Everyone remembers the T-Shirts …

The name; The Stranglers – scribbled across fabric as if a child was instructed  to create merchandising. Fitting wasn’t it … ? That is exactly how Punk Rock was personified upon it’s debut in the early to mid – seventies.

Punk Rockers such as The Ramones, The Dictators  and The Stranglers – a bunch of  late teen, early twenties people that refused to grow up and inherit respectability and self – discipline. Something their parents held in high esteem.

They were snot – nosed kids with attitudes fitted for the backroom of  pool halls. Pool halls any self respecting Mother kept their children away from.

Saturday night, The Stranglers proved; once a punk – always a punk. Believe it or not, this was a great and refreshing change. It was one long song but that song was intense with energy, attitude and statements profound within it’s timeless message.

The band gained prominence in 1976 , initially gaining attention as the opening act for Patti Smith and The Ramones. The Stranglers, over the years have had more top forty hits than any other punk band and that aspect was showcased at the Telus Theater on Saturday night.

‘Something Better Change‘,  their biggest hit ‘No More Heroes‘ , ‘Hanging Around’ and ‘Golden Brown‘ – morphed seamlessly into one another from beginning to end. A prominent bass balancing out with typical guitar chords straight from within the sounds of a Telecaster. It is a sound copied by every punk group since and before yet what sets the Stranglers apart – is the melodic structure. The band were and continue to be great songwriters.

Jim Macaulay (the group’s drummer when Jet Black is not pounding the skins) keeps a pace reserved for young drummers or Animal from the Muppet Show. He must. Each Stranglers’ tune a charged romp into a high level dance floor. Adding  Dave Greenfield‘s Rod Argent – ‘Zombie’ – esque keyboard into almost every song, creates a circus – like,  monkey organ – grinding, haunting and charming theme park roller coaster ride. Voila … A sound which has enabled The Stranglers to outlast all their contemporaries.

‘Peaches’ – a song which is recognizable even to the most diehard Wayne Newton fan, is symbolic of the band’s adventurous spirit and willingness to dive into uncharted waters ( at that time for a Punk band). It was a tune which initially set the bar for the creativity which would ensue in the next forty years for the band. Their show, a display case for their willingness to change within a structure and genre.  At times punk -ish 70’s, ‘Tears for Fears‘ 80’s, Grunge -ish 90’s and late sixties’ psychedelic fodder. The Stranglers have never been shy to try and Saturday night it was all hung out to hear.

It was about living out a lost youth. An angry youth. A fact displayed by the amount of over – forty -year -olds in attendance. A fact displayed by the band on stage. Following an introductory bass line by Jean-Jacques Burnel in the song Peaches, vocalist and guitarist Baz Warne, delivered the evening’s most punk-ish statement non – musically. They were also words which summed up the band’s and audience’s ( ahem) age …

“Can you feel that?” He asked with a scowl and a growl. ” Can you ladies feel that in your girlie private parts? I bet you can … How about the guys? You can feel that in your prostate can’t ya …?”

A balding fellow complete with beer gut and a mortgage – pointed at his Stranglers t – shirt and pumped his fist into the air …

Just like the band, old punk rock fans don’t die – they get more defiant with age.