Yes I think it was up to '90 a very different Hugh than the one you will experiance as a solo artist.ThinkTank wrote: ↑23 Jun 2023, 10:50 I really miss Hugh in the Stranglers too but now i have seen him solo live a couple of times i am really appreciating what he is doing even more so. What he is doing currently is a lot closer to where i am for music these days for live stuff and i am just amazed at what Hugh does with the arrangements he is with out doubt a massive talent and genius that he makes it look effortless. He's work is very addictive to listen to so i feel i am very happy now how its all turned out and i will really look forward to Brighton i really cant wait.
I do miss he's very clever put downs to the audience and mockery he was the master for sure all in good fun as well. My favourite would be how he always would openly say if one audience was better than another :) Or of course try and hi-light the divide in the current audience of there opinions .
Its a shame Hugh doesnt still do that at the gigs but i guess its a different make up now so not appropriate so we will have to just listen to An evening with instead and reminisce :)
Thanks for the posts it did make me smile and remind me of really good times of my own.
The one I went to see as a teenager was the one who was part of a band I liked seeing so much,he and JJ made the band for me when I used to see them so much together up front live.
I would watch them both up front from one to the other all the time and of course the other two members as well along with hearing the whole overall band sound together,but for me it was always about Hugh on the whole that got me there attending the gigs,he was part of a very successful band playing bigger venues with audiences of 2000 plus.
Today it's a smaller production of a three piece playing old and new material in very small venues which I prefer nowday's but back in the day I prefered him I the band playing big venues.
I love his solo material so much that in a way i am glad he went solo because I wouldn't of heard of such great material like Guilty,BEF,Monster and now the ever brilliance of MOM had remained a Strangler,so for me its swings and roundabouts for me with his musical career that has followed a right path in the end looking back with all the musical changes and styles he's done from band member to solo artist.
Looking back now where I was gutted he left I now think it was all for the best for sure with Hugh the perfect frontman for 16 years of the Stranglers best and most successful years of the '70s and '80s to a further but more quieter 30 odd years as a more low key small time solo artist with the more up close and personal gig you get from him which I prefer nowday's too but prefered the big band venues at the time it did over 30 years ago so for me it's all gone perfect in career time order along with the music styles it toke along with it too.
He's today writing and playing the right sort of material for his more maturer vocals and nowday's I think he's probably all tucked up for the night at the same time that the old band were ready to take to the stage for a late night full of energetic music...lol