The Stranglers + Midnight Transmission @ Feile an Phobail 2011, Andersonstown Leisure Centre, Belfast 06/08/2011
(part 1 by Joe Donnelly)
Jeez! it not everyday you get one of the major punk bands from the time when it mattered playing a show virtually on your doorstep , so It was a big suprise to everyone when the newspaper ad announcing that the 'men in black' would be appearing live on the 'Falls rd' was first published a couple of months back in the local press . Though to "The Stranglers" credit they've visted Belfast numerous times during their very long career , so they're certainly no strangers to our fair city . First time I saw them was in 1978 with the last time being 2006 and they may have lost a key member in the intervening years but they were top notch with that menacing edge present and correct on both of those other ocassions and I was expecting nothing less from them at this show in 2011 & thats what I got. It does exactly what it says on the tin and JJ still does his very individual stage moves lol. In the past few years these old school style punk gigs have become so frequent its now its retro critical overload , it just never seems to stop . In only these past few weeks we've had the return of "The UK Subs , The Anti Nowhere League ,The Casualties ,The Defects ,The Outcasts, and now its the "The Stranglers" turn ,I may be permenantly rooted in 1977 but theres only so much new wave !! sugary sweet nostalgia an old punk can take before you get that sickly feeling and want to throw up. Believe it or not there can be too much of a good thing .
Bad timing means that half the ex punks I know from Belfast won't even be here tonight as this show coincides with the oap ( Old Age Punks) pilgrimage to Blackpool for the annual "Rebellion Festival", but I was expecting a large turnout of spides to make up the numbers and I surely wasn't disappointed .Yeah! there was old punky friends & acquaintances dotted around the hall like Mully ,Big Ben , Cheeko , Kell , Tony Magill , Keiran Kelly and Annamarie and I also spotted ex SLF members Henry Cluney & Jimmy Reilly hanging out but the vast majority of the punters here probably never went to a punk gig before in their long lives. A fact borne out by the morons who decided it would be really punk to throw filled plastic pint pots at the stage during "the Stranglers" encores ,the first of which hit my shoulder and exploded all over me and everyone within a three feet radius. I turned to try and spot the wanker but there was noway to find the arsehole skulking in that big crowd. Two more were thrown and hit a front of stage security guy ,he was soaked.
It was really good to see local talent being given a chance as a band made up of friends of my son '$pikey $teve' the young retro rockers 'Midnight Transmission' had managed to secure the support slot , a very strange mix as these two bands are poles apart in both age and musical styles .It was an experiment I thought might be doomed to fail from the start but surprisingly it worked pretty well . "Midnight Transmission" had a cocksure attitude about them that defied their age & experience which I liked , they may have had a serious case of the Aerosmith / GN'Rs but thats no bad thing in my book . Theres some really good self penned tunes in their set especially "Pop Another Pill"; "Grace" & "Games" plus they did a great version of err!! "Led Zeppelin's" (I hate LZ ) tub thumper "Rock'n'Roll" strangely in the middle of their set. One criticism I have is at this stage in their fledgling career the set was at least 20 mins too long ,and because they had too much time on their hands to fill their original tunes started to sound a little similar . A few more covers and a bit of fine tuning in that department and they'll be good to go . Its early days but "Midnight Transmission" are a new young local rock band with a lot of potential , definitely one to watch out for in the future. Either that or at worst they'll become a flash in the pan like "The Answer", only time will tell but for tonight they were living the dream .
As for "The Stranglers " $$ and me really enjoyed their show , the song selection was a bit eclectic at times but the early hits were all in there and they still sound as great as they ever did (5 mins, Something better change & Peaches were ace) ,and despite the organised confusion especially around the bar & toilet areas and the stupid school dinners table system which got in everbody's way it was a good night . Its unbelievable that "Jet Black" is almost 73 years young & still behind the drumkit , and long may he continue.
As per our gentlemens agreement I'm now going to hand you over now to Mully the uber Stranglers fan to give his lowdown on their performance and take this review to the finish line. So its goodnight from me ..........................and its hello from him.........
Joe Donnelly Belfast 7.8.11.
