Here's young Hugh in London on this Day in 2006. Somewhere between 'Beyong Elysian Fields' and 'Hoover Dam', Hugh was again experimenting with set construction. At this time it was a case of Stranglers's material alternating with solo songs. Around this time, I recall Hugh saying that by ordering the set in this way, the contingent of his audiences who were only there to see him as an ex-Strangler would only ever have three minutes to wait until the next Stranglers installment.
Having seen Hugh play on many occasions it's sometimes difficult not to feel for the guy. It is almost as if he has a love/hate relationship with his Stranglers back catalogue. Since stepping out as a solo artist outside of The Stranglers in 1991 I am sure that above all else he wants to be admired for what ever new music he was making, but try as he might (and he did in the early shows) to get away from his musical past, it has been next to impossible. He either gives the audience what they want i.e. a heavy dose of Stranglers' material or accept that if he doesn't he will have to endure constant calls from the audience for 'Hanging Around' or 'Peaches'! I am sure that he would rather be in the position whereby he could have a set of 90% of solo material with just a few songs thrown as treats for the fans. Paul Weller does this very well.... if you wanna hear The Jam, go and see Bruce's band!
On the other hand, to cull the Stranglers material would run the risk of significantly reducing the audience. It is interesting that Hugh tends to your in the autumn whereas The Stranglers tend to tour the UK in March (or at least have done for a number of years now). Maybe this is deliberate... avoid touring clashes and maximise your potential audience that to a large extent is one and the same as that who are seeing The Stranglers.
At the end of the day, as Hugh has stated himself, it is right and proper that he has a sence of pride in the songs that the band put together and long may he continue to play them.
The surprise track on this recording is 'Bear Cage'!
WAV: https://we.tl/t-rg2QC8ZrNF
Artwork: https://we.tl/t-Qp1BRuPqHt (artwork splits discs after Black Hair, Black Eyes, Black Suit).
01. Duchess02. Leave Me Alone
03. Nice ‘N’ Sleazy
04. First Bus To Babylon
05. Goodbye Toulouse
06. Picked Up By The Wind
07. Hanging Around
08. Hot Cat On A Tin Roof
09. Bear Cage
10. Black Hair, Black Eyes, Black Suit
11. Always The Sun
12. Nerves Of Steel
13. Nuclear Device
14. Putting You In The Shade
15. Walk On By
16. No More Heroes
17. Dark Side Of The Room
18. Down In The Sewer
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