UK band The Stranglers are known for pushing boundaries.
They were quickly defined as "punk" when they started making music in 1974 however their sound was far more fluid, exploring everything from art rock to goth and new wave pop.
The Stranglers have 23 UK Top 40 singles and 19 UK Top 40 albums to date. They are best known for the songs Golden Brown, Always the Sun, No More Heroes, Strange Little Girl and Peaches - and for being arrested in 1980 for allegedly inciting a riot at a concert in Nice, France.
In 2021 the band released their 18th studio album, Dark Matters, which debuted at No. 4 in the UK Charts. It was the first Stranglers album not to feature founding drummer Jet Black, who retired from the band in 2015 due to ill health (and died on December 6 last year). Conversely, Dark Matters was the final album recorded by keyboardist Dave Greenfield, who joined the band in 1975.
"Much of the album had been recorded just before lockdown, however it wasn't complete. Dave's parting gave an extra motivation, inspiration and impetus to complete the project," founding bass player and vocalist Jean-Jacques "JJ" Burnel said. He is touring Australia with Baz Warne, Jim Macaulay and Toby Hounsham in April.
"The final recordings were a bit more complicated to do than usual. I live in France so I would send ideas to Baz, who would interpret them and then send them to Louie, our producer.
"On occasion I recorded in my village, and we would send the recordings to UK for approval - or not.
"We have the technology but it's not my favourite way of doing it. It's much better when the band is playing together."
The Stranglers have played songs from Dark Matters on tour in the UK and across Europe however it will be the first time Australian audiences will hear them live.
I ask Burnel to share some of his favourite memories of Jet and Dave and he laughs.
"How long have you got? Jet was a force of nature. Dave was the ultimate geek and on the spectrum. Those two alone would merit a book each."
As for the enduring legacy of The Stranglers' music, and the social commentary it provides, he had this to say.
"I'm always amazed that our music still has relevance to many despite never being completely mainstream.
"Maybe by not following any trends you carve your own identity with the ups and downs that go with that.
"[The state of the world] provides more inspiration than love, unfortunately. That's a word that has been devalued by over-use."
The Stranglers perform at The Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle on Sunday, April 23. Tickets are on sale now.
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