Atlantis Alkmaar Netherlands 24th February 1997

DomP has gifted the site another great recording to which he has applied some audio noodling to achieve a version of this Mk. II gig that is streets ahead of the previous version that I uploaded to the site both in terms of format (FLAC versus MP3) and quality. I have also now added artwork.

For enthusiasts of this era of the band this will be a gem. With Paul and John performing the majority of the song writing on 'Written In Red', this dynamic was logically translated into the live set. Never before or since has a Stranglers set deviated so much from the 'classic Stranglers' and for that reason this is a good recording to bag as some of the songs in the set are unlikely to make a reappearance. Did 'In A While' ever get played anywhere else?

As mentioned in the first posting of this gig, Alkmaar served as the forerunner of the Wonky Bus excursions. It is evident from Paul's comments during the gig that the UK travelling contingent took over the front of the gig.

Thanks for answering the call Dom, some more Roberts era material was what I was looking for to balance up the audio record somewhat.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-tNaXOOJPe8Dy560L

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-46XudTkFrzjQNuOx

The March Violets 100 Club London 2026 - A Review

 

It was another day on which temperature records toppled in South East England and with the prospect of spending the evening in one of the most famed basements in London, try as I might I could not remember how good or how bad the A/C in the 100 Club is. This is despite the fact that I was only last there about three weeks ago. In the event it wasn't an issue at all as on arrival at the venue we discovered that the air con is indeed up to the job and the temperature noticeably dropped with each descending step into the venue.

We were late arriving due rail signal failure on the way into London so we entered part way through the support act's set. They were called Moth Slut. A new name on me, but Mo assured us that they, a Manchester band, have built up quite a following in the city. Visually, very striking to say the lest, musically they were quite good. They certainly made an impressive noise for a duo.

Moth Slut

100 Club London

26th June 2026

If I was ignorant of the band, the audience certainly weren't. They were very well received both on and off the stage as quite a gothic gaggle crowded their merch stand as the band completed their set.

This summer, as part of the annual Record Store Day event, The March Violets' 'Natural History' early singles compilation was reissued in remastered form. To mark this, the band were playing under a 'Natural History', or rather an 'Unnatural History' banner, playing the album in its entirety. The only downside to this is that when bands play album themed shows, additional room needs to be created in the set and songs must drop out. Material from the current album, 'Crocodile Promises' (the album that brought me back to the band) was cut down to one track, 'Hammer The Last Nail'. But that was OK because a 'Natural History' set would be faster and punkier than much of what followed.

So, the March Violets took to the stage and a metallic clatter announced the start of 'Long Pig' before the drum machine and Tom Ashton's guitar kicked in. Next came two tracks that bookend the band's career to date, the brilliant 'Religious As Hell' (1982) and 'Hammer The Last Nail' (2024). Then a leap back to the start with 'Children On Stun' and 'Fodder', two excellent work outs for drum (machine) and bass. Not sure what the thing was about Leeds and drummers... whatever it was, at the start of the 1980's they seemed to be very thin on the ground as a clutch of local post-punk bands (The Violets, The Sisters Of Mercy, Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry...) opted for a drum machine. In these early songs, Tom Ashton's guitar work really comes to the fore, angular and shimmery. Looking at on-line discussions on the band's back catalogue there are more than one comparison to the style of the late, great John McGeogh, which is in there, but I too can hear something along the lines of John McKay's playing on the early Banshees material.

Grooving in green!

Rosie explained that 'Radiant Boys' was the first song that the band wrote and it was dedicated to all in the audience... radiant irrespective of gender. And that is an important point. I have not been to see many bands that are so closely associated with the goth scene.... The Damned and The Banshees don't really count on that score. But I have to say that it's very refreshing to see people out for a gig night out being completely comfortable in that scene, amongst like minded people, with no fear of being singled out for being different. It's really healthy. As we become more polarised in the UK, I often think about Sophie Lancaster who was murdered for going her own thing (whilst doing no harm) by morons without the wit to understand a different outlook on life. Good for the people in the 100 Club last night for following their own path and ignoring the shit. That said, I am not about to turn goth, I have neither the cheekbones or hairline to carry it off these days and the eyeliner pencil was set aside some time back in the early '90s. I'm sticking to a black wardrobe though!

She's behind you!

The crowd took some time to really warm up (in actual fact, so efficient were the air conditioning units in the place that it was bordering on being cold!), but all were up for it when Rosie announced two more songs. First came 'Made Glorious', a great song from the debut album of the same name. It is a debut despite being released in 2013... the 'Natural History' album being a compilation of earlier released material. That was followed by a spirited 'Snake Dance'. But of course there would be another encore as no one was going to leave before hearing 'Walk Into The Sun' which closed a highly enjoyable set.

It was a great gig once again... I just wish that I had got to see them on one of the occasions that they played Brighton back in the day.

