Photo by George Hagegeorge
Hugh Cornwell, a member of the punk’s venerable ancestry, made an appearance at the Ottobar recently. The former Stranglers lead guitarist and vocalist brought joy to a roomful of die hard fans as he ripped through two sets of what amounted to a Stranglers greatest hits show. Calling themselves Les Trois in press billings, but clearly promoting the historic angle of their line up, the audience was primed for a set of Cornwell’s solo work followed by a set of Stranglers hits. No one in the audience seemed too disappointed by the preponderance of Stranglers tunes.
Photo by George Hagegeorge, story by Justin Metzger.
Photo by George Hagegeorge
Cornwell‘s simple and pure playing style embodies much of the punk rock ethos, though his former band is sometimes given a short shrift in the history books. Their sound was more “pub rock” or “brit folk rock” if properly labeled. The band certainly laid a foundation for other socially aware groups like The Clash, and self-aware groups like The Buzzcocks, but The Stranglers were different from their contemporaries. One of the most obvious differences was their inclusion of the keyboard, and harpsichord in their arrangements.
Photo by George Hagegeorge, story by Justin Metzger.
Photo by George Hagegeorge
The trio at the Ottobar used no keys at all. Instead those lines were either picked up by the bass player/vocalist/gun-for-hire Fish, or harmonized by he and Cornwell. The result was nowhere near as disastrous as it sounds. In fact, Cornwell has been touring with some trio of musicians using the same technique for many years now. So it is really no suprise that it sounds so good. Rounding out Cornwell’s trio is veteran rocker Clem Burke, drummer for Blondie, and one time Ramone.
Photo by George Hagegeorge, story by Justin Metzger.
Photo by George Hagegeorge
The rock all stars were not limited to the stage that evening. The Ottobar was filled with a veritable who’s who of Baltimore musicians both past and present. While a show review is not a place to gossip or name drop it should be noted that members of Lo Moda, and the Jennifer’s, the All Mighty Senators were in attendance which, illustrated just how far reaching The Stranglers influence is.
Photo by George Hagegeorge, story by Justin Metzger.
Photo by George Hagegeorge
Fish
Photo by George Hagegeorge, story by Justin Metzger.
Photo by George Hagegeorge
After the show Cornwell stuck around and manned the merch table; selling and signing cds until the club was empty. Cornwell and the band then loaded up in a small van and headed off to Boston for their next show the very next night. Don’t think that the years have slowed the man down, by the time your read this Cornwell will be halfway across the country with 7 more shows under his belt and is then off to Europe to tour until mid April.
Photo by George Hagegeorge, story by Justin Metzger.
