Re: Hugh Cornwell & Glen Matlock

They're coming thru here in a few weeks and, as they're billed together, I assume they're playing together. Anybody know what's going on with this tour? Might it be worth my time? I missed Cornwell when he came thru here last year doing whatever early Stranglers album he was doing.

Partially answering my own question. Looks like they're playing their own separate sets, but with Clem Burke drumming for both! That's probably worth the price of admission right there.

I saw Cornwell last year (or the year before?) at a free show at a tiny bar here in Austin. He was damn good, and he had Burke with him then, too. This sounds worth it to me.

The first time I read this I was confusing Glen Matlock for Glenn Tilbrook and thought what a weird double bill that was.

I saw Cornwell doing No More Heroes a year ago with Burke. Burke alone is worth the price of admission.

OK - sounds like it's worth my while then. Now I've just gotta figure out who I can convince to go with me. This falls into enough of a grey area that I think neither my wife nor any of my other usual rock show buddies will be all that interested. I'm not above going to a show alone, but still. Maybe I can sell it to my hard rocker pal on the Pistols angle. Or play Feline for my wife and tell her it'll all sound like that....

I'd totally see this if given the opportunity. . .

All stranglings involve squeezing, but not all squeezing results in strangulation.

Oh, maybe that's the tack I should take in trying to convince the wifey.

Since I'm going to be in Seattle when this tour rolls through — and since "wifey" won't be around — maybe I'll check this one out.

I've got nothing against Hugh, and I like The Stranglers as much as the next guy. But nothing screams "dirty old man" more than some guy in his 60s going on about looking at peaches and bringing on the nubiles.

That said, I wouldn't even entertain the thought of going if I knew the show would consist of "Always The Sun" and songs of that ilk for an hour.

Hell, they were already dirty old men when they first wrote those songs.

Arrived safely in Seattle, and found an FYE store near my hotel -- not a great place to shop, but I've occasionally found bargains at their locations in other towns. I found three used CDs to listen to in the car: Lou Reed's New York, CCR's The Concert and an Ian Hunter comp. $12 for the lot. Going to see Hugh, Glen and Clem tomorrow night.

I'm headed off to the Portland show in about 30 minutes and I'm happy to have seen this before I headed out. I actually ended up winning free tix to the show and couldn't find anyone to go with me! My buddy who was gonna go backed out this afternoon because of a cold, too late for me to round up anyone else. But it sounds like a good time and I guess I'll at least get my money's worth.

The show last night was good fun. Both Matlock and Cornwell were backed by Clem Burke and bassist Steve Fishman (who looks a lot like Andrew Dice Clay). Of the two headliners, Matlock played his set first. He had a second guitarist on stage, whose name I never did learn. He played a mix of songs from the Pistols (which were the biggest audience-rousers of the night, of course), the Rich Kids ("Ghosts of Princes in Towers" was the big rouser for me), the Philistines, a couple songs he'd recorded with Iggy Pop, a rendition of "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," and a few I didn't know. Matlock's voice doesn't have much of a range, but he got the job done.

I couldn't believe how much the crowd thinned out between the two headliners; almost half the audience left before Cornwell got on stage. Their loss. His set consisted mostly of songs from his solo albums, with a few Stranglers songs tossed in. His guitar playing still aces, and Fishman got to show off more on bass (he's definitely not just another pretty face). For the encore, Matlock came back out and joined Cornwell on "Nice 'n' Sleazy" and "No More Heroes."

I had never seen a rock club with carpeting on the floor in front of the stage. And I never had seen such a sedate audience for a punk show. During the two opening acts, most of the crowd hung as far back from the stage as possible, as if the floor was mined. I was right front & center for both headliner sets, and I don't think a single other member of the audience even brushed shoulders with me during either set. (Is that typical for Seattle?)

The two openers were local bands. Toxic Kid was a young punk trio; their songs were standard-issue pop-punk, played with enthusiasm but so amateurishly that it almost has to be a gag. The bassist stopped one song cold to announce, "Okay, here's my bass solo; I gotta get geared up for it. Ready?" It lasted four measures, and consisted of three notes played fast. Then he stopped again, thanked the audience for cutting him some slack, and the band picked the song back up from there.

The other opener was Red Jacket Mine. This quartet plays originals with traces of early Steely Dan, very early Springsteen, the Attractions, Mink DeVille ... very appealing stuff. The singer/guitarist even sounds a bit like Donald Fagen. I picked up a couple of their CDs; will report more after I've dug into them. In the meantime, you can hear both sides of their new single on their MySpace page.

