New-wave legends The Stranglers celebrated a whopping 50 YEARS in music last year! And they’ve STILL got the pedal to the metal, with what promises to be another incredible run of dates for UK fans this autumn!
On top of sell-out tours across the world, worldwide headline festival slots and huge outdoor shows; including at Southampton Guildhall Square, Lincoln Castle, Warwick’s St Nicholas Park and Dreamland, Margate – their sensational tour to mark FIVE incredible decades saw them take to the stage at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall with a sell-out performance!
The live album that followed, “Fifty Years In Black” made history when it became the band’s 20th top 40 album in the UK! They’ve still got it! Half a century after they formed in 1974!
The band have shared fond memories from back then – including a funny story about their sound at pub shows back in the day – in bassist and frontman Jean-Jacques Burnel’s words: “The only circuit really, that most people aspired to – when you started out anyway – was the pub circuit, which was a big thing in the 70s”.
JJ went on to explain that their equipment was crap, “….it was blowing up all the time”, he said – “…I couldn’t hear myself. I had a 100 watt train set amp to power a big 15 inch Carlsbro speaker, so it didn’t cut through. I was being drowned out by Hugh and Dave – and Jet to some degree. So I just changed the sound so it could cut through in a smelly, sweaty pub. And I didn’t realise that one of the speakers in my speaker cabinet was torn! *laughs*. So I was quite happy with the distorted sound….”
It’s an amusing little anecdote; the internet’s bursting with clips of bands telling tales of ‘making do’ back in the day, and winning over fans thanks to sheer drive and authenticity. It may well have been an unintentional influence on their live show, but gig-goers obviously loved it!
Even back then, although The Stranglers were right at home with the punk movement of the late 70s, their unique sound showed broader appeal, capturing the attention of those who were just ‘fans of great music!’. Their work ethic saw their first three albums, “Rattus Norvegicus”, “No More Heroes” and “Black and White” drop pretty much one after the other, with hit singles like “Peaches”, “No More Heroes” and “Walk On By”.
“Always The Sun”, “Strange Little Girl” and of course “Golden Brown” (amongst others), bagged the group 24 top 40 singles, in a career which has spanned six different decades – and they show no signs of stopping now! In fact, their most recent album “Dark Matters” (2021 – hitting number 4 in the UK album chart!), was the band’s highest charting album since “Feline” back in 1983! It was also the last release to feature the inimitable keyboard prowess of the late Dave Greenfield, who passed away in 2020 (pandemic related illness). Later in 2022, drummer and band founder Jet Black passed away, and in profound testament to the band’s influence on rock music, tributes from the likes of Duff McKagan (Guns n’ Roses), Ricky Warwick (Thin Lizzy) and Lol Tolhurst (The Cure) poured in.
Now, at this upcoming tour, fans can look forward to the honed stagecraft of bass icon Jean-Jacques Burnel and longest serving guitarist/vocalist Baz Warne – as Baz explained in his own words during a reflection on his start with The Stranglers: “I joined the band in 2000, so it’s easy to remember how long I’ve been in the band – this is my quarter of a century”.
Co-fronting the band as they bring to life decades worth of hits and firm fan favourites in a varied set that’s sure to create one of the most memorable shows yet, JJ and Baz further perfected their performance during the extensive ’50th year’ celebrations last year, and will be joined by mainstay Jim Macaulay on drums and newest member Toby Hounsham on keys.
From Album “Dark Matters”
With Special Guests: Buzzcocks!
As an added bonus for ticket-buyers, The Stranglers proudly welcome Buzzcocks as special guests for the UK tour! (Excluding Scottish dates).
You know of the Bolton-bred punk scene giants from hits like “Ever Fallen in Love” – that and of course the (long-running!) hit music quiz show named after them!
Since the tragic loss of songwriter Pete Shelley in 2018, the band, fronted by Steve Diggle, continue to do what they do best in Shelley’s honour.
Follow the bands:
The Stranglers
instagram.com/stranglersofficial
youtube.com/@stranglersofficial
Buzzcocks
facebook.com/buzzcocksofficial
instagram.com/the_official_buzzcocks
Tour Dates:
Check out The Stranglers ‘51’ UK Tour Dates 2025 – With Special Guest Buzzcocks:
-
-
-
-
-
- Sat 13 Sept Watford Colosseum
- Fri 17 Oct Leeds O2 Academy
- Sat 18 Oct Manchester O2 Apollo
- Tue 21 Oct Newcastle O2 City Hall
- Thu 23 Oct Edinburgh 2 Academy* (Without Buzzcocks)
- Fri 24 Oct Aberdeen Music Hall* (Without Buzzcocks)
- Tue 28 Oct Bristol Beacon
- Wed 29 Oct Brighton Dome
- Fri 31 Oct London Roundhouse
- Sat 1 Nov London Roundhouse
-
-
-
-
Get Tickets:
Hit the official website to get tickets: thestranglers.co.uk
