Guildford, UK · punk · new wave

The Stranglers

1 upcoming festival

Punk's most musically awkward first-wavers — swirling organ and sneering menace where their peers just went fast, 'Golden Brown' the elegant outlier.

The Stranglers formed in Guildford in 1974 and were swept up in the London punk scene a couple of years later, though they never fit it neatly. Dave Greenfield's keyboards, closer to progressive rock than to punk, and Jean-Jacques Burnel's heavily distorted bass gave the group a sound distinct from their contemporaries, matched with a confrontational public image.

Across a long run of albums they moved through punk, new wave and more textured pop, scoring hits including "Peaches," "No More Heroes" and the harpsichord-led "Golden Brown." Hugh Cornwell sang and played guitar until leaving in 1990; the band has continued with other members since.

punknew wave