The Stranglers - Rock City, Nottingham 12.03.2018
The Stranglers hit the stage and the crowd erupted singing along to the likes of 'Grip', '15 Steps' and 'Peaches' which was impressive but as soon as 'Golden Brown' started the room went wild and the rendition on the night of that song alone was amazing and made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. (Love it when music has that effect. Thanks guys.)
This was followed by 'Always The Sun' which had the whole room jumping and singing along. With additional oldies such as 'Walk On By', 'Something Better Change' and 'Duchess' delivered with such finesse and the rest of the set equally performed to such a high standard I had to wonder why I had never been to see these guys before. The set finished with 'Tank' and when they came back on for an encore with 'Go Buddy Go' and 'No More Heroes'. As soon as JJ started the opening notes to 'No More Heroes' the crowd went wild.
The band gel perfectly Jean-Jacques Burnel's bass sounds wonderful, what tone and his playing is exceptional, Dave Greenfield's keyboards are mesmerising and played with total ease which he displays by playing a mad solo with one hand and the other is holding a beer he's drinking. Baz Warne's guitar playing is perfect and Jim Macauley now on drums following Jet Black's retirement from touring completes this quality outfit. The main vocals shared between JJ and Baz works well with backing also coming from Dave.
The people in and around the surrounding area of Nottingham were certainly up for this one on what was a cold and monsoon wet evening. This was displayed by the packed venue. The conditions for the evening didnt go unnoticed by the band either, thanking the audience for turning out.
With a vast amount of material to pick from there was a great mix of new and old which went down brilliantly. With very little speaking between songs the band just concentrated on giving the audience a damn good night and they certainly delivered.
The crowd was a surprising mix to be honest, The Stranglers were a band around when I was a kid, yeah I know I'm that old. The crowd was made up of people a certain age like myself but also mixed with a good spread of youngsters which was great to see.
I must admit some of the other songs I hadn't heard but that didnt make the set any less enjoyable, in fact the opposite it reignited my love for a band that I had forgotten. Next time they're in town I'll be there and I suggest if you are thinking about going to see these guys on any of their remaining dates on this 'Definitive tour', just do it you won't regret it. An excellent evening :)
The Stranglers - https://www.facebook.com/thestranglers/
Therapy? - https://www.facebook.com/Therapyofficial/
Photos & Review - Bandshotz
