[avatar =”Ross” size=”50″ align=”left” /]
The Stranglers are one of those permanent fixtures in the UK’s gig calendar, much like Status Quo in December, The Quireboys in November (who happen to be touring this year in…erm, March) and Motörhead did so for many years. It’s been a few years since I saw them perform and I was suitably impressed so I figured it was time to re-acquaint myself.
Walking along to the venue, just like last time, there’s a real sense in the air that the faithful are out tonight. It’s Saturday and people are looking to have a good time. But more than that, there’s a feeling that, not unlike the afore-mentioned bands, people turn out year after year to see The Stranglers. This tour was slightly different as the band were set to play Black and White in full. As I dropped my name into the box office, there were people here mainly for the opening act, The Alarm.
I’ll it now I’ve never heard the name, much less their material. However, judging from the view I had at the sound desk, overlooking the main floor area of Glasgow’s Academy, tonight’s pairing is a match made in heaven. Frontman Mike Peters makes a point of interacting with the crowd between songs, telling tales of how songs were inspired and his own non-music interests such as raising money for Glasgow’s own Beatson Institute which gains the biggest cheers of the night. After the first couple of songs, Peters ditches his electric guitar and opts for an acoustic. Songs like “68 Guns” and “Spirit of ‘76” are met with roars of approval, as does the entire set but they were two of the standout tracks for me. It’s a good sign when the opening act doesn’t make you sigh and urge them off the stage as soon as possible. They got a meaty 45 minutes to entertain and it felt like they had done half that. While they weren’t particularly to my taste, Peters has surrounded himself with very proficient musicians which is a testament to their enduring appeal.
With The Alarm leaving the stage to the announcement of a headline date in Glasgow in place, it sends the crowd into a frenzy and judging from the reaction on Facebook, it seems like it’ll sell well. I certainly enjoyed it for what it was and I’ve seen far worse opening acts too numerous to mention.
The sold out Academy is fit to bursting by the time The Stranglers take to the stage. To commemorate the tour, the stage is decked out in white: the drumkit, the risers, amps, even the lighting rig only projects white. In contrast, the band are in full black with the black backdrop. It’s undeniably obvious that the band are putting in a marked effort to celebrate the album and tour.
Kicking things off with “Tank”, the band hammer through the full tracklist of Black and White and refusing to stop until it’s over. ittedly, my knowledge of The Stranglers’ material isn’t encyclopaedic so the only song I recognised was “Nice N Sleazy” but songs like “Sweden (All Quiet on the Eastern Front)” and “Curfew” are incredibly entertaining.
It’s only when “(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)” starts that the lights begin to bathe the stage in full colour, causing the crowd to erupt and Baz Warne finally engages with the crowd when they finish. Naturally, the crowd lap up the flattery of the “Glasgow being the highlight of the tour” line.
After which, the band continued their assault, hitting them with numbers like their cover of “Walk on By”, “Always the Sun”, “A Soldier’s Diary” and “Relentless” before closing the affair with “Something Better Change”. The first encore (yes, first) brought “Peaches” and “Hanging Around” before the second treated us to “Go Buddy Go” and “No More Heroes”. It was evident as the band walked off for the third and final time that people were expecting a third encore but it never came.
Just like last time, The Stranglers refuse to mess around and their ionate fanbase reflects that, jumping around the entire set. They’re a tight and polished band and having been around for over forty years, you can’t expect anything less. Playing just shy of thirty songs and a lengthy tour, including more than one Scottish date, more bands should be paying attention to bands like The Stranglers. It’s how you play a gig and it’s how you do a tour. As a performance, it was faultless with the exception of the hiccup during “Always the Sun”; it was proof that it was all live (something some modern bands can’t it to). JJ Burnel gets a special mention because he’s clearly one of the most underrated bass players out there.
Clocking in at just under the two hour mark, no one left unhappy with people commenting that it was the best they’d seen the band yet. There is a however for me though. And it’s a tiny one by my own fault. Most of the gig’s appeal was lost on me. As I said, I’m not particularly knowledgeable on The Stranglers so Black and White’s significance was lost on me, the same with the majority of the rest of the set. That being said, I still had a great night and I really need to listen to more of the material but only knowing a handful of the songs was definitely a drawback. I think last year’s Ruby tour would have been far better appreciated by myself.
