It’s been a little over two years since we caught The Stranglers on what was billed as their Final Full Tour. That addition of ‘Full’ being the caveat that it was unlikely that it would be the last we saw of the band and with 2024 being their 50th anniversary, they have chosen to play some of their favourite select venues by means of celebration which brings us to a packed out Civic Hall on a Saturday night.

Choosing to dispense with a support band gives the chance for The Stranglers to explore a much bigger selection of songs from their back catalogue and by playing two sets they get to play some deeper cuts that would satisfy even the pickiest of fans while still delivering all the expected hits to keep the more casual fans happy. What’s more is that they didn’t need to have any other band on the bill to help with ticket sales as the Civic is rammed and just after 8.00pm they take to the stage with little fuss and kick straight in with ‘Just Like Nothing On Earth’ and follow it up with another ‘Gospel According To’ track in the form of ‘Hallow To Our Men’; something I can’t recall ever having seen them play live.

The Raven is then given some focus with the title track (which Burnell dedicates to Jet Black & Dave Greenfield), ‘Genetix’ and ‘Baroque Bordello’ all given an airng before bringing the story up to date with ‘Breathe’ lifted from 2022’s excellent Dark Matters album. We are then taken right back to the very start with an exuberant ‘Hanging Around’ and ‘Down In The Sewer’ that really gets the throng going at the front and ends the first set on a high point. A 20 minute comfort break allows bladders to be emptied, glasses refilled and a chance to cool down a little from the rising room temperature.

‘Waltz In Black’ plays over the PA ushering in the second set which has some early favourites ‘Dagenham Dave’ and ‘Duchess’ on which Toby Hounsham’s keyboards are brought to the fore. There are some deeper cuts like Burnell’s bass led ‘Ships That Pass In The Night’. The classics are never far away and ‘Peaches’ and ‘Always The Sun’ have the crowd in full voice. Baz Warne takes a moment to light heartedly berate those in the seats “who comes out to a Stranglers gig on a Saturday and wants to sit down”. To be fair even if they wanted to be standing, there’d barely have been room downstairs with the throbbing melee now sending the temperature skywards. Newbie ‘White Stallion’ makes and excellent bedfellow with ‘Something Better Change’ keeping the pace up before bringing the main set to a frenzied ending with ‘Tank’.

There’s hardly any offstage time before they return for an encore of ‘Go Buddy Go’ which Burnell introduces as one of the first songs they wrote when they were still just a pub rock band, and while ‘No More Heroes’ is no surprising closer, it is no less enjoyable than expected and is a perfect finish to this diverse celebratory show. What the future now holds for The Stranglers is anyone’s guess. With no signs of going through the motions and the lengthy set delivered with energy and enthusiasm the band appear to be enjoying themselves as much on stage as the crowd so there would seem little reason to slow down.

Set 1:
Just Like Nothing on Earth
Hallow to Our Men
The Raven
Baroque Bordello
North Winds
Genetix
Princess of the Streets
Breathe
Hanging Around
Down in the Sewer

Set 2:
Who Wants the World?
Dagenham Dave
Duchess
Time to Die
Ships That Pass in the Night
Peaches
Threatened
Skin Deep
Always the Sun
Golden Brown
Relentless
5 Minutes
Lost Control
White Stallion
Something Better Change
Tank

Encore:
Go Buddy Go
No More Heroes