Musical Musings | The Stranglers rock Australia: 50 years of hits!

“There’s no denying our past, so we try and cover all bases, and because we’ve got so much material, we can change our set every night,” says Jean-Jacques Burnel, bassist and vocalist with The Stranglers, and the longest serving original member.

“ I think it would be dishonest to completely play a whole new set like, ‘this is our new album’.

“I wouldn’t want to go and see a band do that.

“You go and see a band that you’ve heard of because you want them to play some of that material that you know.”

The Stranglers are unique in that while they were tagged a punk rock group along with The Sex Pistols, The Clash and others, they were never comfortable with the label, considering the non-punk foundation to the group, with the inclusion of a keyboardist and Burnel’s classically trained background,

“I take issue with that the definition of punk,” he says.

“While we all started roughly at the same time, many of these groups, like The Pistols, were coming to see us before they’d even been officially announced as a band.

“People would say, ‘oh no, the Stranglers have a keyboard player, so they can’t be a punk band’.

“So, who created this new orthodoxy and these new rules?

“Initially, I embraced punk because I thought, we were all of the same generation, and it was a broad church, so I wanted to see what we could experiment with, in our limited talents.

“But obviously some people adopted the ‘no, it’s got to be strictly this way’.”

There have been many highlights for Burnel when it comes to The Stranglers, but one of his most memorable moments was the time their 1982 single Golden Brown — despised by their record company, which initially refused to release it — went on to reach #2 on the UK charts and #10 on the Australian charts.

“One of my personal highlights was when Golden Brown succeeded despite the record company,” he says.

“As that was a kind of fingers-up to the record company and all the detractors.

“That was definitely a good moment.”

After 50 years, Burnel is enjoying playing music more than ever and is looking forward to working on new music.

“I’m really enjoying playing at the moment, as the band is really tight and hot,” he says.

“But I want to take a step back at some point because I’ve accumulated over 450 songs and I want to make sense of some of them.

“As I get older, there are things going through my mind, which I’d like to pursue and see where it takes me.”

For more on The Stranglers, visit thestranglers.co.uk

Live review

God Is An Astronaut, Max Watts, Melbourne, February 8.

Irish post-rock group God Is An Astronaut embarked on their first-ever Australian tour last week, and last Saturday night they performed the final show of the tour in Melbourne.

As a three-piece, the group’s ability to recreate their multi-instrumental, multi-layered textured spacey soundscapes of their recordings, in the live environment, is a remarkable feat in itself, and a testament to the skilful musicianship of the group’s members.

Led by sonic architect and guitarist Torsten Kinsella, along with his twin brother, bassist Niels, and drummer Lloyd Hanney, the group put on a spectacular, mind-blowing show.

With a set that included cuts from their back catalogue, as well as numbers off their current absolutely brilliant album, Embers, the group took the audience on an ethereal and emotionally charged rollercoaster ride, that swung from the tranquil to the most intense.

Opening with the atmospheric epic Odyssey, the group ploughed through their engaging set, all anchored by an array of sensory textures and melodies, underscored by a prog-rock undertow.

Falling Leaves was given extra poignancy when Kinsella shared the story of how the recent passing of his father was the catalyst for the song’s conception, while the closing number, Embers, morphed from a gentle slow burn into a roaring euphoric workout.

The group returned to the stage for a final burst of their sublime instrumental prowess in a two-song encore, which brought the night to a close.

Exhilarating.

Cathartic.

No words can best describe the group live, except you need to experience it.

Indisputably, God Is An Astronaut are the supreme post-rock instrumental group of the 21st century.

Music news

All four original members of heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath will reunite to play one final concert together, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, on July 5.

The group last played together, before splitting up, in 2017, but that was without original drummer Bill Ward.

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams is currently making his way around Australia on his So Happy It Hurts tour.

He returns for a second show in Melbourne this weekend.

His first Melbourne show last week was sold out.

Last Friday, Adams released his new single, Roll With The Punches, which is a taster of what fans can expect later this year when he releases his 16th studio album.

Bob Dylan has just announced a long list of US tour dates for 2025, which will see the 83-year-old folk rocker remain on the road until September.

Elton John and Brandi Carlile have teamed up for a new album, Who Believes in Angels?, which arrives on April 4.

John’s long-time songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, is involved, as is hot producer Andrew Watt.

Fun fact

There have been numerous songs over the years that feature some of the biggest music stars in the background, with many going uncredited.

Some of the well-known ones are: Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone) (1986) by Glass Tiger, which has Bryan Adams on backing vocals; Fame (1975) by David Bowie, which features John Lennon on acoustic guitar and backing vocals; and Whatever Gets You thru the Night (1974) by John Lennon, which features Elton John on backing vocals and piano.