1st STRANGLERS GIG

[dan-electro]

Sunday 22nd November 1981, Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre, "La Folie" Tour.

Most memorable moment was when the strobe lighting came on during the middle section of 'Tank' what an effect that was!! (I think the picture on the reverse of the 'La Folie' album was taken during the strobe effect during 'Tank').
Always remember a policeman watched the whole gig from one of the private boxes high up next to the stage, Obviously sent there to watch the bands behaviour!! Managed to get a boot of the gig years later, not the best audience recording I've ever heard but a cherished one due to it being my first Stranglers gig.

Setlist- Non Stop, Threatened, Just Like Nothing On Earth, Second Coming, The Man They Love To Hate, Meninblack, Who Wants The World?, Baroque Bordello, Golden Brown, Tramp, Thrown Away, Tank, I Feel Like A Wog, Let Me Introduce You To The Family, Nuclear Device, Genetix, Nubiles (Cocktail), Bring On The Nubiles, Duchess, The Raven.

[parasiteinblack]

Anyone know if there's a bootleg of Guilfest 2002? That was mine.
I was so excited that they played Mine All Mine, I was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to release a new album.

[spen]

Sunderland, when Headline & The Tea Set supported. A brilliant night, the MIB had just been released from Nice prison & were obviously up for it. I felt sorry for one lad who tried to grab JJs bass & got a kick in the head for his trouble!
A brilliant night, Hugh was particularly stroppy on stage, which gave the band a lot of menace. JJ was JJ, naturally stroppy... fantastic.

[Freddie Laker]

30 years ago today, Finsbury Park Rainbow.
October 19th 1979 is one of those dates I'll never forget.
The first of many many happy evenings out in the company of this superb band and and their legendary fans.

[yongkuk]

Sunderland, when Headline & The Tea Set supported. A brilliant night, the MIB had just been released from Nice prison & were obviously up for it. I felt sorry for one lad who tried to grab JJs bass & got a kick in the head for his trouble!
A brilliant night, Hugh was particularly stroppy on stage, which gave the band a lot of menace. JJ was JJ, naturally stroppy... fantastic.

Was that at the Lacarno?

[paulwilko]

30 years ago today, Finsbury Park Rainbow.
October 19th 1979 is one of those dates I'll never forget.
The first of many many happy evenings out in the company of this superb band and and their legendary fans.

Same as me, can't believe how quick 30 years has gone. It is still the best gig I've ever seen.

[burt in black]

cant remember the exact date or anything of my first gig, i know it was at the royal concert hall in nottingham..and it was paul roberts
they had the pull down seats but i can remember no being ble to see so my dad stood me on a seat.
i can remember being fascinated with these green rats flying around(green lights but were rats looked really cool)
we met stewart pearce at that gig aswell as he's an avid fan..or was..
i think it was that gig where i met jj aswell(always jelouse of my sis and parents as one time they went to like their hotel where they were staying how cool)
i was always too young to go with them as my sis is older than me so i missed out quite a few times..

[magnus]

Gothenburg at the University, sometimes around 1984, think it was the Aural Sculpture tour because I remember them starting of with the Manifesto.
They had these microphones attached to the head and over the mouth instead of the usual ones. Looked a bit weird if you ask me...

Anybody else remember the mic´s?

/Magnus

[PaulinLondon]

They had these microphones attached to the head and over the mouth instead of the usual ones. Looked a bit weird if you ask me...

Anybody else remember the mic´s?

/Magnus

Good evening Magnus.

I share your view on this.

At the time, JJ and Hugh did look good dancing around the stage with the headphone microphones but I soon began to dislike the lack of the microphone stands. The stage was missing something. I also developed this annoying (for me) concern that if I was brand new to the band and this was my first gig, who might be singing which song ? It was difficult at times to see who was mouthing what, especially if you did not know the songs as a fan.

The experiment was interesting but in summary, it was not a Stranglers stage because I (we ?) missed the two microphone stands relatively close together, one pitched at that special and unique angle. The microphone stand to the left was called “JJ”. The microphone stand to the right was called “Hugh”. That was very important at the time, especially when the stage was set for the main act. Jet's kit, Dave's rig, those two microphone stands and torch lights in the wings......

[villainblack]

cant remember the exact date or anything of my first gig, i know it was at the royal concert hall in nottingham..and it was paul roberts
they had the pull down seats but i can remember no being ble to see so my dad stood me on a seat.
i can remember being fascinated with these green rats flying around(green lights but were rats looked really cool)
we met stewart pearce at that gig aswell as he's an avid fan..or was..
i think it was that gig where i met jj aswell(always jelouse of my sis and parents as one time they went to like their hotel where they were staying how cool)
i was always too young to go with them as my sis is older than me so i missed out quite a few times..

Stuart is still a fan, had a chat with him at Birmingham on the S16 tour, top bloke, he stood at the back, during the gig

[painter in black]

Nice to read stories about seeing the band for the first time! In my dreams I saw the band the first time, in a pub like the railway tavern in november 1975, still unknown and with a mix from their own songs and covers, however this is not according to the facts.They played in Amsterdam in Paradiso in 1977(on several occasions) but I was to young to attend. I read about it in the newspapers and also that it went a bit rough, with the Hells Angels etc. And all tough I was quite an early fan (indeed since late 1977),my first chance to see them came in 1985 when they played in Vredenburg in Utrecht. It was 23th March. At that time I was studying art in my hometown Enschede (near the German border) but I had family who lived in Utrecht. And although at Art school and with the intention to take some friend with me, in the end I went alone.
In retrospective it wasn't the Stranglers at their peak. I liked all their albums but found it very difficult to get into Aural Sculpture. It was a bit to commercial in my opinion, and also the brass, the sound was clear but their were hardly any interesting instrumental interactions on it (keyboards nor guitarsolo's and what happened to JJ's bass?). Anyway it was still The Stranglers!
The concert however impressed me a lot. It was a huge concert hall and the gig was a nearly sell out. What I learned from that gig was that the new songs fitted good and the difference with older songs was not that huge as I expected, as live outings are always better (at least with Stranglers that is). Except on Skin deep, I think that the recent renditions (without brass) are far superior. In 1986 on november the 6th I went again to Vredenburg, this time a friend went along and he became a bit off a fan, since then we attended most Stranglers-gigs together whenever they played in Holland and also in 1995 in London. My last concert untill now was Olympia Paris with my girlfriend, next one will be Leuven in March, looking forward to it (hope Jet will be there, liked Ian Barnard but Jet is so important so..).

[Alexinblack]

My firts gig was the Canterbury festival they played a few years ago. We stayed in the same hotel as the Stranglers and the Damned.