Manchester Academy 7th November 2008

From 10 years ago tonight The Stranglers in Manchester!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-zPWz71ltpI

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-Aq9f4jwVSt

Head On The Lino

This weekend I put idle hands to work and created some additional lino prints on different card to the usual cream art card that I generally use. Some prints have been done on grey/green and gun metal (grey) card which I think looks quite effective, even if I say so myself.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HeadOnTheLino?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Manchester Academy 3rd November 2007

Meant to post this yesterday as an anniversary gig, but what'd 24 hours here and there! With an ear currently for '76/'77 era material here is Rattus and The Academy for you.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-Knr4xH9b1V

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-jdZqws92gv

01. Audience
02. No More Heroes
03. Ugly
04. Bring On The Nubile
05. Dead Ringer
06. Sometimes
07. Dagenham Dave
08. Goodbye Toulouse
09. Hanging Around
10. 5 Minutes
11. Bitching
12. Burning Up Time
13. I Feel Like A Wog
14. Straighten Out
15. Something Better Change
16. London Lady
17. Peaches
18. (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
19. Go Buddy Go

01. Audience
02. Spectre Of Love
03. Unbroken
04. I Hate You
05. Relentless
06. Duchess

The Nashville Room London 10th December 1976

Every so often when it comes to live recordings of The Stranglers I get taken by surprise. I thought that I had a fairly good understanding of what was out there, especially in terms of the early live stuff, but it seems that this partial set from a very significant gig in the band's history has been in fans collection for some time. This version I am told surfaced on a French web site.

At the close of 1976, with the ink still wet on their newly signed United Artists contract (concluded four days before this gig) the band played the Nashville in West Kensington, a venue pivotal in the development of the punk scene as well as the pub rock scene that preceded it. On the night the services of Vic Maile and the Island mobile studio were secured as the band hoped to emulate the success of Dr Feelgood's 'Stupidity' album (a surprise No. 1 live album for the Canvey four-piece). In the event, the band were not happy with the results and did not believe that it was a good enough reflection of their live sound, so with the exception of one track 'Peasant in the Big Shitty' which featured in the free single given away with initial copies of 'Rattus' the performance of that night had yet to see the light of day.

The recording is listed on EMI's vault database, so one day it is hoped it will get the release that it deserves since whether the four musicians loved it at the time or not, the fact that such a professionally recorded gig exists from a time prior to any releases is hugely exiting!

It has always been strange to me that unlike The Pistols and The Clash, where early gigs are relatively abundant it is not really the case for The Stranglers for whom good quality material from the '76/'77 period is quite rare.

Thanks to the original uploader!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-Y4fQqZuxPe

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-mK88bFIyw6

The Arts Centre Aberystwyth Arts Centre 17th October 2008

10 years to the night, the Stranglers entertain the folk of Aberystwyth on the Forty-two Forty tour. Hello to Doug if you are looking in!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-mXy65jhkCE

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-5VPzsMwtHk

01. Intro
02. (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
03. Five Minutes
04. Peaches
05. Nice 'N' Sleazy
06. Spectre Of Love
07. Skin Deep
08. No Mercy
09. Always The Sun
10. Strange Little Girl
11. Golden Brown
12. The Raven
13. Thrown Away
14. Walk On By
15. Hanging Around
16. Straighten Out
17. Big Thing Coming
18. All Day And All Of The Night
19. Duchess
20. Tank

01. Crowd
02. Nuclear Device
03. Something Better Change
04. No More Heroes

Dave twiddling the knobs in Welsh Wales

Killing Joke Manchester Academy University of Manchester 6th October 2003

Killing Joke touring the 'Killing Joke' album on this day in 2003.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-v5RAMYUZWS

01. Communion
02. Requiem
03. Total Invasion
04. Wardance
05. Blood On Your Hands
06. Change
07. Seeing Red
08. The Fall Of Because
09. Tension
10. The Death And Resurrection Show
11. Kings And Queens
12. Loose Cannon
13. Empire Song
14. The Wait
15. Asteroid

Soft Cell Hammersmith Palais 10th January 1984

Bollocks to the detractors I am posting this with no apologies. Last weekend I took my daughter to see Soft Cell's last hurrah at the horrendous pleasure dome, otherwise known as the O2 Arena. I have a bit of a history with Soft Cell going back to the first appearances of the band on Top of the Pops with 'Tainted Love'. Later in '83  and '84, they released two of my favourite albums of the 1980's, namely 'The Art of Falling Apart' and 'This Last Night in Sodom'. This was at the same time that I was listening to 'Feline' and (albeit slightly later) 'Aural Sculpture' and whilst at that time we were attuning to the more mellow Meninblack, those Soft Cell albums offered an intensity that really wasn't much in evidence at the time. As the band spiraled towards their implosion in a morass of drug fueled paranoia their music shifted from radio friendly poppy bedsit melodramas to full blown primal scream songs of desperation and despair. All good stuff to the ears of a mid-Sussex school boy!

Anyday, give me 'The Art of Falling Apart', 'Baby Doll' or 'Martin' over 'Punch & Judy', 'Mad Hatter' or 'No Mercy'. Love them as I do, at that time I wanted something with more potential to raise the blood pressure. Sadly, these days there is a tendency to look upon Soft Cell as early '80's big chart acts on a par with The Human League, ABC and Ultravox, but there was so much more to them than that.

So, despite the expense I was very happy to see Soft Cell one more time at their last ever gig. All respect to Marc and Dave!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-iPI7GA38uk

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-cuYHjvJG8S

01. Mr Self Destruct
02. Soul Inside
03. Down In The Subway
04. Torch
05. L'Esqualita
06. Loving You Hating Me
07. Youth
08. Where Was Your Heart (When You Needed It Most)
09. Best Way To Kill
10. Baby Doll
11. Martin
12. The Art Of Falling Apart
13. Hey Joe
14. Purple Haze

01. Memorabilia
02. Heat
03. Bedsitter
04. Ghost Rider