Dean is at the Roundhouse to see The Stranglers perform
Coming out of the exciting punk movement in the mid 1970s, English punk rock band The Stranglers continue to be a force in music and are considered to be one of the most commercially successful groups in the punk era, scoring a number of top 40 hit singles over the course of five decades. Despite coming from the aggressive and energetic movement that is punk, The Stranglers and their music would occasionally buck the trend and approach conventional punk music with them adopting different styles of sound to some of their songs. Many music critics have commented on their music’s progression; moving away from the angry and rebellious ethos of a band such as The Sex Pistols, to a more melodic, refined and cultured sound as their music evolved. A great example of this would be the contrast between two of the band’s most well known songs, smash hit single “Peaches” had a gritty and raw feeling to it as a track and courted controversy for it’s sexual lyrical content. Comparing “Peaches” however to other hit song, “Golden Brown”, this track had more of a cultured and refined nature to it as a piece of music, and didn’t necessarily fit into the punk mould. Other iconic track “No More Heroes”, despite having elements of bands such as The Sex Pistols and The Clash in the song, the track had a new wave edge to it and seemed ahead of its time before the likes of Blondie and The Smiths came to prominence. The Stranglers continue to perform to their dedicated punk following from the 1970s but still continue to recruit new fans what with the different movements of punk throughout the 90s and 2000s. Consisting of original band members Jet Black, Jean-Jacques Burnel and Dave Greenfield, the group have enjoyed a recent resurgence with them performing a UK tour in 2010 and releasing new material in 2011. 2011 also saw them tour again, this time alongside famous blues guitarist Wilko Johnson of renowned blues-rock band Dr Feelgood. Now releasing a new album in 2012, their latest offering ‘Giants’ promises again to travel into new musical depths and adopt new sounds. Playing a host of UK gigs, on Friday 9th March, The Stranglers were set to play at London music venue the Roundhouse and showcase a selection of their latest material whilst throwing in a few classics on the way. Down at the Roundhouse was WinkBall video reporters Dean and Flaminia who were speaking to fans of The Stranglers and finding out what had brought them down to see the band perform and what were their expectations of the evening.