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 adrianandrews1@sky.com.


Saturday, 17 September 2016

Town And Country Club Leeds 7th June 1995


Here's one from the 20th Anniversary Tour.

MP3 as received: https://we.tl/Ip8j0FrPxw

01. Waltzinblack
02. Grip
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
13. Lies And Deception
14. Goodbye Toulouse
15. Sinister
16. 5 Minutes
17. Something Better Change
18. Duchess
19. Nuclear Device
20. Go Buddy Go
21. All Day And All Of The Night
22. English Towns
23. Thrown Away
24. Hanging Around

Sunday, 11 September 2016

De Velinx Tongeren 24th October 2002


I noted the other day that on one of the many Stranglers related Facebook pages, someone had opened up, or at least attempted to open up, the Paul/Baz 'who's better, who's best?' debate. Surprisingly people still bite at these discussions, but no new opinions or insights are offered... because there are none.

Anyway, here is an early foray into exploring the band's back catalogue in an acoustic setting.

MP3 (As received): https://we.tl/shruLUyBCU

01. Walk On By
02. Let Me Down Easy
03. Strange Little Girl
04. Instead Of This
05. English Towns
06. European Female
07. Southern Mountains
08. Face
09. Cruel Garden
10. Always The Sun
11. Sanfte Kiss
12. Sinister
13. In The End
14. Still Life
15. Princess Of The Streets
16. Golden Brown
17. Old Codger
18. No More Heroes

Ruts DC Interviewed on Liz Kershaw's BBC Radio 6 Music Show 3rd September 2016


Admittedly a tad tardy with the posting of this one for people's attention, but here's a great little interview with Segs and Ruffy. Here, they talk about the origins of The Ruts, Malcolm and Foxy (of course), their longevity in this ruthless industry and more importantly of the imminence of the much anticipated new album 'Music Must Destroy' which will be launched at next Friday's gig at the Underworld in Camden Town and finally of a major UK tour scheduled for March of next year.

 
Happy days!

Little would I have thought back in 2011, when Ruts DC started out again with some short support sets for Alabama 3, that five years later they would two studio albums, a live album, a handful of singles and a brilliant biography under their belts. Not to mention gigs, gigs, gigs all over the place.

Quality endures. Here's to the next five years!


Available here: http://www.plastichead.com/item.asp?ex=fitem&target=WW0063CDD

The Interview: https://we.tl/UKbWFLN1Qk


Saturday, 3 September 2016

UK Subs Théâtre Antique Vienne France 23rd July 2016



Here's another set from this Summer's other punk festival in that France. Many thanks to Lolive!

FLAC: https://we.tl/IzUYZA413u

01. Young Criminals
02. You Don't Belong
03. Left for Dead
04. Rockers
05. Down on the Farm
06. Hell Is Other People
07. Emotional Blackmail
08. Barbie's Dead
09. Bitter & Twisted
10. City of the Dead
11. I Got a Gun
12. Fear of Girls (fucked up !)
13. Fear of Girls
14. Tomorrow's Girls
15. Warhead
16. Riot
17. Stranglehold
18. Disease
19. C.I.D.
20. I Live in a Car
21. New York State Police

Party in Paris?
Messers Harper and Sensible
Vienne 2016


Sunday, 21 August 2016

A Cracking Pair....... Of Posters!



Two gig posters promoting upcoming shows in Tel Aviv and Athens.

Alexandra Palace 11th August 1990


In the five years or so that I have been running this site, I am surprised that I have never posted a recording of this gig. Of all the gigs I could have missed in 1990 and it had to be this one. It was the parting of the ways as Hugh Cornwell walked off the stage after the last chords of 'Punch & Judy' had faded and ceased to be a Strangler.



Looking back, I do not really regret missing this gig (it was due to the fact that my soon to be brother-in-law was getting married in Cumbria) as I do not think that it is really representative of how the band were playing throughout the earlier '10 tour' gigs. Many of those that were in attendance that night share with me the view this gig did not see Hugh depart in a blaze of glory, it was more of a sputtering out. Maybe it was Hugh himself, alone with the knowledge that this was to be his last gig with the band or maybe it was the venue, a huge, cavernous space not really cut out for rock concerts. Whatever the reason, it was not the best performance of that time. Anyway, by request, here is the full gig,

FLAC: https://we.tl/WYV8V71FX1

Artwork: https://we.tl/KT3fSshw0P

01. Intro
02. Toiler On The Sea
03. Something Better Change
04. Shakin'like A Leaf
05. 96 Tears
06. Someone Like You
07. Sweet Smell Of Success
08. Always The Sun
09. Strange Little Girl
10. Hanging Around
11. Where I Live
12/13. School Mam
14. Let's Celebrate


01. Uptown
02. Tank
03. Was It You?
04. Down In The Sewer
05. Crowd
06. Golden Brown
07. No More Heroes
08. Nuclear Device
09. Duchess
10. All Day And All Of The Night
11. Punch And Judy

Saturday, 20 August 2016

Theatre Royal Nottingham 19th August 1980

JJ & Hugh
Theatre Royal Nottingham
19th August 1980

Here's a good sounding recording of the audio from the 'Rockstage' TV gig.


01. Shah Shah A Go Go/Ice
02. Who Wants The World?
03. Toiler On The Sea
04. Thrown Away
05. Tank
06. Nuclear Device
07. Genetix