Regarding the 70s U.K. punk scene, the venues played almost as significant a role as the bands. The Roxy, The Vortex, and the 100 Club were some of the first and few to allow this new scene a space to express themselves. Regarding The Stranglers, Hope & Anchor became a place they could call home. What was once a breeding ground for the short-lived pub-rock movement, Hope & Anchor opened their doors to the more rowdy scene, and The Stranglers paraded their nuanced fusion work right to the stage.
Originally consisting of singer/guitarist Hugh Cornwell, drummer Jet Black, bassist Jean Jacques, and keyboardist/guitarist Hans Warmling, The Stranglers are far from your typical punk band. Their sound consisted of a cornucopia of influences the band could whittle down to a simplistic yet potent sonic concoction. 1977 was a busy year for The Stranglers. The band released two albums, including Rattus Norvegicus, and followed it up quickly with the release of their iconic No More Heroes album. Later that year, they recorded their famous Live At the Hope and Anchor.
For this Golden Age Thursday, we have a live look at what it might have been like to attend the recording of The Stranglers’ live LP. This footage was captured in November 1977, right around the September release of No More Heroes. The band puts together a palpable performance of “No More Heroes” and “Something Better Change,” two stand-outs from their sophomore effort. You can watch the electrifying performance below.
3 Responses
Brilliant band with some amazing albums.. fabulous live!
The original Stranglers featured the late Dave Greenfield on keyboards and Live at the Hope and Anchor featured various bands of which the Strangers were one
There is something incredibly powerful and compelling about the Stranglers that both entices and deters followers. To study their back catalogue is to enter a fascinating yet dark and disturbing world. This is a great clip and captures all the latent power and aggression of their early albums.