Swiss dates for 2027

[ThinkTank]

I think the authenticity comes from being the song writer and lead singer and the guitarist of those songs whereas Baz for instance has had no input in to those songs at all.

Whereas I'm really using "authentic" to mean "sounds like it always did", and I suspect many of the audience would use the same definition. Yes, I know the voice is different on the songs that Baz now sings, let's face it, it's different on the songs that JJ still sings because he's much older than he was when he originally sung them. And you can apply the same to Hugh's voice, it's not the same as it was, either by choice or through the natural ageing process. But for me, the band achieve a more authentic sound.

I think you mean they portray the song more accurately but i don't think you can say its authentic.

[aldinblack]

Maybe Baz meant its his least liked album to play, its got weird time signatures is that right ? I bet he loves listening to it, its got to be one of the most Stranglers sounding album it seems to have a little personality of all of the originals rolled in to that one album.

How can any fan not love that album.

Maybe Baz meant its his least liked album to play, its got weird time signatures is that right ? I bet he loves listening to it, its got to be one of the most Stranglers sounding album it seems to have a little personality of all of the originals rolled in to that one album.

How can any fan not love that album.

"The Stranglers Sound"- that is a topic all of itself!
I prefer to think of it as something like this:

The original "Stranglers sound" was that "pub rocky" one - pre Rattus even - which then spilled into Rattus/Heroes and got "punked up" a bit.
B&W saw the end of that and was the gateway into the next "Stranglers sound" which is where Raven & Meninblack sit.
I'll stop there.

I'll guess that, like many people, Baz was a fan of that original sound. Up until and including B&W. He probably enjoyed playing Live X Cert too.

Did he ever seriously get into The Raven when it first came out ? Or anything after that?
I can't imagine it.

He would've discovered everything later on of course..

I could be totally wrong btw!

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In 1979 i was still at school i bought The Raven Album second hand off my mate and he only bought it because he liked Duchess and he sold it to me because he said it was just weird !!!! When i played it it was just brilliant i just couldn't see how it could be weird at all i thought it was amazing

I think most people not accustomed to The Stranglers sound see that album as weird. Didn't the band lose quite a bit of support at the time because of The Raven? Later in years fans got used to it as in the music polls at the time The Raven was voted the best song by the band for a while.

Ok, well I still can't be sure exactly what you really mean re the"Stranglers Sound", because to me they changed their sound a number of times. Of course if you were familiar enough with them you'd always recognise that "Stranglers character" within their playing/singing that ran across the board.

Even so there is no denying that The Raven is a completely different sounding beast to Rattus or Heroes.

It took me a couple of plays to get into it and realise how great it was!
(The Gospel took me a bit longer

Perhaps the best example is going from The Gospel to La Folie - wasn't that a massive sound change?

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[ThinkTank]

"The Stranglers Sound"- that is a topic all of itself!
I prefer to think of it as something like this:

The original "Stranglers sound" was that "pub rocky" one - pre Rattus even - which then spilled into Rattus/Heroes and got "punked up" a bit.
B&W saw the end of that and was the gateway into the next "Stranglers sound" which is where Raven & Meninblack sit.
I'll stop there.

I'll guess that, like many people, Baz was a fan of that original sound. Up until and including B&W. He probably enjoyed playing Live X Cert too.

Did he ever seriously get into The Raven when it first came out ? Or anything after that?
I can't imagine it.

He would've discovered everything later on of course..

I could be totally wrong btw!

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In 1979 i was still at school i bought The Raven Album second hand off my mate and he only bought it because he liked Duchess and he sold it to me because he said it was just weird !!!! When i played it it was just brilliant i just couldn't see how it could be weird at all i thought it was amazing

I think most people not accustomed to The Stranglers sound see that album as weird. Didn't the band lose quite a bit of support at the time because of The Raven? Later in years fans got used to it as in the music polls at the time The Raven was voted the best song by the band for a while.

Ok, well I still can't be sure exactly what you really mean re the"Stranglers Sound", because to me they changed their sound a number of times. Of course if you were familiar enough with them you'd always recognise that "Stranglers character" within their playing/singing that ran across the board.

Even so there is no denying that The Raven is a completely different sounding beast to Rattus or Heroes.

It took me a couple of plays to get into it and realise how great it was!
(The Gospel took me a bit longer

Perhaps the best example is going from The Gospel to La Folie - wasn't that a massive sound change?

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I would say the change of style was huge but you can still hear that its Hugh singing , JJ bass playing, Daves unmistakable keys and well most wont agree with me here but i am not too sure i can for sure know its Jets drumming, but i know the drumming on La Folie is sublime and i think its brilliant and it really lifts those songs. Obviously i know its Jet but drumming can be hard to identify is what i mean

So very often the style and sound is used interchangeably to describe why it doesn't matter who is behind the band today and why the originals were seamlessly replaced but the originals had a unique sound but they changed styles significantly between albums is how i would describe it .

