I had heard a lot of good reviews from members of this forum about the Straighten Out tribute band gigs, so when I saw that they were coming to Wales, I immediately booked a couple of tickets for myself and my son to go and see them. My son is 24 and has been a fan of the Stranglers for most of his life, due to the fact that I always have their songs playing in the car, so he has become indoctrinated!
Last night, Straighten Out played their first gig in Wales at the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd. It is a small venue and the audience was a bit light in numbers and were also a bit slow in getting into the gig, but by as the 2 hour set progressed, everyone was having a brilliant time.
The bass was very high in the mix, reminding me of the Stranglers sound in the early days. Unfortunately, the guitar was too low in the mix, which meant that we weren’t able to hear all of the quirky Hugh solos being played last night. The band played a faithful version of each of the songs and, as was often the case in the early days, the songs were played at a good speed and with plenty of attitude.
The band opened with I Feel Like a Wog, followed by Nuclear Device which was beautiful segued into Toiler on the Sea. What a way to start! The set list was from the first 4 albums only, with the exception of Thrown Away. Their choice of songs was a joy and included Ugly, Princess of the Streets, Sweden, Peasant in the Big Shitty, Curfew, The Raven, Who Wants the World and to round off the evening, an incredible rendition of Down in the Sewer.
If the Stranglers are looking to create a ‘classic’ set list for next March, they would do well to look at what Straighten Out played last night.
My son has been to a number of Stranglers gigs with me in recent years, but he said that after seeing Straighten Out, he now has a sense of what the excitement at the early gigs must have been like and why the Stranglers became such a cult band. A great evening and well worth people going along to see Straighten Out if ever the plays in a town near you.
Straighten Out - Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd
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Re: Straighten Out - Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd
Yes, it was a jolly good evening. Its actually a fair size venue - think its a 400 capacity and far two big for SO. A great set list as usual and a rather good pint of scrumpy there too!
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Re: Straighten Out - Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd
Glad you enjoyed it
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Re: Straighten Out - Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd
Gutted I missed their first visit to Wales...I was up in Skegness at Butlins
Would be great if we could get them to play at Caerphilly Workmen's Hall where The Rezillos played in April this year - great venue for bands.
Would be great if we could get them to play at Caerphilly Workmen's Hall where The Rezillos played in April this year - great venue for bands.