Stiff Little Fingers Top Rank Brighton 21st March 1988

Aural Sculptors - The Stranglers Live 1976 to the Present

Welcome to Aural Sculptors, a blog aimed at bringing the music of The Stranglers to as wide an audience as possible. Whilst all of the various members of the band that have passed through the ranks since 1974 are accomplished studio musicians, it is on stage where the band have for me had their biggest impact.

As a collector of their live recordings for many years I want to share some of the better quality material with other fans. By selecting the higher quality recordings I hope to present The Stranglers in the best possible light for the benefit of those less familiar with their material than the hardcore fan.

Needless to say, this site will steer well clear of any officially released material. As well as live gigs, I will post demos, radio interviews and anything else that I feel may be of interest.

In addition, occasionally I will post material by other bands, related or otherwise, that mean a lot to me.

Your comments and/or contributions are most welcome. Please email me at adrianandrews@myyahoo.com.

Sunday, 19 January 2014

Stiff Little Fingers Top Rank Brighton 21st March 1988

Having decided to 'Go For It Again' in December 1987 with a handful of dates culminating with a homecoming Belfast gig at the Ulster Hall, in early '88 they toured further afield.

The Top Rank was a good venue, a stone's throw from the front and nestling amongst some of Brighton's naff night clubs. I recall that after the gig, the area outside the venue, shared with just such a night club, the pavement resembled the aftermath of a battle with steaming punks lying all around. The disco kids had to pick their way through this human mess as they exited the nightclub.

Throughout the gig Jake had to chastise several members of the audience who persisted with the spitting thing.... all rather disgusting!

The date shown in the ad that appeared in the Evening Argus (Brighton's evening newspaper) is incorrect. The ticket (on the reverse of the artwork) carries the correct date of 21st March.

FLAC: http://we.tl/q5TlJEINLQ

Artwork: http://we.tl/ZPG7Kn2VLg

01. Intro
02. Alternative Ulster
03. Wait And See
04. Love Of The Common People
05. Silver Lining
06. Gotta Gettaway
07. Fade Away
08. Piccadilly Circus
09. Listen
10. Gate 49
11. Roots, Radicals, Rockers And Reggae

01. At The Edge
02. Wasted Life
03. Barbed Wire Love
04. Fly The Flag
05. Tin Soldiers
06. The Wild Rover
07. Suspect Device
08. Johnny Was