Stranglers mark 50 years of music on ‘home territory’
THE Stranglers and Cambridge have long since had a mutual love for each other – so the punk era legends’ 50th anniversary show in the city was always going to be a special occasion.
After all Dave Greenfield, who gave the band their distinctive keyboard sound, lived in the Cambridgeshire village of Somersham for more than 30 years until he died at the age of 71 in 2022 after contracting Covid while being treated for a heart problem. He and wife Pam had run The Windmill pub there too.
Bass player Jean-Jacques Burnel also lived in the village for a time and was clearly glad to be back in Cambridge - “we consider this home territory,” he told a sell-out crowd of nearly 2,000 at the Corn Exchange on Wednesday evening (March 20).
The posh jackets and chandeliers on stage were an early sign that this was going to be a night of celebration. Five decades is a long time for a band to still be doing its stuff.
But The Stranglers are more than just survivors – they’re true musical giants who have taken everything that’s been thrown at them m and chucked it straight back. k.
And Burnel may be 72 2 now but he still prowls the stage menacingly, brandishing his bass guitar like a weapon.
The show featured two sets by the band, offering a chance to delve even deeper into o their vast and varied repertoire of absolute gems.
It leaned heavily on songs from the classic Burnel/Cornwell/Greenfield/ Black days but they were, as usual, delivered with swagger and style by the current line-up of Burnel, Baz Warne, Jim Macauley and Toby Housham.
And Warne told fans that although he’d “only” been in the band for 25 years, the Corn Exchange was his “favourite venue”.
The second set in particular was packed with bangers – Dagenham Dave, Tank, Five Minutes, Duchess, Something Better Change and the show-closing No More Heroes among the highlights.
But Stranglers have always been more than just another punk band, laughing in the face at the fear of trying something different.
The iconic and mellow Golden Brown received the rousing reception it deserved, the majestic Always The Sun cemented its status as a fan favourite and newest member Housham stepped into Greenfield’s sizable shoes wonderfully by taking lead vocals on Genetix.
“For ever and ever and ever and ever...” sang Warne in Hallow To Our Men. It feels like The Stranglers have bee been around forever and w will go on ever. Th They haven’t been and they won’t be – bu but Cambridge is a ci city that has taken Warne and his band to heart – an and this Fiftyyearsinb inblack Tour celebra bration was one to reme remember