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Interview with JJ Burnel & Baz Warne
50th Anniversary UK & Irish Tour
photo: hiroki nishioka
Interviewer: Carl Marsh
In 2024, The Stranglers, one of the most iconic and influential bands in British music history, are celebrating their 50th year anniversary with the following UK & Irish tour.
First formed in 1974, The Stranglers uncompromising attitude was embraced by the punk movement of the late 70s but their musicianship and menace transcended the genre. They created their own unique sound and achieved over 25 Top 40 singles and 18 Top 40 albums, with their most recent release Dark Matters reaching number 4, their highest UK chart position since Feline in the early 80s and being acclaimed as their best in decades.
The Stranglers plan to make these milestone anniversary shows extra special with two sets featuring songs from the band's inception through to the present, showcasing their unique fifty year career. These truly special events will be unmissable for fans of the Meninblack.
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With the band's 50th anniversary this year and with such a vast back catalogue of songs, will there be any surprises with any of the songs you will perform on this tour?
JJ - We're going to do stuff that we haven't ever played live. And we're also going to do two sets as opposed to the normal one. So, I think it should be… well, it will be very different for us and a bit more challenging musically.
So, with this upcoming tour consisting of two sets instead of one. Will these be some of the longest performances you'll ever have done - on any given night - on tour?
Baz - It certainly will be up there. Typically, when we play, we have been known to play for an hour and three quarters. I think what we're going to do is attempt to make the first half probably about 50 minutes long. The second half is probably about an hour or so with the encore. So, it's going to stretch over two hours, I would have thought, and it'll be pretty gruelling. I mean, we're not spring chickens anymore. But listen, anybody that ever tells you that it's hard work. It is hard work, but Christ, it's enjoyable. JJ and I probably haven't spoken for about two weeks, which is rare for us, but we will start rehearsing again soon. And we're both like schoolboys in that we're both extremely excited being able to do it.
There must be songs you've never heard, let alone sung in your 20-plus years with the band, Baz.
Baz - For me, there's one in particular that the band have never played live, which I know for a fact because we had to navigate our way through it. Traditionally, over the years, JJ and I have sorted the setlist, and we normally tour in March a lot. So, in October of the previous year, we'd start emailing each other with ideas and boil it down… There's usually a pot of about 35 to 40 songs. And then, of course, you can narrow that down even further to ones that you 'must' play. I mean, as contrary as we could be sometimes, even we realise that if you don't do 'Golden Brown' and stuff like that, you know what I'm thinking! [Laughs] And believe me, we have done tours where we haven't done it just to get up people's noses!
Of the songs you've released over the last 50 years, are there any that you've fallen out of and then back in love with?
JJ - Loads of times. In fact, for years, we didn't play songs like 'Peaches' or 'Something Better Change'. 'Golden Brown', we've dropped a few times. There's no point playing these things to just go through the motions. You've got to feel them. And usually, when we do play them, we play them differently every night anyway. [Laughs] So, yeah, with some songs, you fall out of love, and you don't want to be a karaoke band or a cabaret because there's enough to choose from.
What are your thoughts on 'Golden Brown', Baz?
Baz -To be honest with you, I think many of the real diehard super funds go for a pee when we play that anyway. To me, it's still, of course, a tribute to our fallen colleague, Dave Greenfield, and was indeed Dave's finest moment.
You were highly prolific in those early years as a band, releasing four albums ['Rattus Norvegicus' and 'No More Heroes' in 1977; 'Black and White' in 1978; 'The Raven' in 1979] in less than two years!
JJ - I think it was three albums in just over a year and four in two years. Something like that. And it was all that pent-up frustration, struggling to try and do a demo, let alone getting a record deal. We built up a whole lot of material and were experimenting. I think that was quite classic, and a lot of bands would wait - in those days - for a record deal, whereas
today, people don't need to wait for a record deal. They just make their own record. We'd built up loads of materials, and the first two albums were recorded in one session.
What's it like back rehearsing together? I know you all live all over the place these days, and you must have taken some time off since the last concerts you did in 2023.
Baz - We did quite a few concerts in the summer, but they were all in June, July and the beginning of August. And we didn't see each other again until October. But we've made a shortlist; obviously, we spoke to each other a lot, but we hadn't seen each other until we got in the room together. We had a fantastic week. There was just the four of us, with our technical guy bobbing around every once in a while, but he kept out of the way, so it was just me, JJ, Toby and Jim in a room locked away in the wilds of Somerset on a farm, and we had a right laugh. We reconnected again as mates, which is always very important. We just got stuck into what we needed to do, and at the end of the first week, we were 50% of the way there, which was very surprising and pleasing. Just so that we're on the money because it has to be. I don't think I'm arrogant when I say that we are usually pretty tight and well-rehearsed when we play. I mean, we drill ourselves. But this one's got to be just that, a little bit extra.