Jeez! it not everyday you get one of the major punk bands from the time when it mattered playing a show virtually on your doorstep , so It was a big suprise to everyone when the newspaper ad announcing that the 'men in black' would be appearing live on the 'Falls rd' was first published a couple of months back in the local press . Though to "The Stranglers" credit they've visted Belfast numerous times during their very long career , so they're certainly no strangers to our fair city . First time I saw them was in 1978 with the last time being 2006 and they may have lost a key member in the intervening years but they were top notch with that menacing edge present and correct on both of those other ocassions and I was expecting nothing less from them at this show in 2011 & thats what I got. It does exactly what it says on the tin and JJ still does his very individual stage moves lol. In the past few years these old school style punk gigs have become so frequent its now its retro critical overload , it just never seems to stop . In only these past few weeks we've had the return of "The UK Subs , The Anti Nowhere League ,The Casualties ,The Defects ,The Outcasts, and now its the "The Stranglers" turn ,I may be permenantly rooted in 1977 but theres only so much new wave !! sugary sweet nostalgia an old punk can take before you get that sickly feeling and want to throw up. Believe it or not there can be too much of a good thing .
Bad timing means that half the ex punks I know from Belfast won't even be here tonight as this show coincides with the oap ( Old Age Punks) pilgrimage to Blackpool for the annual "Rebellion Festival", but I was expecting a large turnout of spides to make up the numbers and I surely wasn't disappointed .Yeah! there was old punky friends & acquaintances dotted around the hall like Mully ,Big Ben , Cheeko , Kell , Tony Magill , Keiran Kelly and Annamarie and I also spotted ex SLF members Henry Cluney & Jimmy Reilly hanging out but the vast majority of the punters here probably never went to a punk gig before in their long lives. A fact borne out by the morons who decided it would be really punk to throw filled plastic pint pots at the stage during "the Stranglers" encores ,the first of which hit my shoulder and exploded all over me and everyone within a three feet radius. I turned to try and spot the wanker but there was noway to find the arsehole skulking in that big crowd. Two more were thrown and hit a front of stage security guy ,he was soaked.
It was really good to see local talent being given a chance as a band made up of friends of my son '$pikey $teve' the young retro rockers 'Midnight Transmission' had managed to secure the support slot , a very strange mix as these two bands are poles apart in both age and musical styles .It was an experiment I thought might be doomed to fail from the start but surprisingly it worked pretty well . "Midnight Transmission" had a cocksure attitude about them that defied their age & experience which I liked , they may have had a serious case of the Aerosmith / GN'Rs but thats no bad thing in my book . Theres some really good self penned tunes in their set especially "Pop Another Pill"; "Grace" & "Games" plus they did a great version of err!! "Led Zeppelin's" (I hate LZ ) tub thumper "Rock'n'Roll" strangely in the middle of their set. One criticism I have is at this stage in their fledgling career the set was at least 20 mins too long ,and because they had too much time on their hands to fill their original tunes started to sound a little similar . A few more covers and a bit of fine tuning in that department and they'll be good to go . Its early days but "Midnight Transmission" are a new young local rock band with a lot of potential , definitely one to watch out for in the future. Either that or at worst they'll become a flash in the pan like "The Answer", only time will tell but for tonight they were living the dream .
As for "The Stranglers " $$ and me really enjoyed their show , the song selection was a bit eclectic at times but the early hits were all in there and they still sound as great as they ever did (5 mins, Something better change & Peaches were ace) ,and despite the organised confusion especially around the bar & toilet areas and the stupid school dinners table system which got in everbody's way it was a good night . Its unbelievable that "Jet Black" is almost 73 years young & still behind the drumkit , and long may he continue.
As per our gentlemens agreement I'm now going to hand you over now to Mully the uber Stranglers fan to give his lowdown on their performance and take this review to the finish line. So its goodnight from me ..........................and its hello from him.........
Joe Donnelly Belfast 7.8.11.
The Stranglers live in Belfast..............
(part 2 by Mully)
Bring me a piece of my Dada - it's all too surreal for me. Like an out of body experience, I am standing in a sports hall in West Belfast awaitng The Stranglers to come on stage and witnessing a pre-pubescent Led Zep playing to a Parent Teacher Association end-of-term Ball. Did someone lace my Tennents with acid?
Signing up The Stranglers to play the Feile An Phobail was a coup (de grace) for the organisers. I had been told at the time I purchased mine weeks ago, that tickets were flying out the box office door and, according to the rumour mill, tonight's gig has been sold out in advance of the event. The familiar Stranglers back-drop shrouds the stage and to confirm Jet was in town - his kit is in position - but it is a surprise to see half the hall laid out with trestle tables and fold-down seats (very school hall dinners). Around the walls were hand-painted portraits on large canvases of major 'Irish' musicians - Van the Man Morrison, Phil Lynott, Shane MacGowan (!!) and some folk types I couldn't name - not my genre!! By now the hall has been steadily filling up with all the seated area now taken up with Mums and Dads, their teenage kids, all chatting away with the drink laden tables straining to remain erect. This has to be the weirdest Stranglers gig I have ever attended - there is a distinct lack of band T-shirts around the venue and even more bizarre is the complete dearth of black - at least back in the late 70s, pre the meninblack era, the crowd were a multi-coloured rag-tag bunch of kids, but tonight it was Sunday best dresses and tailored jeans worn by middle-aged parents on a night out down the local. There were some punksters in attendance but all too few and far between - although ex-SLF guitarist Henry Cluney (back home for a gig on Wednesday night) was in attendance.
