers fans descend on the pretty spa town of
Leamington: the final gig of the year! And we’re in for
an airing of the first new track in… well, yonks!
First
face in the street is Rikki from Glasgow making his way
from car park to hotel, giving us directions in place of
my close-to-combusting sat nav. My old primary school
pal, Bez is alongside me, just like in our old East End
days: it’s his first Stranglers gig, and he won’t be
disappointed. Now unpacked, I make Turbo-shandies (among
other things) the order of the evening as we kick off in
a compact crowd at TJ's Bar. Catching up is easy,
warming up welcome and laughs are plenty before a quick
jog up to the Jug & Jester. Here, it’s rammed, and
totally mad, crammed full of Stranglers fans from far
and wide. Thierry from Belgium is here and in his kilt!
Is it not cold enough up here tonight?! The Meninblack
are blessed with some of the loyalist fans of any band
around, and it is great seeing everyone again. Too many
names to name, so just think ‘everyone’ is here tonight!
At the
J&J, Stranglers CDs skip and splutter over the pub mob
but that doesn’t stop Bez’s sense of surprise at the
devotion these fans bestow while intrigued at the
obsession. After getting rid of my spare ticket, we peel
off to a bar virtually opposite the venue: again it’s
packed out, but it has a great vibe as the jukebox plays
near enough every new wave single in my collection.
Inside the Assembly Hall, it’s fairly plush. We gain a
great vantage point by the desk and suddenly
Waltzinblack booms it’s intro like a clarion call and
Time To Die opens up. The band play as tight as a swan’s
sphincter, although it has to be said that the set is
fairly restrained: but there is one change from the
summer set!
Of
course, The Raven is cool, Who Wants The World quirky
and Straighten Out rousing. Hanging Around is rich and I
sing my heart out. The newie is Retro Rockets, sung by
Baz in a mid-range vocal: it’s short ‘n’ sweet,
impressively punchy, proof of the simplest songs being
the best and a definite thumbs-up on first hearing. I
can’t help being reminded of something else by the time
the chorus kicks in - a tiny guitar solo - and a Dave
Greenfield Mini-Moog doodle, very much in the spirit of
1977, namely Bring On The Nubiles. And if only it was
longer! Anymore newies? No! Cuz I’ve already spotted
‘Retro’ on a set list so it’s already clear it’s the
solitary song unknown to the 99.9% of us tonight.
What
would be the icing on the cake now is an epic from the
back catalogue to add the necessary old black magic
gravitas to our special Christmas piss-up – such as 5
Minutes, Toiler On The Sea… Down In The Sewer even? Or
Just Like Nothing On Earth perhaps? Just imagine
slipping back in time of the old menacing Meninblack for
just a tune, if only for my old school pal to witness
what he’s missed all these years. Highlights of the
night are Death & Night & Blood, Straighten Out, Lost
Control, Who Wants The World and a blazing Curfew. No
More Heroes always sounds amazing as a climactic
explosion. But now turbo-shandies take their toll, so I
opt for mostly water in the post-gig curry where 60-odd
famished fans fill out the gaff to wary looks from
locals and waiters alike, and I repair Rodder’s ripped
set list with some carefully applied gaffer tape
dexterity.
Stranglers tunes once
again pervade – but no longer jumping – and adding to
our ruby experience: the buzz is great – but the meal
isn’t – which apart from the poppadoms, is a bit
disappointing. Nevertheless, fans pull it round;
gentleman PaulinLondon supplies entertainment in the
form of a speech and a (at first) baffling request to be
upstanding to say grace: all together, ‘…bring me a
piece of my mummy, she was quite close to me...!’ to
laughter all around and a raffle to round off our
evening. Next morning we’re sated with a Full English
before we slip off back home to a static motorway,
forcing our four-county detour to double our outward
journey time. A thoroughly pleasurable time is had in
the company of some truly devoted fans. Here’s to the
2010 Decades Apart UK tour which fires up in Glasgow on
26th February and the promise of another new track. Word
is, it’s special… for me, it’s roll on Brighton in
March!
Thierry Ghislain
and Laurence Cruquenaire were there…
Under a
blazing sun – and 28°C - The Stranglers give
us the classics of 5 Minutes and Peaches by
which time there’s an attempt at a
mini-stage invasion by a certain bloke in a
tartan kilt! Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, Always The
Sun, Golden Brown - Walk On By too – as well
as Spectre Of Love plus Unbroken. The MiB
are in fine shape, if a little tired. The
heat? Perhaps. Only the most ardent fans are
here in Holland, and as usual, No More
Heroes brings the show to a close with
Dave’s party piece with the glass, ending a
really good concert. And Jet was there too.
Thank you!
Having been lucky enough to catch the show at Holmfirth
the previous night, expectations here are high… and ably
met! The set is much the same as the previous night
which itself had been a pleasant surprise to those of us
expecting the ‘hits’ set. In an attempt to be as brief
as possible here are the highlights: Musically, the
whole show. But forced to narrow it down, then the best
moment for me is Curfew. Unbroken, Sometimes, The Raven,
Genetix, Death & Night & Blood, Walk On By, Lost
Control, I Hate You and Who Wants The World? complete my
Top 10. Personal highlights: the whole show… but
seriously, bringing Will, my nephew, along making for 3
generations of my family to see The Stranglers live and
also kicking off our summer hols with two Stranglers
gigs.
The Stranglers are on good form, relaxed and performing
tight, with a good rapport with the crowd. Some minor
technical problems with the sound fail to dampen the
bands spirit or crowd enthusiasm. I spare a thought for
the poor sound man though, with steam coming out of his
ears trying to get the balance right on Dave’s keys
(plus he very kindly gifted me the set list from the
desk). Player of the day goes to JJ: not only for his
superb musicianship but also for jumping into the crowd
to the rescue an errant pick from the floor which he had
gifted to a fan. Strangeness of the day goes to the
sticky floor at the rear half of the venue which seems
to be by design rather than as a result of years of
spills! Highlight of the following morning is sharing
experiences of the gigs with the fans in black from
Merthyr Tydfil and Edinburgh (one of whom being the
lucky recipient of JJ’s pick) at breakfast in the
Claremont Hotel.
From Florida’s Daytona
Speedway to Watkin’s Glen,
New York. From Montreal’s
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to
Silverstone in Blighty. And
now Le Mans. Incredibly,
I've been to all these
legendary motor race tracks
with not even the slightest
interest in motor racing!
It’s
Saturday night - this noisy, dusty
venue at the impeccably organised 24
Heure du Mans 2009 marathon sees the
Meninblack headline a cracking gig
to a crowd (behind the racing
grandstands) of well over
(estimated) 20,000 race fans -
temporary distraction from the
monotony of watching the mega-motors
roar. The Stranglers come out with
Jet Black on his rightful
drum-throne, not having played any
of the gruelling Euro leg of the
4240 tour earlier this year as
anyone who knows anything would
know.
Not
sure what the saying is - half the
fun is the journey? - whatever it
is, we have a fab time getting here,
from the drive to Portsmouth to the
5+ hour ferry ride over to Caen/Ouestreham,
the calmest channel crossing ever as
attested by everyone on the boat,
even had a cushy hotel room-like
cabin to pass the time in when not
at the bar, oops, I mean the lounge
- a landlubber like me has no
experience on the sea-lingo matey –
while Toiler On The Sea runs through
my head. Don't know why...
LEFT & CENTRE: Man in black in the
cabin corridor. Familiar, huh?
ABOVE RIGHT: Dave’s bag, unattended
on the ferry while the owner has a
fag on deck
Once
on the continent, an impressive
array of vintage sports and luxury
cars alight the ferry. A show-off in
an egg-yolk yellow Lamborghini makes
sure he tests the disembarking
queue's patience revving up. But
he’s really screaming: LOOK AT ME,
I'M REALLY RICH OR I'M A TWAT OR
SOMETHING. Cars are what it was all
about though, so you can't really
blame him. Le Mans has approximately
250,000 spectators today; the race
is underway we arrive at 9.30 - the
noise is amazing, like a symphony of
loud tigers purring or lions roaring
relentlessly – and the motors are a
spectacular sight. I manage to check
out some souvenir t-shirts – yes,
Steve McQueen on my chest for 40
Euros - but return empty-handed to
the testosterone scented air amid
the relentless cacophony.
The Stranglers
hit the stage to the strains of Waltzinblack,
kicking off with Grip. You can’t help but
marvel at the perfect blending of the noise
of the race cars throughout the entire set,
just the coolest thing I've ever heard at a
Stranglers gig! Here’s the set list… no
point in going on about it: The gig is
fabulous, as always!
Chris Baker was
there on the final night of the tour…
The wizards of Aus!
We arrive at the Roundhouse in University of NSW Campus
in good time following a Chinese feed and a couple of
beers. It’s a typical Sydney autumn day; not too hot,
not too cold. Then, as we park the car, the heavens open
with a vengeance. The resulting scramble to get to the
venue, under cover, and dodging lightning strikes is not
a good start to the proceedings. Still, the merchandise
stall seems to be doing well out of it!
First time here for me - and I’m not over impressed with
the Roundhouse – a bit too village hall! The Forum is
much better. The crowd here looks like 600 to 700 our
group concur; from fans’ children to 50 and 60 year
olds. Just enough time for a quick James Squire Amber
Ale before the lights go down to the familiar strains of
Waltzinblack. I last saw The Stranglers at Sydney’s
Metro back in October 2004 at The Metro when Paul
Roberts made the five-piece up so tonight is the first
time as a four-piece. The chemistry between them is
obvious from the start. The Stranglers are a four piece
band! We take up position to the left of the stage just
in front of the speakers and JJ. They open with a
pulsating Grip (obligatory phone call made to bro’)
followed by a storming 5 Minutes – loud, very loud - the
shock waves from the bass must have damaged some
internal organs.
