Gig Review – The Stranglers/The Killer Meters – Holmfirth Picturedrome – 15th Jul 2015

Gig Review – The Stranglers/The Killer Meters – Holmfirth Picturedrome – 15th Jul 2015

Northern Road Trip Journal – Day 3

I Dream of Nora Batty in Black

Rising on a beautiful Yorkshire summer morning we set the Sugar Tongs for Holmfirth…

Up hill and down dale with relative ease and much scenic eye-candy, we eventually arrived at the fair town of Holmfirth to find that it had been handed over to the Family in Black for the day.

Pulling around the first bend into town we saw Mr and Mrs black on track standing on the corner. Parking and taking a quick recce, we then proceeded toward the venue where we encountered; Megabus Elaine, Pop-up Pete, Mr T, Mully, Kev, Al-and-Sal, Elliot, Lindsay and Martin and numerous others.

Then, suddenly, after calling in on Nora Batty to find no-one home, we were in India for pre-gig tiffin. We returned to Holmfirth, joining the queue for the gig. Tonight’s venue The Picturedrome last played host to The Stranglers in 2009, since then a little refurbishment has taken place and most importantly the entrance for gigs is now at the rear instead of the front, which caused a little confusion for a few of us, nothing major though. We made our way inside to say hello to the usual suspects up at the barrier.

Before too long support band The Killer Meters took the stage announcing “We’re The Killer Meters, we’re from Yorkshire and we sound like this!” as they kicked in to set opener Can’t Help It.

They delivered a set of high energy R&B which quickly won the audience over.

Material ranging from their 1977 single “Why Should It Happen To Me?” (and this is a slow one, well as slow as we get – Cardiac Arrest) to a brand new first airing of a new number about getting married at 60 and a song about their beloved scooters (of the Lambretta veriety).

A first class performance from an excellent band!

A quick set redress, lights out, Waltzinblack and bam! Toiler On The Sea.

The sound was very loud and very clear from my vantage point on JJ’s side of the stage. We were bathed in the bass!

The band were once more on a form most exceptional! Tight yet at ease, with a great sense of fun and especially tonight – mischief and menace in abundance.

A change to the set tonight as we got the awesome Curfew in place of Four Horsemen, would have preferred to have both but hey etc Etc EiTC.

Up close and personal again…

The camera pit betwixt stage and barrier was filled with flight cases tonight, so no room there for photographers or security. A rather large specimen of a security guard was sitting on the edge of the stage in front of Mr Burnel due to these space constraints. JJ teasingly danced right up to the back of his head and landed perilously close to him several times during some of his many stage leaps.

Baz complimented the local town and venue tonight, while his banter was on top form once again. We had a clear winner in the up close and personal stakes as he picked Purple Eileen as the winning hair style of the evening. Then he leapt off the stage on to the flight cases and walked over to Purple Eileen before nestling his head in her bosom (almost taking megabus Elaine and myself out with his headstock to boot, not that we were bothered), top notch! In another episode he teased the audience, at one point offering Mr Munro out for a fight, before they kissed and made up…

Breaking news, in a rarity of some note – worse places to be was actually – on the end of a skewer – tonight. More Baz and JJ fun as they huddled centre stage checking out a tiny thong that had been thrown their way. Baz cracked about their lack of soiling saying that they still had the price tag 2.99 C&A, further joking about this possibly being some kind of direction like L&R etc Etc EiTC…

Sound and performance was spot on once more. The newer material is fitting like a glove. Lost Control was particularly stonking tonight with all the anger and angst and the super sub bass (one young lady was heard to murmur, that song has a direct link to my clitoris…). And in a flash Hanging Around signalled the end of the main set…

For the encore we received the Walk On By treatment. Then JJ’s turn to leap on the flight cases, more extreme bass, No More Heroes and goodbye…

For the post-gig social we stayed in the lovely Picturedrome bar until the wee small hours!

Over…

Words: EiTC.

Photography: The Antro.

Bonus: