Fri, 11 March 2016, 1:51 pm: The prime reason for my spring 2016 England trip is manifest.
It was closer to three than two by the time they took the stage, but the basement bar supplied enough suds that the tightly packed crowd didn’t mind. I had to hold my fist-pumping in check to be able to film the video below. I did not, however, hold my singalong skills in check; you can hear me supplying a key change during every chorus of “London Lady,” Straighten Out’s note-for-note recreation of one of my favorite cuts from The Stranglers’ 1977 debut album.
I was about as far away from the stage as you could get, figuring in a crowded small space the sound quality might be better at a greater distance. Okay, fine, I was at the back because that’s where the bar is.
Not a bad couple of close-ups below, considering how far back I was.
Straighten Out lived up to their acclaim as the most sound-alike of the good-sized handful of Stranglers cover bands. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the Men in Black oughtta be flattered indeed by the near flawless late 70s-early 80s punk/new wave blasting in the pub basement this afternoon.