Baz is a great showman and
looks at ease playing someone else’s songs. Ian plays a
blinder on drums, Dave is Dave and JJ’s bass is massive
– but he’s pre-occupied with a young Japanese girl
standing up against the barrier (as I was too!) The band
are tight and the mix, on the whole, is good. A minor
criticism is the keyboards can be more prominent,
particularly in solos, while the vocals sometimes burst
out at you and get muffled. Sound issues aside, it’s an
amazing gig with both the band and the crowd clearly
enjoying themselves. The only gobbing I can see is done
by Baz (not sure who was copping it at the side of the
stage).
Highlights include Nice ‘n’ Sleazy (with Baz and JJ
doing the walk…), Always The Sun (with the crowd
singalong), Golden Brown (with Baz playing the solo
properly – see video clip below!), The Raven (best live
version heard for yonks), Thrown Away (with the jig, and
what is that all about?), Walk On By (the best of the
show), Hanging Around (and seeing the mosh with 50-60
year old guys and girls pogoing - truly surreal – as
security give up intervening), Nuclear Device (‘Sydney
men stay at home at night…’), and No More Heroes (with
an amazing extended ending). A great set - but where are
Toiler, Sewer or Punch And Judy(?) It’s the most sober
I’ve been at a Stranglers gig because I want to remember
as much as possible… it may very well be the last time I
ever see The Stranglers play, leaving a tinge of sadness
as they have been such a big part of my life for the
last 30 years.
Thanks to
Jeremy for photos/video and to Gary for transport.
Fredib sends us two
reviews of the Paris gig he’s spotted in the French
press: the one on the right is from rock magazine ‘Rock
& Folk’ which incidentally, is edited by none other than
Philippe Manouevre, (fans may recall an incident between
this journalist and a certain bass player involving the
Eiffel Tower and some gaffer tape..?)
In spite of this, it is a good review. By way of
balance, the one from ‘Le Parisian’ below is less
favorable, with the strapline translated as ‘The
Stranglers haven’t aged very well.’ Fortunately, The
Burning Up Times were also there witness to the
Olympia gig where fans went away beaming after the band
put on yet another blisteringly energetic show. Although
Jet didn’t make the gig as planned due to the poor West
Country weather, young stand-in Ian sat in again and hit
the drums harder than ever before, proving what a
formidable live act The Stranglers are. And what little
‘Le Parisian’ knows!
As the band prepare for the dates in Aus, The Burning
Up Times wishes them all the best on the trip, and
look forward to the mooted festival dates across the UK
this summer.
Ont bien mal vielli indeed!
Stranglers live:
the last night of the Eurotour…
Thanks to
Pete Howells for supplying us with these excellent Ghent images
courtesy of Evy Ottermans
Stranglers live:
Paris/Ghent coach trip 5th & 6th February 2009
80-odd fans
went…
Eurobus was getting near!
YOUR EDITOR-IN-BLACK is a last minute sub on the Eurobus
– replacement for someone less fortunate with out of the
blue work commitments. So it’s all aboard for Owen’s
two-day trip across the English Channel to Calais, onto
Paris for the first gig with an overnight hotel stay,
before setting off for the Ghent gig and straight back
to London. Sounds simple doesn’t it? But it doesn’t go
without hitch! The coach’s hydraulic suspension will
dysfunction causing us to lean in the direction of the
next lane of traffic!
‘They were only on a bus for 2 days and it broke down!
We were on a tour bus for 5 weeks, you pussies!’
Baz Warne, Ghent.
Day 1 -
Having missed the planned soiree at PaulinLondon’s the night
before due to my own extended work obligations, I rise at the
unearthly hour of 03.00 the next day to drive to the Boys of
Finchley. Here, Paul’s transport for London sets off in the ice
to the Victoria Station rendezvous for the coach. I make a
mental note to myself to brush up on my French; so what is the
French for ‘rendezvous’..? And soiree, for that matter? Soon,
just under 80 rucksack-wearing MiBs (and the odd WiB) line up on
the steps of the Apollo, ready and waiting.
The
supersize executive double-deck rolls up at 07.00 and sticks on
its air brakes, bouncing about. In we load. Excitement is
escalating as Martin Yellowcake and I take up the back seats of
the top deck and kick back. Allegedly this charabanc is equipped
with tea and coffee making facilities and a toilet. We set off.
Both the Cakester and I sing Heatwave’s classic 1975 hit, Boogie
Nights. Nether of us are quite sure why, but it seems to pass
the time. Out of the smoke, we stop at Maidstone en route to the
ferry. News reaches us of bad weather conditions across the UK,
leaving one Jet Black snowed-in, unable to join the band for the
Paris concert. Mr. and Mrs. Ravenlunatic pile on with Paul B.
Ravenluney has his own icy story:
‘We step out
of our front door at 03.30 to find several inches of snow had
fallen in the last couple of hours and the roads are all but
impassable - always a good start to a 97 mile journey on a tight
schedule - but not to be discouraged by minor details, we set
off and collect Paul B en route (I wonder what the French
equivalent would be? ‘On la way…’?) We embark on a journey from
hell through blizzard conditions until we get near to London
when it turns to rain and we are able to get a move on, but
realising we were not going to make it to Victoria on time, we
arrange to carry on to the Maidstone rendezvous (‘la meeting
place’ as they prefer in Gallic circles) which actually worked
out great: we arrive in plenty of time for the coach – an
executive continental roadliner or heapushitticusinblack to give
it its correct Latin name – to find Crass and Yellowcake keeping
the back seats warm for us. And so in fine company, the
team-in-black’s invasion force set off for foreign shores.'
Martin, and the soon-to-be
legendary Dave+1 – aka Amanda who at this point in time
has not joined the forums – have brought Minky diMonkey
along for the ride who poses for photographs. Yellowcake
and I take a break from singing Heatwave’s classic 1975
hit. I discover to my loss, there are no tea and coffee
making facilities onboard. Sulk.
Dover by night is a right shit-hole, but even worse by
day. The food in the ferry’s food hall is good enough to
eat - which is reaffirming – and a fulsome full-on
English hits the spot, washed down with a couple of
beers and a Smirnoff Ice on the poop deck. Well, you
gotta pace yourself, eh? The breeze is refreshing and
life-affirming energy ripples through my veins as I look
over the side to search out the name of our good ship:
The Herald Of Free… Time for a liquid top-up.
Ravenluney: ‘Knocking back double cognacs in the
ferry bar at 10am is a very agreeable way to spend a
Thursday morning especially as drinking was strictly
banned on the bus. I would like to point out that this
regulation was strictly adhered to at all times, and
that all those bottles and cans rolling about under the
seats were just a few that we all, as keen eco-
mentalists had picked up along the way with the
intention of taking them to the recycling centre.
Probably.’
The hall is burlesque and ornate – and holds
approximately 2,000 people. It’s owned by one of support
band BP Zoom’s dad. Ricky successfully and sneakily
unstaples the one Stranglers poster from the hoarding
just inside the venue – for a security homme to relieve
Rick of his new present. Inside, it’s pretty, very red,
and extremely pricey at the bar with lager at 7€ a pop
and tasting of piss. Bar staff are impervious to our
beery gripes, but I’m cheered up by meeting French fan
Fred and his pal Eric who assure me ‘strangled.co.uk’ is
the best Stranglers site in the world. I cannot argue
with the truth. Fred also claims I’m famous in France –
what for, he never clarifies – but I assume it’s
something to do with the site and PDFs.
Birthday Boy Paul B worries us with talk of sex-lips…
less said, the better. Around midday, we arrive at the
tiny and picturesque fishing village of Calais where a
steady stream of pretty cash ‘n’ carry depots line the
route to the 3-star Hotel Franklin at Montreuil de Bois
late afternoon. I check out the shower and arrange my
toiletries to find I’ve left my hair care products at
home while room-sharer Rodders prepares us a nice
Southern Comfort in a carton of orange. What’s the
French for en masse..? Anyway - loads of us pile into
the bar around the corner once we realise the hotel
tariff is for millionaires and lottery winners only,
allowing us to practise our second tongue on the locals
to no effect. Lucky they understand our special needs.
The beverage-free coach takes us to the Olympia venue,
cleverly navigating away from the quickest roads to opt
for traffic-griddled mayhem. At least we arrive before
the lights go out and the band go home.
The floor is bouncy and slopey - not dissimilar to our
dreaded and fated bus ride later on. The gig itself is
once more, superlative and perfectly executed, as
always. You cannot fault The Stranglers, having seen
them play four brilliant UK gigs in the autumn I am
still amazed how they manage it. A McManiac (John) in a
kilt joins the band for Heroes, sporran a-flying. When
he returns to his crowd place, I thank him for the
crack… the laughter he provided us with, that is.
Apres-gig, fifteen of us pile into a pizzeria opposite
as staff swiftly shift tables to suit our needs, which
are clearly special needs, as they no doubt discover.
Our discussions take us along the lines of; so who’s the
best looking bird on the box? My Carol Vorderman fails
to dominate the countdown, whereas Paul B’s Victoria
Principle proposal wins almost hands down (trousers). My
Napolitaine is superb; the best pizza this side of
Sardinia.
After, several cabs take us back to our suburban hotel.
