Heart of a Punk - Soul of a Rasta

Friday the 13th March 2009
Hugh Cornwell & Fox Cubs @ The Robin 2 Bilston

For those who have never been to Bilston, Bilston is a township appendage of Wolverhampton; Wolverhampton itself is the capital of The Black Country, even though Wolverhampton is not actually in the Black Country. However Bilston is in The Black Country. And as far as any right headed Bilstonian is concerned, Bilston is not part of Wolverhampton at all, and in fact Bilston itself is and always has been the true capital of The Black Country. I hope that's clear!

For those who have never been to The Robin 2 it is a 700 all standing capacity tennis court sized hanger type place, where you can drink (yourself responsibly or otherwise to a state of incapable stupidity) whilst watching a soupcon of live music. The usual musical stock in trade for The Robin is: the tribute band, the fondly or vaguely remembered old band; that still features one original member (most usually the drummer), and finally and most importantly it occasionally offers the more discerning punter a liberal dotting of credible bands that have refused to lie down and die. The place is gloriously unassuming; the stage is sufficiently high that a good view is guaranteed even to the shortest Bilstonian, the sound is good especially bass wise. There is the integral Woody's Bar if you don't want to drink in the venue, there is a chip shop within throwing up distance, a car park within spitting distance - what more could anyone possibly want? Go there!
www.therobin.co.uk

The interior of the Robin always reminds me of a practice room I used to frequent in those dark distant and horrible days when I was in a band myself. 34 pitiful punters (including myself) greet the "Fox Cubs" once more I'm transported back to my former band days, except 34 people at one of our gigs would have been an extremely good turn out.

"The Fox Cubs" do a set lasting about thirty minutes to a very slowly swelling and not particularly interested crowd, none of whom will ever see forty again. They play "Comfort" "In the Basement" "Beats of England" "You Never Learn" "Cocaine Smile?" amongst others, and in between they tune their guitars and indulge in general banter.

They have a little of bit of The Teardrop Explodes about them, do the Fox Cubs, Tim Baggott's voice is solid and central and hovers around the Julian Cope part of town, whilst the erstwhile guitars interweave, grind and drive along in splendiferous fashion most of what Fox Cubs do. I like these Fox Cubs, so I must refrain from slipping into the stereotypical comparison game. "They sound a bit like Blah band or Bleh band" (This is why I used the word erstwhile to describe the guitar sound). I will try to refrain from the name game much loved by music journalists, which they use as a device to escape from describing in plain English what a band actually sounds like, whilst impressing no one but themselves with their breadth of musical knowledge. I'm not going to compare the Fox Cubs with any old bands. I'm going to compare Fox Cubs with the latest NME flavour of the minute, White Lies. And not just compare them vis a vis their sound. Because on the evidence of brief glimpse I've had of the Fox Cubs tonight like it or not they inhabit a similar patch of ground as White Lies, and when both bands are stripped down to base metal there shouldn't be more than the thickness of a sheet of tracing paper between the two of them. But quite apparently at the moment there is.

After listening to thirty minutes of White Lies supporting live in 2008, and the thirty minutes of Fox Cubs tonight, vis a vis strength of songs, vocals and musical craft the difference between the bands is slight. Vis a vis how the two bands present themselves, the difference is slightly greater. The styling of the White Lies in their off the peg Joy Divisionesque black shirts black trousers is predictable, but it makes them look like a unit, and however contrived that may seem, it works. Where the big difference lies is vis a vis conviction. What I would like to know is: Fox Cubs do you mean it?! With the White Lies live, (love them or loathe them) I was left in no doubt, they meant it! The faces were set, the eyes were fixed, the touch paper was lit, and it was death or die in the attempt. No time to chat, no time to tune, no time to thank anyone. White Lies were tight and uncomplicated; if there had been 34 in the crowd or 334 or 3,034 their performance would not have altered one jot.

So Fox Cubs if you do mean it? We have a phrase in the Midlands that may help, its: "Yow've gorra mek um ave it!" which roughly translated is "you have got to make them have it!" So if you do mean it, show it, get fuckin' mean, get fuckin' mad, get fuckin' wild, you've got all the weapons cocked and ready to fire - make yourselves fuckin' unavoidable! - For Gods sake make us fuckin' have it!
www.myspace.com/foxcubs

Between the Cubs and Cornwell, even though I had planted myself on a chair at the back of the venue in the deepest darkest recess I could find, I was still woken from my slumber by a passing punter who asked if I'd take a picture of the aforementioned punter himself with Hugh Cornwell's delectable (whatever that means) bassist Caroline Campbell. The last time I took a photo of a delectable young lady I got six months hard labour, but still I complied with the request.

