Oh, How The English (and the Anglo-French!) Love To Queue

A new photo for me from the Wembley photo session. Admission with a racecard included relates to the use of the stadium as a greyhound track.

Shepherds Bush Empire London 3rd June 1995

Here's a boot that has been requested (sorry I haven't your name) from the first part of the 'About Time' tour in the summer of '95. Notable is the inclusion of 'English Towns' considered by some to be a filler track on the 'No More Heroes' album, but thought of by others, myself included, to be a classic Stranglers track.

MP3 (as received): http://we.tl/DOuHOwYVxo

Artwork: http://we.tl/cmwZdzwaVW

01. Intro (Waltzinblack)
02. (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
03. Golden Boy
04. Bring On The Nubiles
05. Money
06. Nice 'N' Sleazy
07. Face
08. Golden Brown
09. Paradise Row
10. Laughing At The Rain
11. Straighten Out
12. Still Life

01. Lies & Deception
02. Goodbye Toulouse
03. Sinister
04. 5 Minutes
05. Something Better Change
06. Duchess
07. Nuclear Device
08. Go Buddy Go
09. All Day & All Of The Night
10. English Towns
11. Thrown Away
12. Hanging Around

The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Belfast 1st May 2015

Here's a festival set from the beginning of the month when the band crossed over the Irish Sea to play the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast. Many thanks to Ronnie for this one!

MP3 (as received): http://we.tl/EIcc3k8oWl

Artwork: http://we.tl/OrBJV4Zr0N

01. Toiler On The Sea
02. Straighten Out
03. (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
04. I’ve Been Wild
05. Four Horsemen
06. Relentless
07. Baroque Bordello
08. Golden Brown
09. Always The Sun
10. 5 Minutes
11. Freedom Is Insane
12. Time To Die
13. Norfolk Coast
14. I Feel Like A Wog
15. Skin Deep
16. Peaches
17. Time Was Once On My Side
18. Lost Control
19. Duchess
20. Curfew
21. Walk On By
22. No More Heroes

The Rezillos The Dome Brighton 3rd March 2015

From the opening night of the tour, here's Anglo-Scottish pop punkers The Rezillos. Many thanks to Chatts for the recording and Andy Miller for the pictures.

FLAC: http://we.tl/ocR16bZxh1

Artwork: http://we.tl/OLDomveTw6

01 Destination Venus
02 Flying Saucer Attack
03 Groovy Room
04 Sorry About Tomorrow
05 Bad Guy Reaction
06 Tiny Boy
07 Nearly Human
08 Life's A Bitch
09 Good Sculptures
10 Top Of The Pops
11 River Deep Mountain High
12 I Can't Stand My Baby
13 Someone's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight

NEW LINK: Jake Burns and The Big Wheel Bristol 12th February 1984

By request a restored link can be found here.

Grand Hall Kilmarnock 27th March 2015

To my mind this was the best show of the clutch of gigs that I did on the last tour and Chatts has done great justice to it by capturing it in such brilliant quality.

The gig was greatly enhanced by the venue itself. You can stick your generic O2 Academies up your arse, old libraries win out for me every time! On top of the venue, the band have to be complemented. All too often at the end of a long tour, bands are tired and distracted, no doubt having their minds on the home comforts that are now days away. not so on this night as the band were clearly enjoying the moment and that always comes through in the playing.

So thanks again to Chatts for permitting me to repost  this gem on Aural Sculptors. Thanks also goes to MeAnIe for the great artwork.

Enjoy.

FLAC: http://we.tl/HOov2RYdWc

01 Intro-Longships-The Raven
02 Straighten Out
03 Grip
04 I've Been Wild
05 Four Horsemen
06 Relentless
07 Baroque Bordello
08 Golden Brown
09 Always The Sun
10 5 Minutes
11 Freedom Is Insane
12 Time To Die
13 Nice In Nice
14 Norfolk Coast
15 I Feel Like A Wog
16 Skin Deep
17 Dead Ringer
18 Time Was Once On My Side
19 Duchess
20 Lost Control
21 Curfew
22 Down In The Sewer
23 Encore-Peaches
24 Walk On By
25 No More Heroes

Colin Dredd - Newtown Neurotic R.I.P.