Our cab stops and checks his map every 10 minutes - with
the meter still running – and once at our destination -
we pay up, less stoppages. We alight while I suggest Joe
Le Twat might wish to discuss this at greater lengths in
a more British fashion, by kindly adopting the
Queensbury Rules. We’re not the only ones. Ravenluney is
scuppered by his own taxing tale:
‘It’s a very
fine post-gig pizza in the very fine company of Blackbeered,
Gizz, Crass, Yellowcake, PiL, Saminblack, Pigeon AdrianA, Michel
- plus birthday boy Paul B – who gets increasingly louder as the
evening continues, until we engage the services of a trio of
taxis manned by drivers for whom the Paris road system appears
something of a new and mysterious challenge - and whose tariff
system or ‘mortgage agreement’ is nothing, if not optimistic!’
Back at
the hotel around 02.00 I check the room for any sign of Rodders
after I hear he’s in pain during the gig due to a pleural
condition. Or maybe it’s a plural condition, like, he wants more
booze? I open the door find an unexpected empty room – but more
importantly, there’s an empty bed with my name on it. Zzzzzzzzzz.
Ghost-like Rodders arrives in the middle of the night following
some liquid self-medication but I fall back to sleep mid-chat.
Next morning I wake in a fright – but in the nick of time - to
devour a scrummy Continental breakfast downstairs with the
Ravenlunies with copious cups of coffee. I forgot how much I
like croissants. Aaah, human again.
Day 2 - After an emergency mission
to the supermarche opposite for replacement hair care products,
I prepare for our lunchtime excursion to the Pompidou Centre
where we all re-enact the famous Euroman Cometh stance on the
sleeve a la Burnel. Locals look on typically nonplussed. Do we
give a fart? After the blizzards back in Blighty, we’re enjoying
the luxury of 10 degrees in the sunshine and Seine-side lagers.
But on the metro, I get my foot ensnared briefly in the lethal
weapon of a full-length exit turnstile when my ‘billet’ fails to
open the correct side. Luckily, I have Amanda to liberate me
from my Parisian hell to make my escape to the platform for
connecting trains. So far, so good…
Back on
the bus – this time for the Belgium date. Yellowcake and I
continue our rendition of Heatwave’s classic 1975 hit, Boogie
Nights – and still we’re none wiser why we’re doing this - but
it really does seem to pass the time. It has to be said though,
that this is the biggest larf ever. However, it’s not long
before the coach driver makes an announcement concerning the
fullness of the chemical toilet downstairs, at the very point we
need a piss. We have to stop at a recognised depository, and not
just any old roadside hole in the ground. This is France, after
all. Not Essex. So we pull into a nearby lay-by to discover
firstly, we’re not allowed outside for fags. And there’s no
aroma of 82 samples of waste – nor the welcome splashing noise
of chemical bog fluid. Something is up. Or down, at least, on
one side of the coach: we discover the hydraulic suspension on
the nearside has collapsed, accounting for the leaning angle
we’ve noticed, but answered away by the booze. Chins are
scratched and the announcement over the Tannoy confirms we are
fucked. But we drive off, and stop in the next lay-by. I
overhear a fellow MiB diagnosing the problem as bags are moved
from the hold. ‘It’s the airbag… on the hydraulics gone … you’re
lucky though as the makers are actually based in Ghent.’
And lucky
it’s a Friday night. Twenty miles from Ghent. One and a half
hours from band time. More chins are scratched as the bus is
viewed from every angle possible. We even thought about Google
Earth-ing it. And yes – it really is leaning to one side. So I
text Jamie Organ Grinder back in Blighty who breaks the news to
the forums. It’s dramatic to say the least! Will we – or won’t
we – get to see The Stranglers in Ghent? Jamie texts back to say
this is as exciting as ITN, and he didn’t mean the In The Night
album! I then text both Dom and my wife, fearing that in our
present predicament, we could find ourselves being forced to eat
each other on the bus. I know – can you imagine eating a real
live Pigeon?! But then, suddenly, an executive decision is taken
for our executive coach (with no tea or coffee making facilities
or fully functional chemical toilet) to carry on regardless,
while the coachmen move the luggage over to the other side.
Similarly inside the bus, all the fat bastards have to sit on
the left, and all the emaciated lightweights on the right. Of
course, it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever, but it’s
the thought that counts. Yellowcake wonders why no one was
overtaking us: ‘The bastards couldn’t get past us we’re leaning
to one side so much…’
PaulinLondon
announces over the Tannoy some important information about famous
Belgium chocolates – and where to purchase those modelled on the male
appendage and what size they come in - at a time when some travellers
were envisaging the whole coach crashing into a building or something
and having to sing several choruses of ‘We are the Self-Preservation
Society…’ to get us through our likely predicament. We chug along –
inclining all the way - and next thing, we’re travelling along the
cobblestones of Ghent. It’s very pretty here, and as we travel alongside
a twinkling canal, Martin points out a pissoir – this open, yes - open -
portaloo of glass and steel perched in the street. Nice of Ghent Town
Council to put ‘Ghent’ on it to differentiate it from ‘Lhadies’, I
thought. Then, I spot the same canal again. The same boats. The same
pissoir. I’d guess the coach driver is lost but Ravenluney has other
ideas:
‘One of the
nice things about the journey was that if you were inattentive
enough to miss anything, then the drivers were kind enough to do
several circuits of pretty much everywhere and approach any
given destination from several different angles rather than the
more commonplace method that I have experienced before where you
simply arrive somewhere and get off the bus.’
We
eventually snake our way out of the narrow cobbled roads and
kerbs to pull up close to the venue. Here we catch up with Nick
and Doug who have trekked 400 miles from Sheffield via
Kidderminster to Ghent, and only catch traffic just outside
Ghent. Probably us in the bus? In we go. If last night’s venue
was grand – this beats it. Palatial, I’d say. We go in with less
than an hour before Grip to find Az and his beautiful new
fiancée at the merch stall - and a giant queue for the bar! You
have to purchase drink tokens – or drankgettones – before you
can order your drink. It’s Braintree Rocks 2006 all over again!
But tonight it’s worth the wait – as the Pils tastes great at
just under 2 Euros!
The
barmaids are nice too. The locals are really friendly – and
readily come up and chat about The Stranglers. We all like this
place – and the women too. Grip does the honours and opens up,
as per usual, and ends on an almighty stage invasion. It’s
banged out with 1,000 punters before it’s back on the bus,
across the ferry (behind the band’s bus, no less!) on to a
blizzard-like Saturday morning Victoria Station at 06.45, a
quick coffee and a 30p piss before black cabs take us back to
PaulinLondon’s, the scene of the start of our crimes. Despite
the breakdown that threatened our second gig, it has to be said
Owen’s coach trip was hugely successful and well-received by
all. Personally, I found myself to be extremely witty and
immensely good company to be with – as were my fellow coach
buddies-in-black. In truth, I made some fantastic new pals and
had the most amazing time. Ravenluney sums up:
‘Both the
Paris and Ghent venues were brilliant, with the acoustics
particularly good at The Olympia I thought, and a very
interesting bouncy floor that I found quite invigorating. At 7
quid a pint it was no surprise to find a notable lack of beer
being thrown around. Nice to meet up with a very good showing of
independently travelling forumites at both gigs. The band were
on fire, and as tight as a canard’s derrier, and put on maybe
the best performance I have ever seen from them, looking and
sounding so fresh and energetic that as several of us discussed
later, rather than looking like the twilight years, you could
see them going on for a very long time yet!’
Big thanks to organiser Owen and all
who sailed and survived!
Stranglers live: De
Handelsbeurs, Ghent, Belgium 06.02.09
Mark Van Dongen was
there…
The Final
Frontier!
The Stranglers’
European tour ends in Flanders at Ghent’s one-time stock exchange. This
is my second visit to the place after Hugh Cornwell’s gig here three
years ago. The major difference this time round is that the gig is sold
out, whereas Hugh’s gig had about 150 people in the audience. I am here
with my mate Mike who got to see the boys play in Bracknell Sports
Centre in 1978 – a fact I am quite envious about. Mind you, I don’t
suppose they would have let a 6 year old in then, would they? I manage
to get hold of a great new T-shirt with all the album sleeves on it and
a tour programme. I’m delighted the first band in the booklet to
acknowledge their love for The Stranglers are The Kaiser Chiefs (I keep
telling my English students they have a very similar style).
Mike and I are
happily downing our Duvels (yep, beer which is called ‘The Devil’, can’t
be bad, can it?), when we get chatting to some fans who are on the 2-day
coach trip from Britain. We are assured the band is in fine form, which
is more than can be said for the coach these guys are on. Apparently it
broke down a million times between Paris and Ghent. Scenes much like the
ending of the Italian Job are described to us as the coach needed
balancing (?) because of suspension problems – anyway here endeth my
technical explanation of the machinations of a coach!
The magical tones
of Waltzinblack drift through the 600-capacity arena and we’re off! Grip
gets proceedings underway. The set speeds along at a relentless rate.
Nice ‘n’ Sleazy has JJ and Baz menacingly glare at the crowd. It is also
during this number that we have the first of many stage invasions.
Especially the bloke in a tartan kilt who gives us a little jig is very
amusing. Baz is perplexed: ‘I don’t know what the fuck they put in the
water here!’
Peaches has
‘there are worse places to be - like being stuck on a fucking tour bus
for 5 weeks’ interjected into the song. The tour bus theme later returns
when Baz is talking about the 82 Brits who are on the second night of a
two day trip to see the meninblack:
‘They were only
on a bus for 2 days and it broke down! We were on a tour bus for 5 weeks
you pussies!’
My personal
highlights are The Raven and Thrown Away both of which I get to hear
live for the first time. JJ and Baz provide a hilarious dance during
Thrown Away – two new candidates for next year’s Strictly? I think not!
