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.


Wednesday 25 November 2015

The Models John Peel Session 4th July 1977


There's something for you that is very short but sweet. The models took one part of the punk ethic to heart..... make your mark and don't overstay your welcome. They made but one single, 'Freeze' in 1977, but what a single it was.

Here's the Peel session they did for Uncle John in July of that year.

Of the line up two of these guys went on to greater success with the 'Kings Of The Wild Frontier' incarnation of The Ants.

Cliff Fox (Guitar, Lead Vocals)
Marco (Lead Guitar)
Mick Allen (Bass, Vocals)
Terry Day (Drums)

FLAC: http://we.tl/RfuRnpjK1A

01. Man Of The Year
02. Censorship
03. Brainwash
04. Freeze



Various Stranglers Related Interviews - by Malcolm Wyatt



A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a guy called Malcom Wyatt, a freelance blogger with a healthy interest in The Stranglers. Looking at his site there are a number of interviews conducted over the last couple of years with individual band members as well as that Hugh bloke.

They can be found here. (starts with Hugh - other links are at the bottom of the article)

Wednesday 18 November 2015

Ruts DC Sonic Ballroom Cologne 29th September 2015



I'm very happy to get my grubby little paws on this one. A recording of the band on the European leg of their current tour is always gonna be a treat, but this goes one step further in that it showcases new material that will be included on their new album, most notably 'Surprise' and 'Psychic Attack', songs which have had their first blooding on this tour. Setting aside the trademark dub reggae for a while, the new album returns to rock and promises to be a worthy successor to 1981's dark masterpiece 'Animal Now'.

Many thanks to the original taper for recording and sharing!

The link to the Pledge campaign can be found here.

WAV: http://we.tl/cI1DQJNVSL

Artwork: http://we.tl/tbKAhg9UDY

01. Surprise
02. Whatever We Do
03. Mighty Soldier
04. Backbiter
05. It Was Cold
06. No Time To Kill
07. Mirror Smashed
08. Dangerous Minds
09. Secondhand Child
10. Sus
11. West One (Shine On Me)
12. Psychic Attack
13  Love In Vain/Police & Thieves
14. Jah War
15. Different View
16. Staring At The Rude Boys
17. Babylon's Burning
18. Brand New Cadillac
19. In A Rut
20. Society


Sunday 15 November 2015

Newtown Neurotics Rebellion Festival Blackpool 8th August 2015


Here's The Neurotics at this year's Rebellion Festival at The Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Many thanks to the original taper!!

WAV: http://we.tl/ajJgYhkaRe

Artwork: http://we.tl/6v4StUruun

01. The Mess
02. Get Up And Fight
03. Mindless Violence
04. Keep The Faith
05. Newtown People
06. Does Anybody Know Where The March Is?
07. When The Oil Runs Out
08. Kick Out The Tories
09. Living With Unemployment

Le Bataclan 25th March 2010


Clearly, this post does not require much of an introduction. Today Le Bataclan, a venue with a long history of entertaining the Parisian population, stands scarred after the events of Friday night.

The Stranglers also have a long history with the venue with their most recent visit being this one from 5 years ago. This was a double celebration. The second Wonky Bus tour had rolled into town and the gig marked Baz Warne's birthday.


 JJ Burnel
Le Bataclan 25th March 2010

 Baz accepts his birthday greetings

Le Bataclan in happier times
25th March 2015

FLAC: http://we.tl/jDHw9Wbx8n

Artwork: http://we.tl/9pV25RhVQm

01. Intro
02. Time To Die
03. Go Buddy Go
04. (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
05. Curfew
06. Happy Birthday Baz!
07. Norfolk Coast
08. Skin Deep
09. Always The Sun
10. Strange Little Girl
11. Golden Brown
12. Walk On By
13. Retro Rockets
14. Toiler On The Sea
15. Nice 'N' Sleazy

01. Peaches
02. Lost Control
03. Spectre Of Love
04. Nuclear Device
05. Duchess
06. Down In The Sewer
07. Encore Break
08. 5 Minutes
09. Something Better Change
10. No More Heroes