It is with sadness that I received the news that Colin Dredd, original bass player of the Newtown Neurotics died this week. I have stated on this site previously that The Neurotics, as they became known, formed the musical backdrop to my political education at a time of miners strike benefits, the Brighton bombing of the Grand and gigs played in the face of fascist skins.

I only saw Colin play with the band once. The first time I tried to see them at the Zap Club in Brighton in 1985, the Neurotics pulled out on account of Steve Drewett having his wisdom teeth pulled out (Attila filled the bill on that occasion). The next opportunity was at The Basement, again in Brighton in January 1986. After that I saw a handful of farewell gigs, by which point Colin had ceased playing live with the band through ill-health (replaced by Mac for these gigs).

When the band again played a handful of gigs in 2005, I chatted to Colin at the venue in Liverpool Street. I may have been a little drunk on this occasion, but nevertheless Colin was charming and genuinely thrilled that I, along with everyone else in that room, had made the effort and were there to see his band.

And that is all I can say really, our acquaintance was fleeting in the extreme, but what he left on record is and has been there for many years and is going nowhere fast.

Thanks Colin!!

Here's the Newtown Neurotics on John Peel in March 1983.

FLAC: http://we.tl/wkATgFGIyy

01. Jimmy Jangle
02. Does Anyone Know Where The March Is?
03. Life In Their Hands
04. Wake Up
05. Agony

The Undertones Stortfest 2015

Paul's set list

The Undertones at Stortfest

It's not everyday that you get to see one of your favourite band's playing five minutes from your front door.... well maybe that's so in London, but it's a novelty here in Hertfordshire. And not only on the doorstep but on our kid's school playing fields! The wonderful Undertones came to Bishops Stortford last weekend to close the annual Stortfest.

Paul McLoone

The Undertones are a band that just make you smile, oh and bellow along until you are hoarse! The medium sized marquee was leaking bodies at the seems as stage time approached, but somehow that 'get to the front' technique worked again and the entire Andrews family found themselves on the barrier. Actually the front was relatively uncrowded (at least where we were located in front of Damian). And so the band ambled on to deliver a blistering set (see photo). No 'There Goes Norman' (always a favourite of mine) but hey, no complaints from me! The band were on great form with the songs punctuated by the easy banter of Mr Bradley, this evening resplendent in a red harrington (who ever said that The Undertones lacked style!).

Damian O'Neill

Here's a great montage of the band (not mine sadly but complete with Gunta and the back of Ramona's head in view during 'Girls Don't Like It').

The footage says more about the gig than I can in words!

The Undertones

Stortfest, Bishops Stortford

3rd May 2015

'Thrill Me'

'It's Going To Happen' & 'Male Model'

Family Entertainment!

Renewed Links By Request - Steenwijkerwold Holland 4th August 2000 and Capital Radio Sessions 1977

NEW LINKS

Steenwijkerwold Holland 4th August 2000: Here
Capital Radio Sessions 1977: Here

Penetration Split Festival Ashbrook Rugby Ground Sunderland 4th October 2009

Here's a short festival set for you from a couple of years back from Penetration. I have only seen them once but I think that they pretty underrated as a band. This set includes their cover of Buzzcock's 'Nostalgia' which appeared on their 1978 debut album 'Moving Targets'. And of course there's 'Don't Dictate' which Pauline describes as Penetration's 'Don't Fear The Reaper'!

Penetration

Split Festival Sunderland 4th October 2009

'Don't Dictate' from many moons ago

Electric Circus, Manchester 1977

(in this footage Pauline wrestles a bottle from a punter who insists on showering her with the contents, the front row does the rest)

FLAC: http://we.tl/EH2GPKlcSM

Artwork: http://we.tl/SLGzalO5sw

NEW LINK - Liverpool University 14th October 1977

Here's a renewed link at the request of Paul who emailed me about the defunct rapidshare link with the following comment

'The Stranglers - Liverpool University 1977 - This gig is where me and my mates were thrown out of the soundcheck because we had bunked in. I then went into Liverpool City Centre and met the girl I married (and am still married to).....'

Paul, a very happy ending and all that but I hope that you at least managed to see some of the soundcheck!

It's here.