Live Review: The Stranglers

The Stranglers are a really special band, occupying a vast musical expanse of influences that range from punk rock bands of yore like The Ramones and The Clash to Baba O'Riley-era The Who, or '80s outfits such as New Order. Keyboardist Dave Greenfield is the catalyst for The Stranglers, his vast stack of keyboards allowing for such a diverse palette of experimentation that you won't even be able to believe where he takes the sonic direction. From gentle strokes at high speeds to slow, low-end churns that literally vibrate the floor of the theatre, Greenfield is a one of a kind performer.

The Stranglers' core sound could be described as rock'n'roll with a punk attitude. The steady, sleazy bass strums of Jean-Jacques Burnel are matched by touring drummer Jim MacAulay while Baz Warne's distinctive lyrical snarl peppers each song with sardonic enunciation. The result is starkly psychedelic, true to its roots, and experimental at the same time. The Stranglers have a similar onstage energy to the Cosmic Psychos, if you were to require an Australian equivalent.

Despite the aforementioned, The Stranglers are no stranger to slower ballads with a rendition of their quintessential hit Golden Brown making for one of the shows best moments and further exemplifying how compelling The Stranglers are. They may have quietly played one of the best shows for the first half of 2016! What's more is the band were genuinely stoked to be performing in Adelaide, with Warne commenting on how touring acts often skip over the city in Australian tours. During their double encore Warne told the crowd that after their final show in Perth that he and Burnel will be jumping on motorcycles and exploring Western Australia — just imagining the two rolling into the sunset to the tune of Golden Brown is too good to be true.