It took a while for me to get into Gospel as well the songs i found easy to get into and was my favourites Waltz (hate it now though) , JLNOE ,Two Sunspots , Hallow , Thrown Away so plenty to keep me coming back and slowly over the years the others fell in to place as well. The albums that last the longest are usually the ones that don't have the full instant appeal. The album when opened up was just so ancient looking and with the religious connotations made is so mysterious at the time.

Character is great description of them and that is unique as well.

[nickinblack]

Hugh's done a Rattus set in the past.The Stranglers have done a Rattus set in the past.I've seen both before.Can't get too excited about that at all.

I've never seen Hugh do a No More Heroes set.That could tie in.English Towns,Bitching,School Mam.Hmm.More appealing.

The Stranglers playing 6 or seven new songs is more appealing.Every year is a 1977 nostalgia year pretty much or so it feels.

[toilerinblack]

Its a Start' will be interesting to see what drops next, 27' is a big important year. (50 years of punk) and (Rattus/Heroes)
50th Aniversary.

Yes hopefully they may play a few new numbers out on the audience too,we know they like to do that before any new album will be released as studio songs,try them out on the public first and next year in '27 could just well see a new song or two slotted into the set as well...?.or maybe not especially If they haven't completed one yet fully.....lol

Time will tell.

But good to see them still going strong into another year.


At least another album each could be on the cards, well defo hugh anyway.
Hugh and the stranglers are still going head to head year in year out,but hugh is slowly winding the live act down what with the final acoustic sets coming up but is still going strong as a three piece.

One could imagine Hugh stopping before the band but who knows.

[Ruby]

One could imagine Hugh stopping before the band but who knows.

Who cares ? It doesn't matter who quits first.Not to me anyway

[theraven1979]

Hugh did Heroes on the Totem tour. I hope we don't get another full album performance again. I think it deserves a nod back to that legendary year but a track from Rattus and a track from Heroes is enough.


Jim

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[kenl]

Hugh did Heroes on the Totem tour. I hope we don't get another full album performance again. I think it deserves a nod back to that legendary year but a track from Rattus and a track from Heroes is enough.


Jim

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Yes, and the Heroes album performance wasn’t great. Not because of Hugh, but the poor keyboards.

[ThinkTank]

Hugh did Heroes on the Totem tour. I hope we don't get another full album performance again. I think it deserves a nod back to that legendary year but a track from Rattus and a track from Heroes is enough.


Jim

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Yes, and the Heroes album performance wasn’t great. Not because of Hugh, but the poor keyboards.

I wasn't at those gigs but listening to Live at the Vera i thought he did those songs really excellent but not being at the gigs and only hearing the studio versions i know there could have been mixed to sound better than they really were .
School Mam was great it was miles better than when he did it with the band back in 1990 and even Bitching i would never thought i would say it but it was really great sounding as was the rest of the songs on the album.

I am clearly though in the minority and it is strange to think Hugh seems to always stubbornly do this when his bread and butter (the fans) are saying they want keyboards for example but he continues to play with out them. It really feels like at times that Hugh is really out of touch with his potential audiences but at least he is consistent as he was similar when he was in the band.

[theraven1979]

English Towns live is the b side to God Is A Woman and it's very good (probably on Spotify if you haven't heard it)

I was on that tour and I thought it was pretty good. The keyboard bits I think were to give the vibe of that sound rather than to be a Dave Greenfield replacement.

Hugh's vocals were particularly great in the Heroes songs. Not sure if a bootleg exists of that tour

Jim

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[toilerinblack]

One could imagine Hugh stopping before the band but who knows.

Who cares ?

Hugh fans....and some stranglers fans too i wouod imagine,especially if you do see him live and enjoy his music....

Any real fan wouldn't want either to stop playing live,but time is ever getting nearer.

To me when Hugh stops that's fine I just hope he still continues on with new recordings at some point that would be great and hopefully for me anyway alternatively him not settling for another novel ot two with pipe and slippers and a coco before bed lol

I for one am not a fictional novel ready never have been as that does nothing for me personally,non fiction biographies yes I'm there,real facts and figures.

For me it's Hugh the musician that mkes me a fan of his still and if MOM is anything to go by then bring on the next album as his writing is still of an exceptionally high standard, quite amazing after 50 odd years.

So yes for me as a hugh fan i would be more than interested and would want to know when he finally stops gigging.

[db63]

Hugh still relevant,watched him in Chester few weeks ago still got it.