Posts Tagged ‘The Stranglers’

Hugh Cornwell’s UK Tour begins

Hugh Cornwell starts his UK tour this evening at the Carlisle Brickyard.  The concerts will be divided into two sets, the first will feature his brand new studio album ‘TOTEM AND TABOO’, and the second will see Hugh playing The Stranglers’ seminal 1977 second album ‘NO MORE HEROES’ in its entirety, with keyboards added to the lineup.

Tickets for the UK tour, which runs nationwide until October 20th, can be ordered from the 24 Hour Box Office: 0844 478 0898, and booked online from the Hugh Cornwell website and The Gig Cartel.

Hugh Cornwell reveals more about upcoming new album

HUGH CORNWELL has unveiled the artwork and track listing for his forthcoming studio album TOTEM AND TABOO which is released in the UK on MONDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER through Cadiz Music.  Recorded at Electrical Audio Studios, Chicago, the new album was engineered and mixed by STEVE ALBINI (Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Pixies).

Track Listing:

1. Totem And Taboo

2. The Face

3. I Want One Of Those

4. Stuck In Daily Mail Land

5. Bad Vibrations

6. God Is Woman

7. Love Me Slender

8. Gods, Guns And Gays

9. A Street Names Carroll

10. In The Dead of The Night

 ”“This was the last song I wrote for the album”,” says Cornwell about the title track Totem And Taboo.  “”It’s become one of my favourites“.  A hint of Rebel Rebel with some Marc Bolan glam thrown in.  ”I’ve always liked songs with marching 4’s on the snare, and that’s what it is supposed to be, a rallying call for like-minded souls“.”

Cornwell was the original guitarist, singer, and main songwriter of the British punk rock band The Stranglers.  He’’s enjoyed massive UK and European success with 10 hit albums and 21 Top Forty hit singles including Peaches, No More Heroes, Golden Brown, Always the Sun, (Get A) Grip (On Yourself), Nice N Sleazy, Duchess and No Mercy.

A nationwide October UK tour will see Cornwell perform the Totem And Taboo album in its entirety, followed by The Stranglers’ seminal 1977 album No More Heroes performed in its entirety.  Tickets: 0844 478 0898.

Book Online: www.thegigcartel.com. VIP packages: www.hughcornwell.com.

Hugh Cornwell unveils ‘Totem and Taboo’ album & ‘No More Heroes’ UK tour

Hugh Cornwell will embark on a nationwide UK tour during October 2012.  The concerts will be divided into two sets.  The first will feature his eagerly anticipated new studio album ‘TOTEM AND TABOO’ (released August 2012).  The second set will see Hugh playing The Stranglers’ seminal 1977 second album ‘NO MORE HEROES’ in its entirety with keyboards added to the lineup.

A ticket pre-sale is launched today (Wednesday 11th April) from www.ents24.com, followed by a general on-sale on Friday 14th April. Tickets can be ordered from the 24 Hour Box Office: 0844 478 0898, and booked online from www.hughcornwell.com and www.thegigcartel.com.

Special VIP ticket packages for all shows include sound check entry, meet and greet, exclusive ‘TOTEM AND TABOO’ demo album, and a free poster signed on the night by Hugh.

Cornwell’’s highly anticipated new studio album ‘TOTEM AND TABOO’ will be released in August 2012.  Recorded at Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago, it was engineered and mixed by Steve Albini (Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Pixies). Visit www.hughcornwell.com for further details.

Hugh Cornwell is the original guitarist, singer and main songwriter in the British punk rock band The Stranglers, he’’s enjoyed massive UK and European success with 10 hit albums and 21 Top Forty singles, with classic songs including Peaches, No More Heroes, Golden Brown, Always the Sun, Grip, Nice N Sleazy, Duchess and No Mercy.

Hugh Cornwell: Autumn 2012 UK Tour

24 Hour Box Office: 0844 478 0898 / Book Online: www.hughcornwell.com, www.thegigcartel.com

Carlisle The Brickyard (Oct 3) / Aberdeen Lemon Tree (Oct 4) / Glasgow The Arches (Oct 5) / Northumbria University (Oct 6)

Nottingham Rescue Rooms (Oct 10) / Leeds The Cockpit (Oct 11) / Manchester Academy 3 (Oct 12) /

Birmingham O2 Academy 2 (Oct 13) / Bristol The Fleece (Oct 17) / Southampton The Brook (Oct 18)

 London O2 Academy Islington (Oct 19) / Tavistock The Wharf (Oct 20)

Hugh Cornwell – Official Website
www.hughcornwell.com

Hugh Cornwell- Official Facebook
www.facebook.com/hughcornwellofficial

Hugh Cornwell – Official Twitter

https://twitter.com/hughcornwell

The Stranglers @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth 13.03.12

For a multitude of reasons we arrive late to the gig, none of them make for particularly interesting anecdotes but it does mean I miss all of Mike Marlin’s set and some of The Popes.  Mike Marlin gets a polite round of applause from the audience at the end of the night after Baz assures everyone ‘he is weird but he’s alright’ so I am guessing he did a decent job of warming up The Stranglers faithful.

