TV Smith Kirche Von Unten Berlin 17th May 2002

 

I was kindly sent this recording recently by yesican. Cheers, much appreciated! Visitors to this site will know that I have been a fan of TV Smith for a great many years now. Tim is a man on a mission. Often with arriving at gigs with nothing more than a merch bag and an acoustic guitar in hand, other times with a band in tow.

On this occasion he was solo, playing dates in Switzerland and Germany. According to his extensive tour diaries (this gig is covered in 'How To feel Human Punk Rock Tour Diaries: Volume Two') by the time the support were done, Tim took to the stage at 11.30pm and proceeded to play to a receptive crowd for no less three hours, finally leaving the stage at 2 am, 43 songs later! And what a career spanning set this was from the Adverts, through the Explorers and Cheap, right up to the present.

According to the diaries, our intrepid minstrel was on for three hours sleep before heading to Schoenfeld for a one night in his own London bed before heading to Ireland for a 'Holidays in The Sun' festival appearance on the afternoon of the 19th. Fair play to the man!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-sPLJ1e7DJ0PSqytL

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-QPHHo4RLHyXoNXWz

Hugh Cornwell O2 Academy Islington London 6th November 2018

 

Here's a nice addition from Hugh. A November night in Islington back in 2018. Down to Chatts with a bit of an audio massage from DomP. Many thanks to both!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-wH4iiUwqgYOrxhgO

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-OFvvsCMDpEA0sggC

The Stranglers IV in MLXXVII

 

Far from being a technophobe or a luddite, I like technology and whilst I might be slower on the uptake than some, I generally embrace new technology. AI though for me is in some respects somewhat tedious, both generally and professionally. Nevertheless, it is quite remarkable in its capabilities. I have enjoyed variations based on the Bayeux Tapestry (Medieval Knievel, Saturday Night in Hastings etc), so this one made me smile... Stranglers relevant, very much on topic right now and nicked from another site!

I love the Bayeux Tapestry, it is without doubt one of the greatest historical artifacts that we possess. A few years ago I had the privilege of seeing it in Bayeux... and better still at a fraction of the current British Museum admission price and minus the masses.

Aural Sculptors Passes the 5,000,000 Mark

 

Okay, so it's not going viral Gangnam style, but today Aural Sculptors passed the milestone of 5 million hits. True in the last 12 months much of the monthly visit tally has been courtesy of bots living in a the Nevada desert or on a Beijing industrial estate. I'm okay with that... I can sleep all the better with the knowledge that if Xi Jinping wants to know what kind of punk rock was going down in Wolverhampton on a rainy February night in 1978 he knows exactly the place to come!

Seriously though, whilst its not a huge number, given the years that the site has been up and running, this hit rate has been achieved thanks to a loyal core of visitors that have stuck with the site for many years now. It is the contributions and comments from many of those visitors that keep my interest in Aural Sculptors up and encourages me week in, week out to keep putting stuff up that I hope is marginally stimulating, both to the ears and the eyes.

As always, these milestone posts are an opportunity to encourage sharing with anyone who is minded to do so. The intention was/is to keep a majority focus on the Stranglers, but as highlighted before, the sewer is near drained...

Thanks again for your continued support of the site and I hope that you keep visiting such that we (with maybe a bit of a helping hand from some tech savvy folk in Beijing and Moscow!) hit 10,000,000 at some point in the not too distant future.

Cheers,

Adrian x

Top Secret 30 (July 1991)

 

Next issue of the Top Secret fanzine. Here in PDF.

The Courettes 100 Club London 4th September 2026

 

Another 100 Club night for Gunta and I last night in the company of the eternally touring Courettes, the noisiest couple on the street! Described as the Ronettes meets the Ramones, I would add to that the fact that The Cramps occasionally pop in for tea! The Courettes appeal is not just in the music they play... which is very different... very niche, visually they put on a hell of a show. Martin's drumming ruthlessly pins down Flávia's garage rock guitar as he spirit channels Ringo Starr into the famed Oxford Street basement. I know that technically Ringo's spirit is not yet available for channelling, but you get the point. He plays the kit hard!

The band have so much energy they are exhausting to watch! Whilst the awkward configuration of the 100 Club stage may have restricted Flávia a little bit it did not stop her doing her crowd surfing guitar bit.

'Boom Boom Boom'/'Trash Can Honey'

100 Club, London 4th September 2026

A great night... the support were good to, the punchily named 'Bruno and the Outrageous Methods of Presentation' who we were informed by Mo this morning that we had seem previously (or at least elements in the band) previously at the Lexington in London when they played with Ombudsmen.

'Boom Dynamite'

100 Club, London 4th September 2026

Unfortunately, I cut off the tremendous 'Boom Dynamite' before the end.

Boom... Dynamite!

Espace BASF Paris 29th September 1983

Back to Feline and another French gig from that marathon European jaunt. This gig sees the band back in the capital for the second time in '83. The resumption of the aborted 'Down In The Sewer' required an edit as my original recording broke into some unexpected dance music (now removed). Not the greatest of recordings, but hey, it's Feline in Paris!

WAV: https://we.tl/t-ncdAwHtNxnH6uh8V

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-eF1x74Us9C0gqUWh