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.


Sunday, 31 March 2013

Fairytale Of New York..... Shall We Shan't We?.... Ah To Hell With It!


In the last few years we have got very used to an annual sojourn in northern Europe after UK dates courtesy of the Wonky Bus. Sadly, arrangements are different this year, but for many, the appetite for The Stranglers live remains unsated at this point in time.

.... Well there's always America! Gunta and I have struggled over this one since the dates were announced a few weeks ago and even prior to that when all we had was rumours of Stateside dates.

There is of course a lot to consider.

The cost (that's a big one)......
The distance.....
Childcare......
....... etc etc

Luckily, I have the opportunity to get cheaper flights by virtue of a lot of air miles that have been racked up over several years. The childcare arrangements mean that only one gig is feasible here, a shame for sure, but undeniable.

The clincher was the date, 3rd June, meaning that we would still be in New York on 4th June, which happens to be our wedding anniversary. It's not the big one, 19 years, but with a bit of licence, we can do this thing in advance of the 20th anniversary. That's our excuse and we are sticking to it!

So hotel is booked, a pod hotel near to Grand Central Station (where the reviews say that the minuscule size of the room and the glass door to the bathroom mean that to stay in such a place with anyone with whom you have lived with for less than 20 years would be considered to be rather forward!). Flights are in the bag too.

Gunta & Adrian
4th June 1994
 
'TAP INTO AMERICA!'

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