The Popes, former backing band for Shane McGowan, are a riotous blend of Irish folk and punk vigour, the part of the set I catch is enjoyably raucous and sets the mood admirably for the main event… and what a main event it is.

As the lights dim and the atmosphere builds, The Stranglers stride onto the stage with the elder statesman air that only a band in their 4^th decade could carry off.  Sadly Jet Black has been taken ill and has been admitted to hospital, hats off to the man though for his dedication to the cause, 73 years young and you know he’ll be back behind the kit again soon.

The Stranglers back catalogue is littered with some hugely memorable hits but they have never been just about the singles, throughout the set the album tracks are not only dished out with vigour by the band but received with eagerness by the assembled masses.  ‘Burning Up Time’ from the No More Heroes album and ‘Hanging Around’ from their 1977 debut Rattus Norvegicus separate the die hards from those who just own the Greatest Hits with the hardcore singing along to every word.

Despite the fact the band are celebrating the release of their 17^th studio album ‘Giants’ they do not overload the crowd with new tracks, the smattering they play fit seamlessly alongside the established and whilst slightly skeptical in places, the crowd appear to be more than happy to allow new tunes into the set.

Ahead of one of these aforementioned songs, Baz acknowledges the plight of Portsmouth FC and asserts ‘I really hope they survive, I really do’ before introducing the title track from the new album a song that is greeted with polite approval to start with but clearly grows on the crowd as it progresses.  Sandwiched between another new one in the shape of Mercury Rising is Peaches.  JJ’s bass is more a weapon than an instrument, at times during the evening the rumble from his 4-string actually tickles the rib cage; you can physically feel it move you.  Peaches is a classic, it needs no introduction from me and live it is as iconic as a song gets.

In fact, all the ‘big’ songs are dispatched with ruthless efficiency, ‘No More Heroes’, ‘Golden Brown’ and my personal favourite,
‘Something Better Change’ sound as timeless as ever and are all  positively devoured by the balding (not my words) sweaty throng.

The Stranglers turn out a near faultless set, Baz commands the stage under the watchful eye of JJ and conducts the audience like a burly ringmaster.  It is hard to believe the band are some 35 years into their career, there is no sign of boredom or fatigue (except for poor Jet Black that is) and the songs sound as defiant as ever.

Rounding off the night with two encores, they squeeze out a few more tunes to the by now fully warmed up (and judging from the guy next to me, tanked up) crowd and crank out the sublime Duchess to make sure the punters leave happy.

Age is just a number, pure class is timeless, The Stranglers once again prove they have nothing to prove anymore.

Jules

THE STRANGLERS - ‘GIANTS’ – Released 5th March. Distributed by Universal.

Thirty-five years on from the release of their debut, Rattus Norvegicus, ‘Giants’ is the Stranglers’  seventeenth album and, just as the latter day successes of the group’s last two titles, ‘Norfolk Coast’ (2004) and ‘Suite XVI’ (2006), this more recent return to the studio has once again produced another collection of sterling Stranglers tracks.  Quirky and diverse, the music presented on ‘Giants’ avoids the formulaic and the stale: for the first time since 1980, there is an instrumental and the group, better known for their waltzes, also reveal their take on another dance form, the tango!  As always strong melodies and unusual time signatures are high on the agenda, all underpinned by those trademark Stranglers bass lines and keyboard runs.  Lead vocals are shared between JJ Burnel and Baz Warne.  

It’s a few years since the last album release but the Stranglers have been keeping extremely busy on the live circuit, with constant global touring commitments and high demand from the major festivals, including appearances at Glastonbury, T in the Park, V Festivals, Hyde Park and Isle of Wight in the UK and their counterparts across Europe and beyond.  

THE STRANGLERS  ‘GIANTS’ UK TOUR DATES

1 March     Leeds O2 Academy
 2 March     Dunfermline Alhambra
 3 March     Glasgow O2 Academy
 5 March     Liverpool O2 Academy
 6 March     Nottingham Rock City
 8 March     Cambridge Corn Exchange
 9 March     London Roundhouse
10 March    Birmingham O2 Academy
12 March    Oxford O2 Academy
13 March     Portsmouth Pyramids Centre
15 March     Lincoln Engine Shed
16 March     Brighton Dome
17 March     Bristol O2 Academy
19 March     Leamington Spa Assembly
20 March     Guildford G-Live
22 March     Newcastle O2 Academy
23 March     Sheffield O2 Academy
24 March     Manchester O2 Academy