The Stranglers, all dressed in black as usual, performed a solid hour-and-a-half-long set of music that surely satisfied anyone sympethetic enough to attend (and there was an impressively large turnout). The Stranglers didn't talk much; in fact only Baz Warne (lead guitarist since 2000, lead singer since 2006) said anything at all; even the sometimes outgoing Jean-Jacques Burnel (who looked remarkably youthful) was silent. Baz Warne had a confident manner. His vocals were neither too different from Hugh Cornwell's, nor too similar. At the back Dave Greenfield and Jet Black just got on with playing their instruments. Jet Black, now seventy-one, was almost obscured by his drumkit. How much he was enjoying himself wasn't detectable, but he certainly drummed well. It was Dave Grenfield's keyboards, though, that really made the evening. Tonight their sound reproduced excellently: with song after song, their distinctive texture conferred a touch of class.

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