The Stranglers
On Stage On Screen
“Virtually
every track on this blistering
DVD — The Stranglers On Stage On
Screen —
is either a hit or a classic
album track from this legendary band...”
THE FILMED CONCERT WAS A SELL-OUT, recorded at the Shepherd's
Bush Empire on 2 December 2005, and has been described as The Stranglers'
greatest ever live gig.
The Stranglers' line-up is: Jean Jacques Burnel; Jet Black; Dave Greenfield;
Paul Roberts; Baz Warne. The Guildford, Surrey, band was formed in September
of 1974 as a pub rock group but they later branched out to explore other styles
of music using psychedelia, Doors-like keyboard and the driving aggression of
punk and new wave. Finally settling on the style for which they are universally
known — and that takes the best of all The Stranglers' musical ventures
— the band quickly had an album full of classics under their belts, including
the terrific No More Heroes and Peaches.
Now that the great tunes, the driving bass lines, the melodic guitars and the
intricate keyboards had come together, The Stranglers promoted their individuality
and their talent while cornering the market in black leather. Very un-PC maybe,
but that was part of the package. Even when Hugh Cornwell left The Stranglers,
the band still would not be tamed and, even after Paul Roberts took on lead
vocals, the enfants terribles went from strength to strength.
This hard-driving, aggressive band still sells-out venues all over Europe but
conversely it is with gentler melodies such as the beautiful Golden Brown
and Strange Little Girl where they have enjoyed some of their greatest
successes. The Stranglers On Stage On Screen DVD is representative of
the band's work across the board. Check out the acoustic set and tracks from
the last album, Norfolk Coast.
The Stranglers On Stage On Stage is spellbinding: from the moment the
band storms onto the stage, the audience is enthralled and the band performs
with all the energy and passion they have always had. Enthusiastic cheers greet
such wonderful offerings as All Day And All Of The Night and the delightful
Big Thing Coming.
The Stranglers' ethos is to work hard and play hard; conversing with the appreciative
crowd between splendid tracks that include the magnificent Lost Control
and No More Heroes, and The Stranglers' fine version of Walk On By.
Throw in the stirring Burning Up Time and The Stranglers' repertoire
proves their versatility as the band plays both an electric and an acoustic
set.
The Stranglers On Stage On Screen is Produced by Robin Bextor and Sanjay
Kumar and Directed by Robin Bextor.
• The Stranglers On Stage On Screen
includes the film Norfolk Coast and is available now on DVD (released
8 December, 2008). Cat No: NW800003 | Barcode: 5060000800036 | RRP: £14.99 |
Cert: 15 | Running time: 126 minutes (total).
Tracklisting (2 sets)
Waltzinblack (intro) | Norfolk Coast | All Day And All Of The Night
| Big Thing Coming | Peaches | Skin Deep | Always The Sun | Long Black Veil
| I've Been Waiting | Lost Control | Goodbye Toulouse | Summat Outanowt | Walk
On By | Duchess | Burning Up Time | Toiler On The Sea | Time To Die | Tank |
Mine All Mine | No More Heroes
Instead Of This | Southern Mountains | Dutch Moon | Tucker's Grave | Strange
Little Girl | Sanfte Kuss | Still Life | Norfok Coast | All Day And All Of The
Night | Death And Night And Blood | Big Thing Coming | Peaches | Skin Deep |
Always The Sun | Long Black Veil | I've Been Wild | Lost Control | Goodbye Toulouse
| Summat Outanowt | Walk On By | Duchess | Burning Up Time | Toiler On The Sea
| Time To Die | Tank | Mine All Mine | No More Heroes
"The Stranglers On Stage On Screen is spellbinding: from the moment
the band storms onto the stage, the audience is enthralled and the band performs
with all the energy and passion they have always had" — Maggie Woods,
MotorBar
Official website: stranglers.net
Official Merchandise: stranglers.co.uk
Norfolk Coast
Accompanying the music is the mini-feature film Norfolk Coast, shot in
2006 entirely on location in Norfolk and London.
A rough cut version of the film premiered before 2,500 fans at the Shepherd's
Bush Empire but had its full premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007 and
it has won various awards at film festivals worldwide.
It is a dark, and at times extremely uncomfortable, film about disturbed, 43-year-old
Warner Tucker (Jean Jacques Burnel) who suffered from an abusive childhood involving
black magic. In an effort to blot out the nightmares that haunt him, and blaming
his father Tucker (Nicholas Ball) for not protecting him when he was a child,
he turns to drink.
His estranged wife Wendy (Lynsey Baxter) and his cousin Linda (Susannah York)
shared his childhood and he is determined not to allow this horrific past to
affect his young daughter Carrie (Millie Gallimore).
But Wendy, who suffers bouts of depression as she tries to deal with her own
demons, has had enough of the way Warner behaves as a result of his childhood
and walks off, never to return. Her body is found some time later by trawlermen.
All of those involved with the Satanic rituals bear a strange mark on their
necks and when Warner spots the same mark on his own daughter's neck he completely
loses it and wants to put a stop to the perpetrator once and for all.
The film contains weird and grotesque images that are disturbing in themselves
but Warner belongs to an organisation called Satanic Ritual Abuse Survivors
and the film explores the different ways in which abused children react. Warner
and Wendy find their lives impossible in varying degrees but Linda has apparently
put it all behind her and has become philosophical, urging Warner to make things
right with his father.
Norfolk Coast is Produced by Sanjay Kumar and Written and Directed by Robin
Bextor. Director of Photography is Michael Miles and Music is by The Stranglers,
including Dutch Moon and Tucker's Grave — the film was inspired
by the band's album Norfolk Coast. Additional music is by Marcus Daborne.
The Norfolk Coast CD is available on EMI Records.
