There are certain bands that just shouldn’t bother with a support band. So rabid are certain groups of fans that they show little or no interest in what comes on before. Stranglers fans proudly sit atop this list of bands with two grubby fingers flicked at all those who surround them. Gold Blade fare better than most, their traditional take on punk is just about palatable to the vast majority and John Robb’s banter will always win him friends. Tonight however is only about one band.
This gig wasn’t heavily advertised and most here tonight found out about this one off appearance through the bands fan sites. There are people from all over the country, Glasgow, Wales and Birmingham represent a random sample of the clash of accents in the pub beforehand and a lot of people are meeting up with old friends. The atmosphere is good natured, loud and soaked in lager. The air of menace that can loiter at Stranglers concerts is notable by it’s absence. It’s easy to see why people are so happy, it’s been a good year for The Stranglers. Whilst their record sales might not have set the world on fire the general consensus is that ‘Norfolk Coast’ was their best album in a very long time. It may have been a return to basics, those bouncing booming bass lines, Dave Greenfields signature keyboard sound picking up where the Doors left off and most notably the strongest and most confident vocal performance yet from Paul Roberts but it had a swagger to it that had been lacking in recent years.
Tonight JJ’s bass has been turned right up so that it dominates the sound, driving each song forward. The new material sounds great, ‘Norfolk Coast’, ‘Long Black Veil’ and ‘Don’t Agree’ all hold their own alongside the greatest hits set. But it is the greatest hits that predictably get the crowd going. ‘Peaches’ still struts it’s sleazy wares proudly, ‘Always the Sun’ gets the most vocal sing along all night, ‘Get A Grip On Yourself’ causes chaos all over the venue. Throw in ‘Golden Brown’, ‘Duchess’, ‘Walk on By’ and just about every other great song this band have ever produced. The band are tight, loud and on blinding form. They’re obviously enjoying themselves, JJ stalking the left hand side of the stage, Roberts with his rather suspect Billy Idol haircut is a bundle of energy and Baz Warne on guitar gets a cheer for every guitar solo.
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Down the front things are getting very messy. Quite frankly I have never been hugged by so many overweight, balding ex-punks in my life and at one point a bloke about 6 feet away from me decides to wave his prosthetic leg in the air. When the band play ‘Toiler On The Sea’ it turns downright dangerous as people career into each other, which when the average weight must be in the region of 16 stone is not necessarily something you join in with without serious consideration (or far too much alcohol).
Unsurprisingly they encore with ‘No More Heroes’ and the general consensus as we leave is that was one of their best shows for years. A fine end to a fine year then for a band that are consistently overlooked when talk turns to influential bands of the 70’s and whilst they’ve hardly helped themselves over the years, now is the time to catch up with them and witness them do justice to their legacy.
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