The Stranglers - Back to a Sold Out crowd in Bristol!

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Don't walk on by, The Stranglers are still out to impress!

The Stranglers are now what must be considered the veterans of the Post Punk bands still doing the circuit. A lot of acts from their generation have gone by the wayside by they are still bringing in the fans and it is not hard to see why when they have such a repertoire of tunes. They have always been one of those bands also that have maintained their identity while having a mass appeal without losing their Rock roots.

While Hugh Cornwell the member most people may associate with the band may have moved on twenty years ago the hardcore of the band are still present with thee members having been present in those heady days of the seventies with Jean Jacques Burnel still being on of the front men. Musically they are still as good as they ever were.

A lot of the fans seemed to be ones that have followed them all the way through with a few interested youngsters but young, old or in the middle all had come alike to hear the hits and nobody was disappointed. It is easy to forget what a range of songs they have but from 'Golden Brown' and 'Always the Sun' getting a play during the main set, the encore opened with my favourite; their cover of Dionne Warwick's 'Walk on by' as they truly made the tune their own.

They warped up encore number one with another cover they out their won twice in with an airing if the Kinks 'All Day and all of the night' before they had one more sojourn off stage. The final trip back was the one most people seemed to be waiting for 'No more Heroes' whether of not you actually consider Trotsky one of your heroes or not this is no doubt one of the truly great British tunes that seems to stand the test of time, much as The Stranglers seem to still be doing. Long may they both continue to do so.

Review by Jon Cooper and photo's by Steve Owen 

Check Out! a TOTP performance Video for 'No more Heroes' Below...