As the houselights dimmed and the recognisable strains of 'Waltzinblack' echoed out, I was able to walk upto the barrier on Baz Warne's side - another indication of how strange this gig was. The band came on stage, the frontmen donning their guitars and with barely a nod, started into the opening number 'I Feel Like A Wog'. The first few songs were rattled off in breakneck speed and the crowd seemed really into it as the bassline from 'Peaches' thundered through the P.A. We weren't asked to sing-a-longa Stranglers for 'Always The Sun' (thank f**k) but Baz did mention this song reminds him of Belfast. New song 'Freedom Is Insane' got an airing and 'Golden Brown' - a festival crowd favourite - raised the second big cheer of the night allowing Baz to perform his partypiece guitar solo. Standing to attention, with his left leg slightly bent and left foot resting on the side of his right like some rickets victim, he delivered (as usual) a note perfect rendition of the biggest No.2 (and I do mean that as a lavatorial term) ever. This was confirmed to me as Danny Morrision was seen backstage singing along!! Only a 'shout out' to "Mr Jet Black" interrupted the songs. There was very little banter onstage tonight - even between the band themselves - tight, fast, mean and moody. 'Tramp', 'Two Sunspots' (introduced by Baz as "one for the ladies") and 'Lost Control' had the crowd at the barrier bouncing - but it was during 'Threatened' with the "Mummy..." chorus that they really found their voice. A near perfect 'Relentless' and a 'Nuclear Device' with a substituted line of "Belfast men stay at home at night..." round off the main section as the band exit and the techs scramble around re-tuning the Shukers and Fenders. A short off-stage wait see the band return - another festival fave kicking off the first of the two encores. 'All Day...' had the crowd go bananas, singing and dancing along, this carrying through into 'Duchess' which, IMHO, was probably the weakest track tonight and not up to the usual standard I demand. Once more leaving with towels frantically wiping the sweat from their brows and another short interlude saw them return for 'Hanging Around' and 'Heroes'. By now Security were stationed stage-side as a few punters at the barrier were getting a bit lairy. Baz feeling a bit more social asks for the houselights to be turned up so he can see the crowd. He then asks about the paintings on the walls - pointing out Shane, Phil and Mr Morrison, but asking who were the other ones? Now I can tell my Wolfe-Tones from my Undertones, but don't ask me to I-D a Chieftain from a Clancy Brother - your talking to the wrong man. Obviously I wasn't the only one - because when asking who the fella with the flute was, the girl next to me shouted out Rory Gallagher!! One guy trying to get onstage was bundled up and swept away - but another was called up onstage by JJ to name the unknown paintings. He made it beside JJ, though the security men pounced once more - but not before the fella got a handful of bass strap. As he was manhandled backwards, JJ was dragged along too. It was good humoured enough, JJ smiling along with it all, until he saw the 'punishment' being metted out off stage and shouted down for them to cut it out. A couple of beer glasses and a full pitcher thrown towards the end soaked a few off us at the front but did little to dampen my enthusiasm - and that was another Stranglers' gig over.
As the lights came up, the dying strains of 'TheMeninblack' played out, I made my way over (after purloining the beer-drenched set-list from the monitor) to Joe and Spiky Steve et al to discuss, dissect and debate this evening's happenings. Somewhat bemused some couldn't believe the set - although knowing most of the songs - considering it a very 'un-festival' set. A bit of post gig socializing ensued before, discretion being the better part of valour, I made my way out into the Belfast night. Overall, The Stranglers were the Stranglers but tonight's crowd, the venue and the general atmosphere made it a unique and uncanny experience. A very different adventure(in black).
Mully 7.8.11
Bring me a piece of my Dada - it's all too surreal for me. Like an out of body experience, I am standing in a sports hall in West Belfast awaitng The Stranglers to come on stage and witnessing a pre-pubescent Led Zep playing to a Parent Teacher Association end-of-term Ball. Did someone lace my Tennents with acid?
