Hugh Cornwell
On a cold Sunday night, I could think of a lot worse places to be.
Sundays are arguably the worst night for a gig, but Epic Studios provided an excellent venue on the first freezing night of this winter, although noticeably not filled to capacity.
First up, co-tourer, the self proclaimed blonde rock chick Hazel O‘Connor and her band. Together for six years and having released three albums, O‘Connor with Claire Hirst on sax and backing vocals and Sarah Fisher on electric piano and backing vocals presented a back catalogue showcase of Breaking Glass and a selection of later work as a complete package. Atmospheric class. Hugh Cornwell and his band managed to get on stage unnoticed. Only when Cornwell plugged his guitar in with a bang did the crowd focus on the stage. However, if he arrived unnoticed his presence on stage could not be ignored. He promised a taste of his last album Totem and Taboo and a “drizzle of Stranglers tunes”. Although I read of a hole in the wall of sound due to the absence of keyboards, I need not have worried. Skin Deep was superb, but this was not a Stranglers’ gig it was a re-presentation of the familiar in a different way and it worked brilliantly. Caroline “Caz” Campbell’s bass playing was hypnotic, a guiding melodic foil to Cornwell’s effortless guitar work.
The thumping Stuck in Daily Mail Land blended Campbell’s driving bass with amazing percussion from Chris Bell. Cornwell’s voice smooth but always able to go up a notch, he commented on the undeniably subdued audience, before hammering into Dagenham Dave. The drizzle of Stranglers songs became a downpour with Duchess. Bell’s drumming was mesmerising, this man could drum his way through sheet steel. I do not know how long Cornwell’s group has been together but they were tight and having fun. Cornwell explained that Duchess was a Stranglers’ song written in 1743, the bicycle had just been invented. Man-in-black enjoys himself, shock horror! Gods, Guns and Gays and then Beat of my heart. This more recent material dovetailed perfectly with the older songs illustrating why Cornwell is considered one of our best song writers: consistency. Peaches was delivered with aplomb … Cornwell used to say he loved Norwich as it was in East Stranglia, tonight he observed how he could think of a lot worse places to be, like Ipswich. By the encore a further three songs Grip, A Street called Carroll and Straighten out had been blasted at us. Where lead guitar is concerned Cornwell’s guitar skills are obvious but here he showed he has lost nothing over the years. Cornwell didn’t pose; he simply played, and delivered, effortlessly.
By the end of the night we had been bombarded with nineteen songs with three encores that included Tank, Heroes (and having been joined on stage by O‘Connor and her band), Hanging Around sung not by Cornwell but his one time girlfriend and the rest of the trio. On a cold Sunday night, I could think of a lot worse places to be.
