Pass The Deep Heat: The Morning After The Stranglers Concert

I used to laugh as a child when my father and his generation used to whistfully reminisce at such acts as Flanagan and Allen or the Crazy Gang. Fuddy duddy, I would think. But what goes around, comes around and last night I was at a Stranglers concert.

The difference in the fan's devotion was that my father and his friends would gently dance round the kitchen, singing Run Rabbit Run or telling gentle jokes. The fans at the Stranglers concert were just fatter and more balding leftovers from the punk generation. The dance movements, arm motions and ecstatic verbals were little different from 1976. There was even an atmosphere of middle aged menace. In the heat of 'No More Heroes' a large man was lifted above the heads of the fans close to the stage and an attempt was made to float him over the audience.

It failed.

The weight was too much and he ended up in an undignified heap, mingled with a dozen other prostate people. That would not have happened in the seventies.

The support bands were even better. More raw and not quite as polished. Wilko Johnson, an original member of Dr Feelgood was good. His sidekick, bass player Norman Watt-Roy was beyond superlatives. But best of all was the lesser known support act, Mike Marlin (his videos are exceptional - smashing up the office furniture etc. http://www.mikemarlin.co.uk/#videos), who brought some laid back style to the evening by appearing on stage in his dressing gown.

"Take your bleeding dressing gown off," barracked an impatient fan.

"Where are you from?" replied Mike Marlin.

"The TOOOOOOONNNNNN," shouted the man who seemed to be angling for a punch up and was waiting in anticipation for the joke about Sunderland. Mike Marlin wisely resisted the temptation and went off on a tangent.

So for all you middle aged readers - if that is what you are - if you want a good night out, go and see the Stranglers - http://www.stranglers.net/b_ground.html. I advice you to have some headache pills and some Deep Heat ready for the next day. Today, I am deaf in the left ear, have a headache and have pulled a muscle or two in my neck.

I sound like a typical bus driver.