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.


Saturday, 6 September 2025

Gene Is The Singer - Chelsea Is The Band (Chelsea In Germany July 2025)

Octoberfest came early this year! Gene and his merry men were busy across Europe entertaining audiences at festivals and at their own headline gigs. The tour included several dates in Germany and here are two of them. 

Chelsea truely are part of the creation story around the birth of the London punk scene. They have been a consistent presence (albeit sometimes sporadic) on the live circuit. They never enjoyed the elevated status that was to be confirmed on their fellow pioneers such as The Clash, The Damned and the Pistols, and I don't think that kind of lionization would have been welcomed anyway.

I  think I have said this before on the site, whilst Chelsea may have a 1976 vintage, it is their 1982 album 'Evacuate' that is generally considered to represent the band's musical high point and I would concur with that, but if you consider the two sets athat are presented here, they were never short of some great tunes beyond the 'Evacuate' material, 'Urban Kids', 'High Rise Living', 'I'm On Fire'...

Chelsea are one of a handful of first wave bands that are preparing for the big birthday next year... 50 years as a band. Catch them if you can.

Many thanks to the Aural Sculptors' German correspondents, Peter for the audio and David Devant for the photographs. Always highly appreciated!






Chelsea at Sonic Ballroom, Cologne 3rd July 2025
(Photo: David Devant)






Chelsea at Wageni, Bochum 4th July 2025
(Photo: David Devant)





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