So The Stranglers are touring the land of Aus in the new year, so I wondered if anyone here’s seen them lately and whether it’s going to be worth going ? Any thoughts from the Massive ?
ATM – The Stranglers … any good as a live prospect these days ?
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Since Jet has retired from touring, I get the impression I might have the same problem with this new touring drummer that I had with Icehouse over here -> https://theafterword.co.uk/icehouse-at-the-enmore-sydney/ … too fast, no swing, too metronomic. Or maybe I’m just getting too old – am I remembering things differently ?
I’ve seen them a couple of times in the last few years. They play the hits and play them well along with a selection of album highlights. Jet doesn’t play with them these days, (he’s 78) but you still have JJ Burnell and Dave Greenfield who provide the core sound. They’ve retained a loyal live audience by touring solidly and delivering what their audience wants. Don’t expect any surprises but they put on a good show.
This.
I saw them in 2008 supporting Blondie’s Parallel Lines tour.
I saw them in 1977 and then again 2 or 3 weeks ago at a free festival in Coventry. The menace and presence they once had has gone. JJ Burnell is now a cuddly pussycat and the “new” singer and guitarist is too much of a nice chap. They went down well with the crowd, but absolutely massacred Golden Brown with rinky tinky naff keyboard sounds. Dave G had no Hammond organ, so the only trademark sound left is JJ’s bass. I did’t rate the drummer either.
Probably not fair to judge them by a festival gig to a casual audience. All the hits were there. My neighbour’s daughter (early thirties) enjoyed them and was pleasantly surprised how many songs she recognised.
Watching old editions of TOTP it surprised me that a number of their hits were sung by JJ, previously I thought it was all Cornwell apart from La Folie.
I saw one old hit on a TOTP rerun a while back that I didn’t recall from the time – something about a European female. What struck me was the remarkable lack of melody or anything memorable about it – a blancmangey sort of nothing.
I felt similarly when I saw a Kajagoogoo song – the follow-up to their big hit. I can’t recall the title but was intrigued at how musical *activity* seemed to be going on from the players mimiing yet there was absolutely no *music* there – it was all but atonal. And yet not as interesting as atonal music. Weird. You’d have to REALLY be trying to create something so complex and yet abjectly unmemorable.
‘European Female’ has no melody? Are you mad!?
There’s just nothing there, Bri. Neither here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyHueH-1g-o
*Kajagoogoo in crap song shock*
Saw them a couple of months ago in a near sold out Manchester Apollo and very good they were too. Yes, it would have been great to have seen Jet Black but he’s not well enough to cope with a full gig any more and thought the young drummer was perfectly adequate..not sure too many Stranglers songs swing! Agree with Harold’s comment on jj though. He was a musical hero of mine and has indeed morphed into a favourite Uncle..still can play though! And the “new” singer seems pretty popular. Ralph’s comments on them playing the hits and a selection of album tracks is bang on…they opened with Longships when I saw them last . Good fun gig with the audience well up for it.