The set also includes a rare outing for No Mercy, while the first two
encores are Nuclear Device (Wizard of Aus) (in practice for next month’s
Australian tour maybe?) and Something Better Change again a first live
performance for me. Baz gives everyone involved a big thank you before
No More Heroes leaves the audience breathless, in awe, pumped up - and
sad the tour has come to an end. Here’s hoping the new album will be out
sooner rather than later – obviously accompanied by another world tour!
Stranglers live: Rolling Stone, Milan, Italy 24.01.09
With daytime Milan the
scene of a mass demonstration and traffic at a
standstill, I wonder if tonight’s Stranglers gig will be
a washout. With tensions at a high as the far right
government and the right of centre local Mayor clamping
down on dissent and squatters – in a place where
Mussolini was strung up – it’s a politically active
volcano here. Thankfully the demo passes without
incident and I meet up with friends outside the venue.
I
hadn’t planned being here originally, but half the
people I know in Milan are going, so my friend Tiberio
made the call. And tonight it’s f-f-freezing! Just like
England. With tickets in hand, in we go, just as they
start. The Rolling Stone is great - a bit like the Chalk
Farm’s Roundhouse in the 1970's only shinier and cleaner
- a bit like a spaceship - I like it. The sound is clear
and fine but it not loud. This is probably a good thing
if you like to sit and listen – allowing me to chat in
broken English/Italian to my Milanese friends without
shouting. It’s quieter than expected, though. Peaches
triggers memories and takes me back to the days of
discovering another way to dance, other than pogo-ing.
Nice ‘n’ Sleazy sounds pretty tight and Skin Deep is
good. Next – one of my faves - Always The Sun which
sparks interaction from the crowd as almost everyone
joins in on the chorus. It’s also one of the songs that
swirls around my head when I wake up the next morning.
Strange Little Girl follows, Golden Brown too. Again,
it’s so crisp-sounding, like you’re listening to the
record, and better than I expected. Everyone sways (me
included) in a giddy, child-like way and I realise now
that I know and rather enjoy so many of these Stranglers
songs. I’m also thinking I don't have any Stranglers
songs on my iPod – and that Something Better Change!
I
like a cover version when something new is brought to it
- and Walk On By certainly does that. By now the
audience are warmed up and reacting to JJ and Baz
mucking about onstage. Hanging Around kicks it all into
another gear - great stuff. And then All The Day & All
Of The Night: it’s well delivered and I am also a big
admirer of The Kinks’ songs from this era. Something
Better Change and No More Heroes deliver some more
memories from my early punk clubbing days in
Birmingham's Barbarella's night spot.
My Milanese chums who are of a similar age to me are
also very happy because many bumped into old friends,
some they hadn't seen for 15 years or so. The Stranglers
bring people together - who'd have thought you could say
that about The Stranglers! Afterwards, I find my fave
bar - Surfer's Den - where they play punk with Captain
Sensible’s signed surf board looks down from above the
bar. More fun but my lift has to leave at 1am as I feel
the effects of a heavy cold coming, sppressed up until
now with mind power. The I get dropped off in the wrong
place - but it’s okay as this is my 5th visit in a year
and I know how to get home to my borrowed flat. I walk
past the 200 strong hardcore remnants of the demo who
noisily party to live music - watched by bored
carabinieri. I contemplate a look - a mingle… but it’s
too f-f-freezing. Time for bed. Ciao.
Stranglers live: Columbia
Club,
Berlin, Germany
17.01.09
Stephen Baker was
there…
Berlin Wall… of sound!
The eighth date of The Stranglers 2009 Continental
Blitzkrieg brings them to Berlin - the capital of the
now unified Germany. Walking around the city centre
today, it’s hard to imagine that nearly 64 years ago it
was witness to the last stand of Hitler’s Third Reich,
as the men from the Steppes delivered the genesis of
their Cold War vacuum.
First impressions of the Columbia Club are at odds: this
strange venue sits on the perimeters of Tempelhof
airport - with no bars, no restaurants and no shops
nearby. But visions of an empty venue are soon quelled
as The Stranglers take the stage – it’s a packed gig and
possibly a sell-out.
Start time is a little later than what we are used to in
the UK, and once Waltzinblack fades, the band tear
straight into Grip and 5 Minutes follows - no band has
an opening salvo like this. The power of their
performance is breathtaking. One thing that has been
said of late on recent tours, is that the band are
enjoying playing live again: the smiles and nods to each
other and the audience all throughout the gig confirms
this.
The main set itself is identical to the UK your - with
highlights being Nice ‘n’ Sleazy - JJ's bass is so loud
on this it hits you straight in the stomach - The Raven
– with JJ’s outstanding bass and vocals, Dave’s complex
and ornate synth runs, Baz’s piercing guitar lines and
Ian’s solid, no-frills drumming - Thrown Away – complete
with the now legendary JJ and Baz jig at the start –
plus a rejuvenated Toiler back in the set as one of the
encores - with Baz spitting out the lyrics with relish.
As is customary now, Heroes ends the gig and the band
depart the stage to massive applause, and ready to take
their tour of enlightenment to Warsaw the following
night.
It has to be said that The Stranglers have nothing to
fear from the rumoured big name support slot in 2010 –
it’s the headliners that should feel very afraid, as on
their present form, no other band could follow this
amazing Stranglers performance.
Stranglers live: a
snowy whistle-stop tour of Norway and Sweden.
Owen Carne reports
Saturday
17th January 2009
Jumping Jacques Flash!
The Stranglers in full flight, Stockholm 2009
Låt
mig berätta om Sverige!
This
being my first trip to Scandinavia gave some cause for concern:
opting for gigs in Oslo, Gothenburg and Stockholm and travelling
by car – I’d totally ignored the fact that the elements may
present some problems – and this is the middle of the Nordic
winter, don’t forget! But once in Norway, fears melted away
despite some white stuff on the ground. First stop – Sentrum
Scene…
The Stranglers: Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway 09.01.09
It’s a big venue (1200 capacity) with only 30-odd here
an hour before stage time. Found out that locals go out
right at the last minute as alcohol is so expensive!
When the band hit the stage, there’s more like 700.
Slipping into the now familiar set - with Ian behind the
kit – they go down well. Audience response is great -
which seems to surprise Baz in particular.
The first deviation in the set comes in the final song
prior to the encores - Tank is dropped for Toiler – and
European Female heads the encores. Az has a busy night
on the merch stall. Chatting to the band afterwards,
it’s clear spirits are high, especially with the crowd
response. Comments are made that Toiler is in the wrong
place – despite it maybe the one and only time it‘s
aired on this tour. Now for a couple of hundred snowy
miles drive to Gothenburg.
The Stranglers:
Trädgår´n, Gothenburg, Sweden 10.01.09
It’s a slightly
smaller venue, but still sparsely attended early on; advance sales of
about a couple of hundred so far. Just before stage time, it fills to
around 400 with some familiar travelling Brits in attendance. Baz
invites the audience to ‘sing with The Stranglers’ in Always The Sun –
but ends up slightly disappointed at crowd participation – and mouths to
JJ ‘shite!’ at their efforts. The set changes slightly again tonight
with Tank back in its usual spot. I assume Toiler dropped - but it’s the
first encore tonight. Once again, Ian plays great during a great gig
with his confident performance on show with added embellishments of his
own - like in Walk On By. Lots of smiles from the band - plus plenty of
good natured banter with the Swedes. Now, more driving in the gloom to
Stockholm.
The Stranglers: Berns, Stockholm,
Sweden 11.01.09
Wow - what a venue!
This old ballroom is part of a hotel-bar-restaurant, ornately decorated
with plenty of murals, paintings, gold leaf and huge chandeliers. Chairs
and tables are arranged in the rear third… will the band look a little
out of place tonight? Support act are local nutters with tight masks
over their heads playing sub-Ramones stuff. There’s no gap between the
barriers and stage so getting down the front of the curved stage leads
to a very intimate feel to the proceedings. JJ and Baz come right to the
front and sniffed at the front row in Sleazy. Toiler is dropped and we
get a three song encore. One Swedish guy shouts for Sweden, but it
remains unplayed. With a late (or early) ferry that night to Finland –
the band plan a night out sampling Stockholm’s delights - I retire early
to bed in time for the 400 mile journey back to the airport. A thousand
miles in four days – three great gigs - and two more countries visited.
Not long to wait for the coach trip now.
Stranglers live: see the
best reviews and images from the UK tour!
Stranglers live: Shepherd’s Bush Empire 14th & 15th
November 2008
It’s the
end of the road - Gary Kent reports…
That old black
magic is back…
THE CLIMAX of The
Stranglers’ Hits Tour comes with a brace of gigs
over west London – with talk of this being the
last UK tour ever. Yet at Shepherd’s Bush they
deliver the goods again, providing proof
positive beyond any doubt whatsoever what they
are capable of: powerful, high-performance
melodic menace-in-black. Surely they can’t be
satisfied with the odd gig here and there now?
Over two sold-out
nights they impress with bracing presentation,
sheer stamina and inevitable staying power (in
their 34th year, kids!) and who can forget their
greatest hits from their rock ‘n’ roll
rollercoaster career: Grip, Peaches, Something
Better Change, Heroes, 5 Minutes, Nice ‘n’
Sleazy, Walk On By, Duchess... yes – all the
hits and more. But this twenty-five date Hits
Tour is different: The Stranglers have stumbled
upon their mojo - and they’re clearly lovin’ it.