Signing up The Stranglers to play the Feile An Phobail was a coup (de grace) for the organisers. I had been told at the time I purchased mine weeks ago, that tickets were flying out the box office door and, according to the rumour mill, tonight's gig has been sold out in advance of the event. The familiar Stranglers back-drop shrouds the stage and to confirm Jet was in town - his kit is in position - but it is a surprise to see half the hall laid out with trestle tables and fold-down seats (very school hall dinners). Around the walls were hand-painted portraits on large canvases of major 'Irish' musicians - Van the Man Morrison, Phil Lynott, Shane MacGowan (!!) and some folk types I couldn't name - not my genre!! By now the hall has been steadily filling up with all the seated area now taken up with Mums and Dads, their teenage kids, all chatting away with the drink laden tables straining to remain erect. This has to be the weirdest Stranglers gig I have ever attended - there is a distinct lack of band T-shirts around the venue and even more bizarre is the complete dearth of black - at least back in the late 70s, pre the meninblack era, the crowd were a multi-coloured rag-tag bunch of kids, but tonight it was Sunday best dresses and tailored jeans worn by middle-aged parents on a night out down the local. There were some punksters in attendance but all too few and far between - although ex-SLF guitarist Henry Cluney (back home for a gig on Wednesday night) was in attendance.
As the houselights dimmed and the recognisable strains of 'Waltzinblack' echoed out, I was able to walk upto the barrier on Baz Warne's side - another indication of how strange this gig was. The band came on stage, the frontmen donning their guitars and with barely a nod, started into the opening number 'I Feel Like A Wog'. The first few songs were rattled off in breakneck speed and the crowd seemed really into it as the bassline from 'Peaches' thundered through the P.A. We weren't asked to sing-a-longa Stranglers for 'Always The Sun' (thank f**k) but Baz did mention this song reminds him of Belfast. New song 'Freedom Is Insane' got an airing and 'Golden Brown' - a festival crowd favourite - raised the second big cheer of the night allowing Baz to perform his partypiece guitar solo. Standing to attention, with his left leg slightly bent and left foot resting on the side of his right like some rickets victim, he delivered (as usual) a note perfect rendition of the biggest No.2 (and I do mean that as a lavatorial term) ever. This was confirmed to me as Danny Morrision was seen backstage singing along!! Only a 'shout out' to "Mr Jet Black" interrupted the songs. There was very little banter onstage tonight - even between the band themselves - tight, fast, mean and moody. 'Tramp', 'Two Sunspots' (introduced by Baz as "one for the ladies") and 'Lost Control' had the crowd at the barrier bouncing - but it was during 'Threatened' with the "Mummy..." chorus that they really found their voice. A near perfect 'Relentless' and a 'Nuclear Device' with a substituted line of "Belfast men stay at home at night..." round off the main section as the band exit and the techs scramble around re-tuning the Shukers and Fenders. A short off-stage wait see the band return - another festival fave kicking off the first of the two encores. 'All Day...' had the crowd go bananas, singing and dancing along, this carrying through into 'Duchess' which, IMHO, was probably the weakest track tonight and not up to the usual standard I demand. Once more leaving with towels frantically wiping the sweat from their brows and another short interlude saw them return for 'Hanging Around' and 'Heroes'. By now Security were stationed stage-side as a few punters at the barrier were getting a bit lairy. Baz feeling a bit more social asks for the houselights to be turned up so he can see the crowd. He then asks about the paintings on the walls - pointing out Shane, Phil and Mr Morrison, but asking who were the other ones? Now I can tell my Wolfe-Tones from my Undertones, but don't ask me to I-D a Chieftain from a Clancy Brother - your talking to the wrong man. Obviously I wasn't the only one - because when asking who the fella with the flute was, the girl next to me shouted out Rory Gallagher!! One guy trying to get onstage was bundled up and swept away - but another was called up onstage by JJ to name the unknown paintings. He made it beside JJ, though the security men pounced once more - but not before the fella got a handful of bass strap. As he was manhandled backwards, JJ was dragged along too. It was good humoured enough, JJ smiling along with it all, until he saw the 'punishment' being metted out off stage and shouted down for them to cut it out. A couple of beer glasses and a full pitcher thrown towards the end soaked a few off us at the front but did little to dampen my enthusiasm - and that was another Stranglers' gig over.
As the lights came up, the dying strains of 'TheMeninblack' played out, I made my way over (after purloining the beer-drenched set-list from the monitor) to Joe and Spiky Steve et al to discuss, dissect and debate this evening's happenings. Somewhat bemused some couldn't believe the set - although knowing most of the songs - considering it a very 'un-festival' set. A bit of post gig socializing ensued before, discretion being the better part of valour, I made my way out into the Belfast night. Overall, The Stranglers were the Stranglers but tonight's crowd, the venue and the general atmosphere made it a unique and uncanny experience. A very different adventure(in black).
Mully 7.8.11