Now before I let you have the Hugh Cornwell doings of the night I must pause and restrain myself. I know what Stranglers and Cornwell fans are like; I must make sure everything I say is 100% accurate or they'll be on me like a swarm of email stinging bees. Take a deep breath Ed, then 100% facts boy, 100% unequivocal facts.

After the theme from the Dam Busters ends the set commences with "Wrong Side of the Tracks" the homage to, the pastiche of or the track very similar in musical design to "Cross Town Traffic" by the one and always James Marshall Hendrix. It is one of the strongest moments on Hugh's Hover Dam album released mid 2008 and its live reproduction is better still. When the opener ends Hugh announces that the delectable Caroline Campbell - Bass, the indomitable Chris Bell - drums and his indubitable self will now play every chord, note, and beat of the Hover Dam LP in its entirety, but not necessarily in the record order.

Unfortunately for some of the gathered throng this does not come as good news. Hey people, it's not called the Hover Dam Tour for nothing! If you don't know the material, why don't you know the material? It's been free on download for over six months for God's sake. Anyway if you don't like it, its tough titty, Hover Dam is what you're going to get. Hugh is going to make us have it!

The highlights of Hover Dam for me were: "Delightful Nightmare" which musically wouldn't have been out of place on the dark '79 Cornwell/Williams Nosferatu album. "Phillip K Ridiculous" an instrumental that is apparently a tribute to Phillip K Dick (who Hugh obviously sees as a kindred spirit - sorry I had to, if you don't know what the joke is find out). However the second movement of this musical piece makes me think less of Phil K or Blade Runner or Total Recall and more of the Crossroads theme, hey there's nothing wrong with sounding like the Crossroads theme not here there isn't.

The sax less "Banging on at the Same Old Beat", "Going to the City" and "Within You or Without You" are all strong and each get a good live spanking and greatfully received. There is one thing absolutely evident tonight, Hugh is totally at ease both guitar wise and vocal wise with the Hover Dam material and his two cohorts are solid throughout filling the sound gaps perfectly whilst keeping everything tight. Hugh is thinner than I've ever seen him of late, but he seems vital and on top of his game. The Hover Dam feast is concluded with "Slow Boat to Trowbridge" - as recently featured on the BBC breakfast news. If you didn't see the news item on the BBC Breakfast featuring Hugh, Trowbridge, the song, and starring The Mayor of Trowbridge, well try and find it out. I can't find it on YouTube (but hey that doesn't mean it's not there). And I can't find the video I recorded it on either? Anyway when the Mayor of Trowbridge dressed in full costume was asked to comment on Hugh's supposedly Trowbridge disrespecting ditty, he remarked "I'm actually a Stranglers fan of old but I don't think "Slow Boat to Trowbridge" is on a par with the old Stranglers stuff". God if I had a penny for everytime I've heard that old line I'd have £4.83p.

Hover Dam done, time for some old Stranglers and old Solo stuff, firstly "Tank" which I've heard an incalculable amount of times but that hardly matters a flying fig it's still a classic. "Dead Ringer" wait a minute didn't Dave sing that? Not tonight he doesn't. We get "24/7" & "Do Right Bayou" from Beyond Elysian Fields, "Black Hair, Black Eyes, Black Suit" from Guilty "Lay Back on Me Pal" and a truly excellent version of "Leave Me Alone" from HiFi. Caroline Campbell soups up the bass for "Golden Brown"(did JJ really not play on Golden Brown?). And to please the initially disaffected there's "No More Heroes" and the sax free "Grip". Gone momentarily, then when the crowd have warmed their hands, back for "Down in the Sewer", close. I think the final score was Hover Dam 10 Others 11 but I could be wrong. I've seen Cornwell "different" but not many times as good as he was tonight, whilst there is still the potential for another song like "Henry Moore" inside the man - please keep banging on at the same old beat!

You should know by now that in the afterglow of a good gig I'm liable to get sentimental, but I'm not going to apologise for it. In this time of unbelievable reconciliations, inconceivable reunions, unexpected reunifications, and astounding hatchet burying ceremonies, is there anyone out there capable of believing that Hugh and the Stranglers will ever get back together? For a second driving home to Shropshire from Bilston I fell asleep at the wheel. I found myself in Camden Town in front of a poster that read "The Guilford Four Reconciled at the Roundhouse" and then suddenly I was inside, JJ playing solo stuff, Hugh playing solo stuff, the current Stranglers playing stuff, the old Stranglers playing stuff - what an absolute belter of night! Then suddenly the guy next to me starts gobbing at JJ in the middle of "Down in the Sewer", the bass drops to the stage, the sound reverberates round the venue and my head. Burnel launches himself off the stage, the crowd parts but though I try I can't get my head out of the way of that flying Doctor Martin boot. Impact! Boing goes Zeberdy "Time for bed" - I wake up in a field with a face full of airbag, yes again! But hey what a delightful nightmare.

www.hooverdamdownload.com
www.hughcornwell.com