Just when you
think in your wildest of nightmares The
Stranglers might be considering a rummage around
for the pipe and slippers, they dust off their
Dorian Greys and blow away bands half their age
– all this alongside two return-to-form studio
albums, Norfolk Coast and Suite XVI. Not only
that, but they survive a shift in front man
personnel in between. As Stranglers fans will
testify, the chemistry gels perfectly thanks
largely to big Baz Warne who brings his giant
charisma and humour (and song writing) to the
mic spot. The exciting twist is when new blood
come to watch them for the first time and
realise just what a passionate band with balls
sounds like live – and how. The Hits Tour
reviews are in superlative overload – as these
very pages portray…
Stranglers live:
sonically astonishing - visually astounding…
Having already
caught them play twice this tour, the Bush
nights did not disappoint: on Friday, Who Wants
The World? gets another airing as it’s
crow-barred into the set. My lofty Level 2
vantage point (England U-21 manager Stuart
Pierce is here) enables me to imbibe the
beer-splashed ambience beneath as I quietly
immerse headlong into Dave Greenfield’s amazing
keyboard ambidexterity and wizardry. His
brilliant right hand arpeggios are flawless
while his other hand cuts across with split
second timing to flick another synth (that
buzzing note in 5 Minutes, Sleazy and Thrown
Away) before darting back in time to make the
middle keyboard in front of him. Shame my
studious perusing fails to detect the conniving
pickpockets at work down the front as forty-one
fans report stolen phones and wallets, according
to Baz during the next night: “Beware, there
are cunts about.”
Saturday – it’s
back to Ground Zero: here I squash up against a
packed mosh (met DJ Goldie’s bro’ en route) for
some front line action – but with my pockets
closely guarded. Like you might expect from a
band at the nadir of musicianship, they are
sonically astonishing and visually astounding.
Playing is animated and they display telltale
signs of being thoroughly ‘into it’ and blooming
under the pink and red lights of their backdrop
of LP sleeves; and you’d never guess they’re
suffering: according to a cheery Mrs. Jet Black,
pre-gig in The Green pub, the band are, or have
been, ill.
Dave might have
coughed and choked on his Bacardi and Coke
during the solo in Heroes and Baz’s voice might
have cracked close to the end, but their
powerhouse performance is nothing short of
brilliant. Ten out of ten. JJ and Baz dance the
Thrown Away intro, scorecards for Golden Brown
too. And the ‘back from the dead – Jet Black’
quote. Amazing JJ told me Jet was planning to
start the tour – and he ends up steaming through
every gig right to the end. But at the encores
just before Something Better Change, I see
something: JJ speaks to Baz. I turn to Baz and
lip read something on the lines of: ‘I’m not
doing Sewer…’ Instead, they end on Heroes – plus
a rousing curtain call to end all gigs. Both
nights became a tribal gathering with faces from
far and wide, and camaraderie is further
deepened pre, peri and post-gig the
aforementioned Green and O’Neill’s – and Paul’s
later on where we bed down for the two nights
once we’ve drunkenly played out our acoustic
guitars into the small hours. Earlier, top
Sheffield tribute act Straighten Out make it
three gigs in two days with a Saturday matinee
at the tiny toilet venue – Ginglik – where they
blow away 150-odd punters with their circa 77-79
set as one pal declares: it’s the best fun in a
loo for a fiver he’s ever had!
Shepherd’s Bush
2008 was the best weekend I have ever had -
fact. After the pathetic pick pockets come away
with their cache of cameras and cash, us fans
are left with an enduring memory of being
somewhere where something truly magical and
unforgettable took place – and you can’t take
that away. My first memory was Battersea in
1978. My best memory is here – three decades on
- long may The Stranglers continue, I say.
Forever and ever, forever endeavour…
Waltzinblack & Grip
HERE
Stranglers curtain call
HERE
JJ and Baz get naked
HERE
Butt… they’ve done it before!
HERE
Stranglers live: Crass goes to Southend - or is
it Westcliff? 11.11.08
A-sides and B-sides
at
the seaside…
For my inaugural
voyage to the Cliff’s Pavilion – should have
been my second this week had my Weller tickets
arrived in time – my journey’s end is met
with a crimson sun melting into the Thames
Estuary. The haughty Art Deco venue resembles a
run aground ocean liner – built by a toddler -
and bedecked with posters of the Chuckle
Brothers: there are chuckling brothers gawping
at me from all directions. As coldness and
darkness descend and distant pier lights
flicker, the pavilion is soon awash with the
night crew: day-tripping Stranglers fans and
lots of inquisitive locals.
Inside, it’s a
coke for guest Tracey (at her first Stranglers
gig) and ciders for me and my pal Brian, who’s
yet to witness the quartet format in action
following the Rat’s Rally gig all those years
back. These two are in for a surprise – and so
am I – as the band walk on minus their customary
Waltzinblack intro. ‘The machine’s fucked!’
explains Baz in his customary vernacular. Or
perhaps in response to today’s two minutes
Armistice Day silence? Suddenly the hiatus is
interrupted by Grip’s familiar synth - business
as usual.
Baz: ‘Is it Westcliffe – or Souffend? Souffend –
or Westcliff?’
It’s full steam
ahead on the 4240 Greatest Hits spectacle, 5
Minutes, Peaches and Sleazy are met warmly and
politely, but Spectre gets the crowd in motion,
but only a little: the crowd look intrigued but
not inspired. The slow numbers get them vocal –
provincial towns are hard to get going anyway -
but it’s the mid-set Raven that warms the
cockles of the heart and opens a deep and dark
side to the familiar tunes: cool and
note-perfect, it sets the scene and raises the
bar. Southend now know what they’ve been
missing. Close to the front, I stand motionless
myself - to scrutinize the band: Dave focused,
with charcoal grey shadows of his left hand on
the white screen behind; Baz riffing, smiling,
grinning, gurning; JJ sidestepping, leg-cocking,
plucking at his Shuker bass, throbbing, probing;
Jet, facing me, muscling down the beat with two
tiny sticks in his big white hands – and the
final coda comes with a nod from JJ to Dave for
the synth washes to engulf and end the epic
track in synchrony.
SOUTHEND 11.11.08
GRIP
5 MINS
PEACHES
SLEAZY
SPECTRE
SKIN
MERCY
SUN
SLUG
GOLDEN
RAVEN
THROWN
WALK
HANGING
STRAIGHTEN
BIG
ALL DAY
DUCHESS
TANK
NUKE
SOMETHING
HEROES
Live fave Walk On By is
mesmeric, as is Thrown Away – but no dosey-does from the
front men – although Baz is up for it as he takes a step
forward, for wallflower JJ to decline. He mouths:
‘I’m not doing it!’ No score cards either for Baz’s
Golden Brown solo. But as far the mood onstage goes –
it’s good. Loads of visible interaction between the band
– nods and winks between Jet and JJ, Baz and Jet… in
fact, Jet smiles almost as much as Dave, and that’s
something that’s hard to beat. I must stop thinking
about the Chuckle Brothers… Support oddities, Starbase
109, get name checked in All Day & All Of The Night -
and Dave changes the keyboard line to match their modus
electronica.
One of the many highlights
is Duchess – and with the final chord ringing out –
straight into a mighty Tank. Absolutely awesome – and
the seaside crowd finally catch up and go mental for the
final fathom with animation at its nadir for last track
No More Heroes.
Back outside in the cold
coastal air, consensus says The Stranglers played
another blinder - despite no news of this latest CD
compilation release. Still, these live reviews are all
unanimously superlative. Even when there aren’t any
surprise bonus additions to the set like tonight. My
prediction is they are saving Toiler and Sewer for
Friday and Saturday’s gigs in the capital. Discussion
turns to tonight’s Pavilion sound: guitar level
struggled throughout and the whole band could have been
louder. However, Weller gig feedback from Saturday is
that he never sounded better. Tonight, it’s the only gig
I’ve been to where my ears don’t ring afterwards. Or I’m
now deaf! Although there’s nothing wrong with the aural
ability of my two guests. Both are extremely impressed:
temperate Tracey loved it and merry Brian is blown away,
wishing he could make Shepherd’s Bush with me on Friday
and Saturday.
Stranglers
live:
Paul
Cooklin’s at Lincoln, 06.11.08
Return ticket…
We approach the wonderful setting of tonight’s venue
straddling the shores of Lincoln’s Brayford Pool and I
take my mind back to the last Stranglers concert here -
Friday 28th September 2007: I travelled up with Crass
and had a great evening with him too, alongside
Yellowcake, Gizzard, 50 Millionwatches, Ladp, The
Strangler, Homme en Noir and brief hellos with
ThruBeingCool and Helgy. And that night onstage, the
band excelled themselves – and I am left wondering how
they can even begin to better that show.
Tonight, I am in the equally fantastic company of
Rodders, Ice Cube and Adrian. With an average age of 44,
we are full of excitement and expectation. Parking very
close to the venue, we head for pre-gig drinks at The
Royal William (have one too many in here and you risk
walking out and straight into the Brayford!) We are soon
joined by Mr. & Mrs. Helgy, Fendale, Mr. & Mrs. Leskei,
Eddy Burnel Deux and The Real One. There is a unanimous
view that we wish to catch surreal support act, Starbase
109, so drinks are downed and drained pretty fast before
making for the excellent confines of the Engine Shed. A
brisk walk across the wooden bridge and we are into the
heaving venue. Wow - it was not this full the last time
the band played here. The queues for drinks at the
vastly wide bar are deep and there’s a buzz in the air.
Like before, there are plenty of Stranglers T-shirts
from over the years, worn by people with grey hair, all
of whom plainly relish the prospect of seeing Jet, Jean
Jacques, Dave and Baz. Other elements of the crowd are
made up of a multitude of students, lovers in their late
thirties, early forties and those in their mid-fifties
who would never dream of wearing black. That said - the
vibe of expectation is enormous – and we are not let
down.