And you said you're 50% of the way there in that first week; how was the second rehearsal?
Baz - We'd all come away from that [first rehearsals] and then got back together again, probably about a calendar month later in mid-November. And that was even better. All the creases had been ironed out, most of it. So yeah, it's going to be interesting. It will also be challenging, which is something you've got to do. Quite a few songs have been dragged, kicking and screaming, off the top shelf and dusted off. Many people probably wouldn't take as many risks because it is a big deal. You know, the Albert Hall and all these big prestigious venues that we're doing, but this is The Stranglers, and we do what we like.
The band have never seemed to follow any musical style. Was that a joint decision amongst all of you?
JJ - Yeah, much of it came from the divisional backgrounds of the four original members. So, you put that into a blender and come out with a hybrid, which is what we did. And you know, if you like music, which we all did, and it's not one particular style of music, you come from different directions. It's a synthesis of all these other influences. Young bands were always much more pronounced with their influences. Yet, as you become more confident you refine your own voice, it becomes less noticeable. So, in the (very) early days, our influences were quite obvious, such as 'The Doors', 'Velvet Underground' and all these kinds of things. And then, as time goes by, you develop your own identity. But we were lucky to be ostracised by our peer group in the very early days. So we developed without many influences from them. There weren't any new trends or fashions that we were following anymore. So, you know, because we had artistic freedom, we didn't have a record company telling us what to do. You'd just do anything.
Your identity is vital, but you must have had equal successes and failures to work out who you were as a band?
JJ - Sometimes, we experimented and fell flat on our faces. Other times, we tried stuff out, and it was hugely successful, like with, for instance, 'Golden Brown'. I mean, who would have thought of bringing in a harpsichord to a recording studio and doing a 13/4 piece of music and insisting that it should be released despite the record company saying, "Oh, no, you can't dance to it. It doesn't sound funky. It's horrible". So, you know, you invoke clauses in your contract and force them to release something. They released it just before Christmas, thinking it'll drown in the tsunami of releases. And lo and behold, it just developed legs. And then, at the end of the whole process of the success of that particular song, they said, "Oh, can we have the same thing again? Something similar". You say, "@$%^ off", then send them a six, seven-minute piece in French. So, we were allowed to do stuff like that, and sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't. It's part of our backstory now.
First formed in 1974, The Stranglers uncompromising attitude was embraced by the punk movement of the late 70s but their musicianship and menace transcended the genre. They created their own unique sound and achieved over 25 Top 40 singles and 18 Top 40 albums, with their most recent release Dark Matters reaching number 4, their highest UK chart position since Feline in the early 80s and being acclaimed as their best in decades.
The Stranglers plan to make these milestone anniversary shows extra special with two sets featuring songs from the band's inception through to the present, showcasing their unique fifty year career. These truly special events will be unmissable for fans of the Meninblack.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
With the band's 50th anniversary this year and with such a vast back catalogue of songs, will there be any surprises with any of the songs you will perform on this tour?
JJ - We're going to do stuff that we haven't ever played live. And we're also going to do two sets as opposed to the normal one. So, I think it should be… well, it will be very different for us and a bit more challenging musically.
So, with this upcoming tour consisting of two sets instead of one. Will these be some of the longest performances you'll ever have done - on any given night - on tour?
Baz - It certainly will be up there. Typically, when we play, we have been known to play for an hour and three quarters. I think what we're going to do is attempt to make the first half probably about 50 minutes long. The second half is probably about an hour or so with the encore. So, it's going to stretch over two hours, I would have thought, and it'll be pretty gruelling. I mean, we're not spring chickens anymore. But listen, anybody that ever tells you that it's hard work. It is hard work, but Christ, it's enjoyable. JJ and I probably haven't spoken for about two weeks, which is rare for us, but we will start rehearsing again soon. And we're both like schoolboys in that we're both extremely excited being able to do it.
There must be songs you've never heard, let alone sung in your 20-plus years with the band, Baz.
Baz - For me, there's one in particular that the band have never played live, which I know for a fact because we had to navigate our way through it. Traditionally, over the years, JJ and I have sorted the setlist, and we normally tour in March a lot. So, in October of the previous year, we'd start emailing each other with ideas and boil it down… There's usually a pot of about 35 to 40 songs. And then, of course, you can narrow that down even further to ones that you 'must' play. I mean, as contrary as we could be sometimes, even we realise that if you don't do 'Golden Brown' and stuff like that, you know what I'm thinking! [Laughs] And believe me, we have done tours where we haven't done it just to get up people's noses!