Manchester Academy 9th November 1994

 

So, here we have a recording from 1994's 'Body Search' mini tour with the 'About Time' album on the horizon, but just out of sight for now. Many thanks to Yesican for sharing this one with the site!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-HkBBm6D9Gtztx7N2

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-fuPrEGZ1LX83FwHG

The March Violets Coasters Brighton 13th November 1983

 

Tonight the 100 Club plays host to The March Violets. When we saw them last year at Oslo in Hackney, it also coincided with the hottest day of the year. I wonder what the interior of the 100 Club will be like!

This is a recording from my home turf that features Cleo Murray on vocals who took on vox duties from part way through 1983 to the initial demise of the band.

I recall Coasters, but not as a music venue. I went there once or twice in the mid-'80's. It was a dreadful night club and I was never one for such places as right from the beginning my preference would always be a gig in the back room of a pub. 

On this occasion they were touring as support to Danse Society.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-XM7FsRmWBN7nVdkF

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-27EcsJRzvybwVmiD

Xmal Deutschland Heaven London 25th June 1984

 

An anniversary gig here, forty two years ago Xmal Deutschland played the Heaven Club in London. Today, as the we try to cope with sweltering temperatures (generally fairly ineptly), a few of Xmal's  goth-esque tunes bring with them a chill Hamburg wind.... if your imagination is up to it that is. It was also Anja's birthday a few days ago.

A nice recording of the band at what was probably their peak.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-CjGhPhxVFV4DNg5q

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-aK4SkiwFvusOwKTV

The Stranglers - A Review by Chas de Whalley (Sounds 8th January 1977)

I chanced upon another early review of the band at The Nashville Rooms in Kensington. Appearing in the 8th January issue of Sounds, Chas de Whalley, a champion of the band right from the beginning, once again waxes lyrically about the appeal of their dark and dirty psychedelia.

Now, the Nashville was almost a second home to The Stranglers throughout 1976. Most notably they played the Kensington venue on 19th December 1976, a gig that was recorded with a view to release as the band's debut LP. In the event, as we all know, the album, 'Dead On Arrival', was effectively 'Dead Prior to Departure', its release being vetoed by the band on the grounds that they did not consider it to be sufficiently representative of the band live at that time. The gig was advertised without reference to the support on the night.

The Burning Up Time Forum indicates that support on the night of the live recording was TRB. 

In de Whalley's review the support is very evidently Chelsea. So when precisely did this gig take place? Appearing on 8th January, one can assume the gig occurred some time between 10th December 1976 and the first week of January 1977.

Another Nashville review published in Music Weekly on 18th December (here), assumed to be related to the gig on 10th (although the article refers to a Saturday, assumed to be an error as the gig occurred on a Friday) makes no reference to the support band.

The close of 1976 into 1977 saw the following Stranglers gigs (according to NME listings):

Saturday 11th December support to Deaf School (Friars Aylesbury)
Monday 13th December with Nobodaddy (Tiffany's Edinburgh)
Thursday 16th December headline Mags Head High Wycombe
Friday 17th December headline Peterborough Technical College
Sunday 2nd January 1977 Pink Faries/The Stranglers/Little Bob Story (Roundhouse)

The Burning Up Time Forum states  that the band appeared once more at the Nashville in a pre-Christmas gig (23rd December) supported by Racing Cars.

The ad as it appears in NME makes reference to Racing Cars only.

So my question is who supported The Stranglers at The Nashville on 10th December 1976? If it was TRB then when did this gig with support from Chelsea happen? 

There was another gig at the Nashville on 21st November 1976 (again with no reference to the support in the gig listing), but it seems unlikely that this would only get written up in a January 1977 issue.

Any ideas?

One thing seems certain... when Chas refers to JJ in eyeliner and ripped shirt... this would be his view of the stage!

Preston Guild Hall 14th February 1985

 

I mentioned in my last post that on occasion Aural Sculptors is host to an exclusive and here is one courtesy of the master of the remaster, DomP. Many thanks my friend. This is a lively gig, probably on account of it being just the fourth gig of a sizable UK tour. By the time I got to see them in Brighton on the last night, they would have been knackered!

Here's Dom with his own words on the recording:

'An extraordinary Valentine’s Day audience tape of The Stranglers on day four of the Sculpture tour in the north of England.

A bad night for Dave’s synths, Hugh chunters away between songs and there is a kerfuffle in one of the tracks where JJ puts down his bass and sorts something, or someone, out. Some of the most violent versions of the "older" tracks you'll hear from this era. An angry wonky classic.

This took a while to master as I couldn't quite tune in, then it clicked that it was recorded from distance, so once I figured out the hall acoustics all was good. Imagine you're listening from up on high, looking down....'

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-pObJi7sJTFhahz3C

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-FWB1JPXfdBOebAU6