Since I didn't know where the club was, or how much parking it offered, I probably had to walk farther back to my car than any of the other patrons. On the way out, I rounded the corner of the building ... and saw Glen Matlock having a smoke under an awning. I stopped and thanked him for a great show, and we struck up a good conversation. Very nice guy; not self-absorbed at all. When he found out I was visiting from Colorado, he wanted to talk about the Rocky Mountains. And when he found out I'm an engineer, he wanted to talk a lot about his uncle, who also was an engineer. That definitely was one of the nicest visits with a name musician I've ever experienced.

Wow! Incredible show report, Devlin! Sounds like an amazing night. I am still trying to digest the following description:

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The other opener was Red Jacket Mine. This quartet plays originals with traces of early Steely Dan, very early Springsteen, the Attractions, Mink DeVille ... very appealing stuff. The singer/guitarist even sounds a bit like Donald Fagen. I picked up a couple of their CDs;

I am not sure I can picture that, but sounds damn interesting (I am a big Steely Dan, early Bruce fan)



Post Edited (03-11-12 14:19)

Like I said, my good Nosepail, you can judge for yourself at the band's MySpace page. Guaranteed you'll dig it, or your skepticism cheerfully refunded.

If last night is anything to go by, I think I'll do well, if we move to Seattle. I told my wife last night what my plans were; she responded, "I knew it wouldn't take you long to find your tribe. Have fun!"

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most of the crowd hung as far back from the stage as possible, as if the floor was mined. I was right front & center for both headliner sets, and I don't think a single other member of the audience even brushed shoulders with me during either set.

Score! Man, whenever I try to get up close, it's usually packed. Once when I saw the Ramones, i secured a prime spot right in front, but then the band came on and I was knocked back halfway down the hall like a human pinball.

I'd say: thank you, too-cool Seattle hipsters!

"most of the crowd hung as far back from the stage as possible, as if the floor was mined. I was right front & center for both headliner sets, and I don't think a single other member of the audience even brushed shoulders with me during either set."

Sounds like a lot of Austin shows I've seen. I've gotten tired of bands imploring Austin audiences to come closer. That said, Cornwell's last show here had the crowd right up to the lip of the stage. Of course, in the tiny bar in which the performance happened, there wasn't any choice.

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Since you won free tickets, that goes without saying, doesn't it?

Well, yeah, that was my joke. It turned out the joke was on me, however, when I got there and the guest list had been bungled and I wasn't on it after all! (The venue apologized for the fuckup today and has put me on the list for the Wedding Present show next month. So it's all good, unless they fuck that one up too.)

I paid the $15 cover anyway and did enjoy the show. I was impressed that both Glen and Hugh look pretty damn fit for guys who have to be in their 60s. I'd never seen Clem Burke on the kit and that was just fun to watch. He's not the most technically proficient drummer on the planet, but he sure has a lot of energy and he just seems to enjoy the shit out of what he's doing.

I was also amazed to hear Hugh not only play "Toiler On The Sea", but to open with it, fer chrissakes!

I got that RJM single in the mail, though I currently have no way to play vinyl. (Long story.) But I'm checking out the sound samples now and am digging them so far. The singer sounds a lot like the guy from the Realistics, though the band's picture proves it's not the same dude.

> It sounds like a good time and I guess I'll at least get my money's worth.

Since you won free tickets, that goes without saying, doesn't it?

I sure didn't mind the extra breathing space, especially after being squashed and pummeled up at the front of the stage at the Descendents show in January. Still, it felt weird.

And I don't know if it was a "hipster" thing, necessarily ... but I will say, I surely was the least fashionable person at the show Saturday night. (I packed for work and for rain, not for any kind of cool factor ... which seldom applies to the way I dress anyway.)

Still, I had a great time, and got to talk with one of the Sex Pistols. All for under $20!

the stranglers are kindergarten teachers simply giving us our daily lessons.
ask jack black he knows.

anyway anyhow, its another bloody fuckin brilliant tp thread .



Post Edited (03-12-12 20:24)

mt,
i just paid a guy on saturday to fix my car with a turntable.



Post Edited (05-21-12 22:18)

STEVE wrote:

> mt,
> i just paid a guy on saturday to fix my car with a turntable.

And I thought cars with 8 tracks were silly....

Chrysler did have an optional record player for their cars in the 1950s

[www.automoblog.net]

I saw more than one van in the '70s that was equipped with a turntable. Even then, I thought it was a pointless, show-off feature. Even if you're going to be parked for a long while, and the parking area is suitably level, surely a tape deck will get the job done well enough.

Oh well ... I think it was Paganizer who said that music lovers listen to music, and audiophiles listen to formats.

Delvin wrote:


> Oh well ... I think it was Paganizer who said that music lovers
> listen to music, and audiophiles listen to formats.

Audiophiles obsess over perceived fidelity and the minute details of their journey to achieve sonic nirvana.