Waltzinblack pumps out the PA as the band pounce onto
the stage, letting Lincoln know that they have arrived.
Burnel is walking the stage like he used to in the
1980s: a shuffle here, a shuffle there, a raise of the
leg and then the dart to the microphone to lend weight
to the chorus. These are Burnel movements we have not
seen since the departure of Mr. Roberts. Even Baz is
getting down low and checking out the crowd. There is a
serious sneer and an analytical approach in their manner
and movement – to prepare us for Down in the Sewer
perchance?
The
show goes all too quickly. The songs are played with
total feeling and perfection. My personal best tracks
tonight are The Raven, Walk On By and No Mercy. Jet
plays so well and he is so well received by the crowd
and Dave’s constant smile speaks volumes. One can only
presume that The Stranglers are enjoying every concert
of this length and breadth tour of the UK and Ireland.
Outside, I regroup with Rodders, Ice Cube and Adrian
amid all the other smiling people exiting the hall.
Students walk past with a ‘they were fantastic.’ A
fleeting chance to say hello to ThrubeingCool before we
board the automobile to say fond adieu to Lincoln. This
was yet another excellent Stranglers performance at The
Engine Shed. Have no doubt, The Meninblack are on track
and hopefully heading your way.
It’s a wonderful night - at a great old venue. But there
are several new twists at Glasgow tonight: instead of
the band coming on to the strains of Waltzinblack -
accordion player Jock the Box plays it instead! Or is it
a squeezebox? He’s the guy who did the same in Bruge on
the acoustic tour (he’s on the live CD Meninblackinbruge
– and seen in the flesh here - see below) and he really
gets into it, going to town in his own special way. Then
a topless woman sitting on someone’s shoulders gave the
band an eyeful of her jugs flopping about to the beat –
with every guy within arms reach groping her – and she
didn’t seem to mind.
Then this Spiderman guy
suddenly appears on a speaker stack - Baz yells out
something like; well what are you gonna do now…? For the
audience to start chanting; jump – jump – jump… Very
entertaining! But then the poor guy is hauled down and
dragged away (and maybe the shit beat out of him by the
cops?)
There’s a couple having a grope in the crowd too – and
the gig is pretty awesome as well! Very loud, and very
wild. And the audience go crazy at the encore - when Baz
and JJ appear in kilts!!! And Baz declares he’s going
commando – spins round – and moons to the crowd!
Hilarious!
With this tour more than half done – I urge all to make
at least one date – as the people here tonight from the
likes of Florida and Japan. All in all, I rate tonight’s
gig a 10 out of 10.
Rodders, Greg and me park
up in Bristol at 7pm and make our way to The Hatchet pub
where there are familiar faces: Owen, Graham and
50million – the Strangler too – then NMH1965, with
daughter in tow. At the venue, we gain advantage right
down in front of the stage and Starbase 109 come on, by
which time it’s a quarter full. The looks on people’s
faces are something to behold. I enjoy them, although
the novelty wears after seeing them last night. They
still get a decent reception – particularly when they
announce their last song! The stage is not as deep as
Reading so the steps up to Jet and Dave are missing, but
the icons either side are the same. At 9.15 the lights
dim to make way for Waltzinblack – the hall is full, and
The Stranglers come on to a mighty roar with a
blistering Grip.
I watch JJ intensely: he
is really on form tonight, and his Shuker sound is just
unbelievable – indescribable in fact! Hear what I mean
when you get there early and get down to the front
barrier. It’s truly exceptional. And years back, JJ
spent the best parts of gigs not that animated. But here
on this tour he is, and more so with every gig: he jumps
and shuffles and plays standing on one leg – its
wonderful watching him in action.
I
don’t think I’ve ever seen Dave smile so much, while Baz
gets better (is that possible?) with each gig. His voice
is as strong as ever.
And lastly, what can you
say about Jet that hasn’t already been said? - apart
from being an inspiration to us all. As Rodders says;
there is a spring in his step as he gets behind his drum
kit. I study him too during Walk On By and it’s
literally poetry in motion, vigorously pounding the
skins in the middle section – and I’m running out of
words to describe Jet.
These are the highlights: a stunning version of 5
Minutes – Spectre, Sleazy and Peaches. The only lull (if
you can call it that?) is Always The Sun, Golden Brown
and Strange Little Girl – although
Always The Sun is going
down very well on this tour, while it gives old farts
like us the chance to catch our breath before the
up-tempo ones kick in! With the gig over too quickly –
we say our goodbyes – and look forward to the next
night. Bristol is always a good gig and tonight is no
exception.
After looking forward to Reading for weeks, I start off
in the Purple Turtle to put faces to the names of forum
members - Claire, Gizzard, Ravenlunatic, PaulB, Rodders,
the Strangler and NMH1965 (Ian). Inside the Hexagon I
skip the support band to chat with NMH1965 in the bar.
The stage has a curtain in front similar to the 10 Tour.
The lights go down, Waltzinblack starts up and the
curtain drops to reveal a light grey stage whereupon the
band come on and start the show with Grip. Sound is good
and lighting and projection works well. Four songs in -
Sleazy – and Baz breaks a string. Mikey the guitar tech
races round the back (although it’s quicker had he cut
across the front) with Baz’s back up guitar to swap –
but that doesn’t work either. Baz gestures back for
Mikey to do some fiddling, but still and nothing! As
Dave’s keyboard frenzy kicks in, Baz takes off his
guitar and dances around the stage! By the final verse,
Baz gets his guitar – now fixed: he takes everything in
his stride. The whole gig is really good - especially
The Raven and Dave’s outro sounding most excellent. Jet
plays really well – it’s good to see him behind the
drums.
For the first encore, JJ plays a few notes of Sewer, and
looks across to Baz and Dave. I get the impression it’s
a ‘you up for it..?’ but it’s not to be as Dave launches
into Nuke. Before we know it, that’s it, as Heroes
closes the night. My faves are: Thrown Away, Strange
Little Girl and The Raven. My advice to everyone is see
as many dates as possible – they’re that good.
READING 21.10.08
GRIP
5 MINS
PEACHES
SLEAZY
SPECTRE
SKIN
MERCY
SUN
SLUG
GOLDEN
RAVEN
THROWN
WALK
HANGING
STRAIGHTEN
BIG
ALL DAY
DUCHESS
TANK
NUKE
SOMETHING
HEROES
Stranglers live:
Southampton Guildhall 20.10.08: review by Paddy Walters…
SOUTHAMPTON 20.10.08
GRIP
5 MINS
SPECTRE
PEACHES
SLEAZY
SKIN
MERCY
SUN
SLUG
GOLDEN
WALK
RAVEN
THROWN
HANGING
STRAIGHTEN
BIG
ALL DAY
DUCHESS
TANK
NUKE
SOMETHING
HEROES
I
end up going to Southampton Guildhall on my own after being let down by
my friend who had an interview for a hospital Consultant’s post at
Southampton later this week: old Stranglers fans never die - they just
become doctors and teachers! My only problem, coming from Portsmouth, is
that I always get lost in Southampton. So, I end up driving round around
until I eventually locate the Guildhall.
Starbase 109 are
on, amusing and bemusing the crowd in equal measures with their
electronica, deadpan delivery, actions and props: a prosthetic arm for a
song about robots, shovels for a song about grave-digging and a hoover
for a song about...a hoover! I make my pint last for their set and get
into earnest discussions down the front with fellow ancient Stranglers
fans about the merits of the support act and Stranglers past concerts. I
feel a bit of a novice, as those around me first saw them on the 1979
Raven Tour – my gig debut was the Aural Sculpture tour in 1985 – but I’m
reassured when it’s pointed out I’m a Stranglers fan for well over 20
years. It’s now 9.15 - The Stranglers come on to massive cheers for
tonight’s Jet appearance - missing from my last gig at Hyde Park this
summer. Grip and Five Minutes are powerful, but the audience remain
slightly mute. Suddenly – and bizarrely - the mosh explodes for Spectre
Of Love, displaying the popularity of their last album, Suite XVI. The
pit struggle through the strange rhythms of Peaches and Sleazy - not the
easiest songs to pogo to! Mellowness descends with Skin Deep and a very
well-received Golden Brown – a slightly plodding No Mercy too – and a
great singalong with Always The Sun. Walk On By picks up proceedings,
and then, the biggest cheer of the night - the opening keyboard salvo of
The Raven; not many have heard this live.
Baz and JJ
retreat to their respective sides and launch themselves at each other -
dosey-doeing - to Dave’s Thrown Away intro while JJ looks embarrassed!
No let up for the moshh with Hanging Around and Straighten Out – plus
Duchess and Tank with its massive explosions, and Baz’s ‘it could blow a
man’s cock off at the count of three…’ and they’re gone. There’s hardly
enough time to chant ‘Stranglers – Stranglers’ before they’re back with
the punchy Nuclear Device and Something Better Change – and then the
finale, No More Heroes with its lengthy bass solo from a now
bare-chested (and only slightly portly) JJ for an extended finish until
the final goodnight.
Overall, it is
one of the best Stranglers gigs I have seen. Sure, the set list is
crowd-pleasing, but not too obvious. And the band obviously enjoy
themselves (Baz taunts the crowd with plenty of ‘fucks’ and also claims
to be from Portsmouth: I remain silent!). The mosh here is vigorous but
friendly and I get hugs and handshakes by numerous people who I am not
aware of knowing - but who I had obviously spent the evening bumping
into: not bad for a 41 year old History teacher with two children under
6..!