Of the songs you've released over the last 50 years, are there any that you've fallen out of and then back in love with?
JJ - Loads of times. In fact, for years, we didn't play songs like 'Peaches' or 'Something Better Change'. 'Golden Brown', we've dropped a few times. There's no point playing these things to just go through the motions. You've got to feel them. And usually, when we do play them, we play them differently every night anyway. [Laughs] So, yeah, with some songs, you fall out of love, and you don't want to be a karaoke band or a cabaret because there's enough to choose from.
What are your thoughts on 'Golden Brown', Baz?
Baz -To be honest with you, I think many of the real diehard super funds go for a pee when we play that anyway. To me, it's still, of course, a tribute to our fallen colleague, Dave Greenfield, and was indeed Dave's finest moment.
You were highly prolific in those early years as a band, releasing four albums ['Rattus Norvegicus' and 'No More Heroes' in 1977; 'Black and White' in 1978; 'The Raven' in 1979] in less than two years!
JJ - I think it was three albums in just over a year and four in two years. Something like that. And it was all that pent-up frustration, struggling to try and do a demo, let alone getting a record deal. We built up a whole lot of material and were experimenting. I think that was quite classic, and a lot of bands would wait - in those days - for a record deal, whereas
today, people don't need to wait for a record deal. They just make their own record. We'd built up loads of materials, and the first two albums were recorded in one session.
What's it like back rehearsing together? I know you all live all over the place these days, and you must have taken some time off since the last concerts you did in 2023.
Baz - We did quite a few concerts in the summer, but they were all in June, July and the beginning of August. And we didn't see each other again until October. But we've made a shortlist; obviously, we spoke to each other a lot, but we hadn't seen each other until we got in the room together. We had a fantastic week. There was just the four of us, with our technical guy bobbing around every once in a while, but he kept out of the way, so it was just me, JJ, Toby and Jim in a room locked away in the wilds of Somerset on a farm, and we had a right laugh. We reconnected again as mates, which is always very important. We just got stuck into what we needed to do, and at the end of the first week, we were 50% of the way there, which was very surprising and pleasing. Just so that we're on the money because it has to be. I don't think I'm arrogant when I say that we are usually pretty tight and well-rehearsed when we play. I mean, we drill ourselves. But this one's got to be just that, a little bit extra.
And you said you're 50% of the way there in that first week; how was the second rehearsal?
Baz - We'd all come away from that [first rehearsals] and then got back together again, probably about a calendar month later in mid-November. And that was even better. All the creases had been ironed out, most of it. So yeah, it's going to be interesting. It will also be challenging, which is something you've got to do. Quite a few songs have been dragged, kicking and screaming, off the top shelf and dusted off. Many people probably wouldn't take as many risks because it is a big deal. You know, the Albert Hall and all these big prestigious venues that we're doing, but this is The Stranglers, and we do what we like.
The band have never seemed to follow any musical style. Was that a joint decision amongst all of you?
JJ - Yeah, much of it came from the divisional backgrounds of the four original members. So, you put that into a blender and come out with a hybrid, which is what we did. And you know, if you like music, which we all did, and it's not one particular style of music, you come from different directions. It's a synthesis of all these other influences. Young bands were always much more pronounced with their influences. Yet, as you become more confident you refine your own voice, it becomes less noticeable. So, in the (very) early days, our influences were quite obvious, such as 'The Doors', 'Velvet Underground' and all these kinds of things. And then, as time goes by, you develop your own identity. But we were lucky to be ostracised by our peer group in the very early days. So we developed without many influences from them. There weren't any new trends or fashions that we were following anymore. So, you know, because we had artistic freedom, we didn't have a record company telling us what to do. You'd just do anything.
Your identity is vital, but you must have had equal successes and failures to work out who you were as a band?
JJ - Sometimes, we experimented and fell flat on our faces. Other times, we tried stuff out, and it was hugely successful, like with, for instance, 'Golden Brown'. I mean, who would have thought of bringing in a harpsichord to a recording studio and doing a 13/4 piece of music and insisting that it should be released despite the record company saying, "Oh, no, you can't dance to it. It doesn't sound funky. It's horrible". So, you know, you invoke clauses in your contract and force them to release something. They released it just before Christmas, thinking it'll drown in the tsunami of releases. And lo and behold, it just developed legs. And then, at the end of the whole process of the success of that particular song, they said, "Oh, can we have the same thing again? Something similar". You say, "@$%^ off", then send them a six, seven-minute piece in French. So, we were allowed to do stuff like that, and sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't. It's part of our backstory now.
