Absolutely
bloody brilliant! After 35 years together, Nine
Below Zero are the special guests of The Stranglers
for six weeks on their Ruby Anniversary Tour,
ending in Manchester on Saturday 29 March. Admittedly,
the last time I saw Nine Below Zero, they were
a fixture in the front room of The Young Ones,
belting out ‘Eleven + Eleven’ to an
audience of Mike, Rick and Vivian. Tonight I am
in for one heck of a surprise as the group are
an incredibly talented blues band – self-proclaimed
blues for the 21st Century.
Nine
Below Zero have joined the likes of Eric Clapton
and Ray Davies (The Kinks) on previous tours,
having opened for Chuck Berry and made an appearance
on Jools Holland during their lengthy stint in
the music world. This band are very much in demand
and are a regular fixture on the blues scene.
Tonight, alongside their notable hits of ‘Eleven
+ Eleven’ and ‘Ridin’ on the
L&N’ they treated the crowd to cover
versions of ‘On the Road Again’ (Canned
Heat) and ‘Riders on the Storm’ (The
Doors) which were well received. Mark Feltham
is stupendous on harmonica and this sets the band
apart from their peers. The Stranglers couldn’t
have chosen a better opening act…
British
rockers The Stranglers need no introduction. This
band has been a lynchpin in the UK punk rock scene
since the late 1970s, having opened for the likes
of The Ramones and Patti Smith on tours in the
past. They have had 23 UK Top 40 singles and 17
UK Top 40 albums during their lengthy career which
makes them one of the most successful bands of
the punk rock movement.
Tonight the band arrive on stage to a throbbing
build up of sound and kick off their anniversary
set with a bang. Hits such as ‘No More Heroes’,
‘Peaches’ and ‘Golden Brown’
go down a storm with the crowd and it’s
great to see the legions of loyal fans enjoying
every moment. The Stranglers may have emerged
from punk rock beginnings but it is hard to pigeonhole
them into one genre these days as their music
is so diverse, having moved through New Wave and
Goth Rock with influences of Psychedelia thrown
in. They have an original take on music that cannot
be matched and long may they continue to produce
their eclectic musical statements as whatever
they do, it certainly isn’t dull!
Nine Below Zero 5/5
The Stranglers 5/5
Review By Claire Whelpton
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