Stranglers live: Manny
Black’s at the Cambridge Corn Exchange 18.10.08
Black
hole hits England - and how!
I came down on a
Saturday, somewhere in the flat lands of Cambridgeshire… With the
mothership safely secured just outside the city conurbation, I hop over
sun-filled cornfields and concrete to board a motorised chariot
emblazoned with CamCabs: I’m soon traversing the main motor mile to the
Cornex, venue of tonight’s Stranglers Greatest Hits concerto. Quirk, or
quark - I chance upon my old mathematician and theoretical physicist
pal, Sir Stephen Hawkins. We chat long enough to discuss rogue gravitons
in QFT and their effect on dark matter – plus Lagrangian mechanics in
brief - but such colloquial small talk soon saps my reserves where upon
I leave Steve to negotiate the ramp and fight his own gravitons while I
seek out sustenance - a boxed-up chicken burger – which fails to
resemble fowl in both olfaction and gestation symmetries. How do these
omnivorous earthlings survive? I ask myself.
With Earth time
in constant progression, I make my way inside where they brand my
olivaceous wrist with cosmic goo: this must be gluon, courtesy of the
Prof who is ahead of me; he’s like that. I then make out a fellow MiB at
the merchandising stand – he just doesn’t know he’s one of me (yet).
Elsewhere are rotund men – all in dark matter – and from far off tribes,
and they cheerfully and vociferously orotund as one, mangling bass
orchestration with their atonal flaccid voice boxes, and with arms held
joyously aloft. To me, their alcoholic state is an alien concept, but
their unified black attire is certainly impressive - with both rodent
and arachnid imagery on display - and ornithological tattoos too. These
drunken disciples are clearly committed to The Stranglers – evident from
the moment I spot these same icons flanking the luminescent stage
banners. I watch a girl as she inserts plugs within her ears - I should
have known: my own ears explode with a sonic boom from the sound system.
Bang!
Waltzinblack
pours out across the rammed hall as the ‘other’ Men In Black take to the
stage. The crowd shout - the ceremony begins. It has to be said Strange
Little Girl is elegiac – with No Mercy, Skin Deep and Always The Sun
detouring slightly and necessarily so – but it’s the early tunes that
warm the audience up, such as Grip, 5 Minutes, Peaches and Sleazy.
Golden Brown sees some horseplay between JJ and Dave: the former
attempting a count-in, the latter deciding to not play along; JJ ends up
doing a bass solo as the intro. Play nicely, boys.
I may be biased –
speaking as a Man In Black – but it takes a track off the Meninblack LP
to really get things going – Thrown Away – and kicked off with some
disco-dolly dancing and dosey-does across the width of the stage
courtesy of JJ and Baz. This track – followed closely by Straighten Out
and The Raven – all form equal special gig highlights. But then, can you
afford to miss out the mighty Tank? Of course not! The sweaty mosh are
in full swing – and it’s all good natured: a dozen rows of bodies in
black are swaying and pogoing and singing their hearts out. One of the
rotund topless members of the crowd sparks a Baz quip when he merrily
joins the band onstage; “I didn’t hear the fat bloke alarm go off!”
He says, chuckling as tubs is gently ushered off to the left. Ten
seconds later, a young would-be invader is expelled from the rat-run
with needless brute force (and certainly no laughs) thanks to
over-zealous, immature bouncer-ing. All the reptile, err - bouncer - had
to do now was to look into my eyes just once – to succumb to my Stunned
Intensified Stupefaction – but he refuses. Next time I’ll set my pal
Prof. Hawkins on him for some Quark, Strangeness and… harm!
They maybe old, but their
wall of sound hits like a mountain of decibels… Bands
half their age - and twice their stature - would struggle to keep up.
Baz reels out an
eerie-voxed spectral vampire thing in Spectre, echoing Dave’s Dead
Ringer. JJ belts out Big Thing Coming for the first time in ages – but
Walk On By is the big wig out extraordinaire: Baz even scales the silver
chequer-plate steps for guitar soloing – very Darkness - to reach Dave
who is in synth arpeggio heaven. Or Quarkness, even? This quantum leap
of Greatest Hits is not only shit-hot tight (Jet’s here behind the
drums, don’t forget), but this dynamic combo is quaquaversal: they maybe
as old as hills but their wall of sound hits like a mountain of
decibels. Bands half their age - and twice their stature - would
struggle to keep up with them. Plus - the Greatest Hits set is
apparently thoroughly palatable for those fanatics-in-black present at
every single show in every corner of The Stranglers itinerary. Although
the only negative to report is skipping epic soundscapes Toiler and
Sewer: this left these ultimo cadres down the front feeling a little
hollow for a nano second. But the pop party concludes on a high with The
Kinks’ All Day & All Of The Night, Duchess and No More Heroes to make
this a very special start to the English leg of the UK tour. This Man In
Black certainly goes away most sated!
Then
it all goes awry: I escape the crowds to return to the mothership by
moonlight – to discover I have left the landing lights on – which in
turn, attracts a rather large audience surrounding the now
energy-depleted UFO spectacle. This ain’t no Roswell… I dissolve the
craft into the ether - erase each witness’s recall with my SIS - and
send them all home dressed in Shrek jim-jams.
Fly straight
with… a new battery for the winter, I guess.
Stranglers
live: Mandela Hall, Belfast, 14.10.08. Review by Graeme
Mullan.
Fly straight with…
And the
First Commandment reads: thou shall not play soft solos in
Belfast! It has to be said Baz Warne received a lukewarm
reception after his party-piece Golden Brown solo – and then
stepping from centre-stage looking across to JJ – and a lip-pout
and shrug of his broad shoulders.
Belfast
has a proud punk history and, thanks to our recent troubled
past, we have a reputation for liking our rock music like our
women - fast and in your face!
There’s a
reasonable proportion of the Mandela Hall crowd here for the big
hit singles - it is The Greatest Hits Tour after all - and
there’s a reasonable majority made up of balding, middle-aged
punks here tonight reliving their golden youth and dying to hear
those malevolent punk Stranglers classics live. The mosh may not
be the largest or most energetic ever seen, but the front line’s
reaction to ‘Grip’, ‘Hanging Around’ and especially ‘No More
Heroes’ is proof there lies a heart of punk still in this old
City.
Before
the gig I’m at the mandatory meet-up in The Parlour, situated
conveniently across the road. I know the English Contingent
fresh from the Dublin gig are on their way. Although, it’s
unusually empty at 6.30. I look around to find I’m the only
Strangler T-shirted individual here. Suddenly I’m joined by
Andy, Sid, Brian and last but not least Barry Spooner trudging
along the bar towards me.
Formalities over, round of drinks in, and conversations dart
around obligatory topics such as Dubai, Dublin, set lists – and
has Baz sung all the back catalogue yet? Who are the ‘Sensitive
Six’? [forum bollocks – Ed.] And who is going to Barcelona in
2009? Pat and Michael join in after intros and more quaffing of
preferred beverages, soon regale their tales of their Stranglers
past while comparing Raven tattoos. A few other MiBs (sorry
didn’t catch your names) from the locale gravitate to our merry
crew as the pub fills up – more likely candidates for the
concert – and some familiar faces from a bygone age of punk
gigs. A quick check of our (50 Million) watches - and it’s time
to make our way to the venue.
At the
entrance to Queens University Student’s Union, the bouncer quips
the gig is cancelled. Obviously a good sense of humour here, but
my heart still skips a beat. Downstairs to the Mandela Hall. The
support band are on, but I get my priorities right at the
merchandise stall. How much money have I got? What can I afford!
What do I get? As my wallet empties, I smile as I grab my red
Rat Bag full of Strangler goodies, while Azinblack has trouble
with Northern Irish banknotes: “I’m only English!” our befuddled
vendor moans!
Through
the side doors and into the hall itself, I’m at my preferred
‘Owen-station’ – that’s left of stage, JJ’s side – while the
CrewinBlack remove all traces of support act, Hoarsebox and set
up the myriad of cables and equipment necessary to produce the
Stranglers sound. Levels are checked, guitars tuned to
perfection. I’m taken with the new stage set-up. Of course, one
look at the drum-kit meant Jet was in town – excellent! But I’m
not sure whether it’s due to the venue or a new stage rig, but
the backstage was taken up with one long riser set atop a bank
of Ashdown amplifiers covered with translucent white sheeting.
Jet’s drums are side-by-side to Dave’s keyboards which seem to
grow with every tour! Gone is the usual Strangler backdrop:
instead each side is bedecked with banners showing snapshots of
all the albums.
The crowd
start to fill the hall, although it’s not packed, just fuller
than I thought. Then the lights dim, and a culpable feeling of
excitement grows. The opening strains of ‘Waltzinblack’ are met
with cheers, growing in intensity as the Four Horsemen of the
A-punk-alypse take to the stage. JJ and Baz wave and bow as they
cross the stage to be handed their respective guitars. Behind -
Dave and Jet ascend to their positions from behind the rise to
crowd chants of, Jet Black - Jet Black – Jet Black! His familiar
roll of the skins rings out in direct response. A quick check
between JJ and the rest of the band – and they start with ‘The
Raven’: fly straight with… fuck me! What an opener!
Backdrop
images from 4240 synch with the songs – and then it’s straight
into ‘Grip’ – with JJ karate kicks. Baz acknowledges the return
of the original grand statesman of punk:
“He’s
still alive - Sir Jet Black!”
More adoration from the throng followed by a polite and
humble wave from the great man himself. Back in again –
here we are battered by powerful melodies and mesmeric
riffs – all remarkably fresh in this live arena. Songs
are played with intensity, but fun too: they’re here not
only to entertain us but to enjoy the experience
themselves. They also constantly interact with each
other throughout: JJ slags off Baz after an off-key
moment in the ‘Spectre Of Love’ solo! Baz introduces
‘disco’ track ‘Thrown Away’ – and JJ does a passable
impression of John Travolta while Dave buzzes on the
keyboards. And then the two front men displaying
perfectly syncopated footwork for the rest of the track.
Awesome. And ‘No More Heroes’ – I’ll get to that later.
After over an hour of blistering hit after hit - with
the odd surprise album track thrown in for good measure
- the band take their first bow off the evening and exit
the stage. Rather than the usual chants for Stranglers –
Stranglers – Stranglers… it’s now Jet Black – Jet Black
– Jet Black! The band return for ‘Toiler On The Sea’ – a
welcome return to the set - an amazing version with
requisite keyboard sound effects, that pounding bass,
rib-cracking drums and ringing guitar riffs. Memories…
BELFAST 14.10.08
RAVEN
GRIP
PEACHES
SLEAZY
SKIN
MERCY
SUN
SLUG
GOLDEN
THROWN
WALK
HANGING
STRAIGHTEN
BIG
ALL DAY
DUCHESS
TANK
TOILER
NUKE SOMETHING
5 MINS
HEROES
It was 1979
when they last played Toiler as an encore in Belfast: it was
during The Raven Tour - the closing number – and a red light
emanated from the eye of the Raven backdrop. As it beamed back
and forth across the audience, the band re-emerged and the sound
of a fog horn burst out from Dave’s synth. Burnel began the
bassline, Jet’s drumbeat kicked in and Hugh’s intricate guitar
solo carried us all off, retracing our steps back to the
mothership.
As the track
wound down - and Hugh and JJ were doing their twisting, swaying
dance - first Hugh unstrapped his guitar, waved to the crowd and
exited stage right. Dave flicked a switch on the keyboards and
they continued to ‘whoosh’, replicating the sound of waves
washing the shore, as he departed. Jet finished his sequence and
also left the stage, leaving a cavorting, ambling JJ as he
continued with the closing bassline. He crossed the stage, still
playing and walking his rat-walk, as he proceeded to make his
way up the side stairs and leaving through the stage door at the
back of the hall just as the last note was struck. Dave’s
keyboards continued to echo the sound of the sea until the house
lights went up.
A
different ending, less drama, but I’m ecstatic all the same.
Once again, they leave the stage. The house lights stay down –
of course, its Heroes next isn’t it? Their third emergence is
greeted with rapturous applause. Then – it’s ‘Nuclear Device’
and the old Bruce/Sheila crowd interface before ‘No More
Heroes’. For this, the crowd are treated to a sixth Dan extended
bass intro from JJ-san just before the famous fast-fingered
G-string rundown - JJ leans towards a bemused looking Baz
standing up against the amp and both raise their pinkies to the
side of their mouths (a la Dr. Evil in Austin Powers – and then
the crowd erupt to the ‘real’ bass intro.
Leon
Trotsky gets his ears burned, and so do we! And we are
re-acquainted to ‘empty glass football’ as Dave’s plastic pot is
thrown following his solo onto Baz’s bald pate as he pretends to
be the new Makem No.11 to then header it into the crowd. Well,
into the bouncer’s rat-run between stage and crowd. The band
leave the stage for the last time to rousing cheers and applause
and the lights are switched on to ‘Meninblack’. The end of
another great Stranglers adventure. Sated, I seek out the
English Boys to say farewell, wishing them a safe journey home.
Now all that’s left is for me to make my way homeward. Fly
straight with… wow!
Stranglers
live: the Academy, Dublin, 13.10.08. Review by Alastair
Graham.
Wednesday 15th October 2008
Opening
night of the UK tour…
This first night bodes well for the remaining dates.
Although it’s a small and intimate venue, it’s a good
crowd considering it’s Monday night; of course,
Dubliners like their live music. The set starts slowly -
with a bass heavy sound - preventing the band from
engaging. However, by the time they reach ‘Hanging
Around’, it all gelled, demonstrating The Stranglers’
continued reputation as a superb live act. From here on
in, it’s top-notch, ending with, somewhat predictably,
‘No More Heroes’ (my 5 year son’s favourite).
Baz Warne is born to be The Stranglers’ front man: the
absolute rightness of the four-man dynamic makes you
wonder why they ever thought a line up of five might
have worked. Crowd reaction to Jet is both touching and
humorous, and repaid with a great performance including
a somewhat jazzier (or should that be funkier, but
certainly not jazz-funk!) version of ‘Peaches’.
Given that it’s billing as a Greatest Hits Tour, the
lack of new material can’t be cause for complaint.
However, while ‘Spectre of Love’ and ‘Big Thing Coming’
sit easily beside ‘Nice ’n’ Sleazy’ and ‘Straighten Out’
- and getting as just good a reaction - it would be
great to know that new material was in the pipeline…if
they are to avoid being pigeon-holed as a nostalgia act.
On the evidence presented this evening – that would be
an injustice.
The
Stranglers live: Chelmsford V Festival 17.08.08 Review
by Stubsinblack
Friday 12th September2008
After
a forty minute drive and a McDonalds - me and 13 year
old son, Greg (who supplies us with the images) - start
the Hyland’s Park queue. It’s 9.30am, and the rain is
intermittent. “Just two and a half hours to wait for
The Stranglers…” It’s a far cry from sunny Hyde
Park, but our spirits are still up. The gates open, the
rain stops and we secure our spot at the foot of the
stage where JJ’s stands. Jet’s kit is missing but Ian’s
one there, already set up. Of course, it’s never the
same without the legendary Jet, although Ian is a great
stand-in. All the same, it’s like going to a family
party only to find that your favourite uncle is missing!
It’s 12.10 - and WaltzInBlack rings out as excitement
rises. A steady drum beat belonging to Five Minutes with
JJ singing, who has forsaken his customary Black Triumph
T-shirt for a normal long sleeve shirt. His vocals take
the audience by the throat Always The Sun – and a
cheering of the wood block shows where the die-hards
are! Peaches is just brilliant - summery and fresh –
with Baz getting a huge cheer when he changes the lyrics
to enquire whether the rain will hold off. Smiles are
all around, onstage too. Golden Brown gets a loud cheer
– and Something Better Change converts the uninitiated
in the crowd. I guess many a Stranglers virgin has been
deflowered this summer at the altar of the Meninblack.
Our family-in-black is getting bigger! Although Baz ends
up cajoling them after his breakneck solo falls on deaf
ears in All Day & All Of The Night. But sing-along they
do, clearly unaware rather than bored. Nonetheless, I’d
like to see a new cover – like Quark, Strangeness and
Charm, or perhaps Paint It Black?
Duchess is fast and then, No More Heroes. Highlight is
seeing Dave finish his solo and throw his cup towards
Baz who heads it to JJ, who catches it beautifully on
the volley to sail right over the drum rise to
everyone’s delight. It’s a perfect moment in a virtually
perfect performance and the band know it. Half an hour
and eight songs surpasses the longer Hyde Park
performance with a superior and
clearer
sound: keyboards are crisp and mixed well. And V 2008
sounds better than my last one three years back. After
today’s performance, I can’t wait till Cambridge this
autumn. We’re in for real treat indeed! And while Jet is
irreplaceable, Ian continues to play with assured
confidence.
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Stranglers
live:
The
show goes all too quickly. The songs are played with
total feeling and perfection. My personal best tracks
tonight are The Raven, Walk On By and No Mercy. Jet
plays so well and he is so well received by the crowd
and Dave’s constant smile speaks volumes. One can only
presume that The Stranglers are enjoying every concert
of this length and breadth tour of the UK and Ireland.
Outside, I regroup with Rodders, Ice Cube and Adrian
amid all the other smiling people exiting the hall.
Students walk past with a ‘they were fantastic.’ A
fleeting chance to say hello to ThrubeingCool before we
board the automobile to say fond adieu to Lincoln. This
was yet another excellent Stranglers performance at The
Engine Shed. Have no doubt, The Meninblack are on track
and hopefully heading your way.
I
end up going to Southampton Guildhall on my own after being let down by
my friend who had an interview for a hospital Consultant’s post at
Southampton later this week: old Stranglers fans never die - they just
become doctors and teachers! My only problem, coming from Portsmouth, is
that I always get lost in Southampton. So, I end up driving round around
until I eventually locate the Guildhall.
Waltzinblack
pours out across the rammed hall as the ‘other’ Men In Black take to the
stage. The crowd shout - the ceremony begins. It has to be said Strange
Little Girl is elegiac – with No Mercy, Skin Deep and Always The Sun
detouring slightly and necessarily so – but it’s the early tunes that
warm the audience up, such as Grip, 5 Minutes, Peaches and Sleazy.
Golden Brown sees some horseplay between JJ and Dave: the former
attempting a count-in, the latter deciding to not play along; JJ ends up
doing a bass solo as the intro. Play nicely, boys.
Then
it all goes awry: I escape the crowds to return to the mothership by
moonlight – to discover I have left the landing lights on – which in
turn, attracts a rather large audience surrounding the now
energy-depleted UFO spectacle. This ain’t no Roswell… I dissolve the
craft into the ether - erase each witness’s recall with my SIS - and
send them all home dressed in Shrek jim-jams.
.jpg)
clearer
sound: keyboards are crisp and mixed well. And V 2008
sounds better than my last one three years back. After
today’s performance, I can’t wait till Cambridge this
autumn. We’re in for real treat indeed! And while Jet is
irreplaceable, Ian continues to play with assured
confidence. 