“Nottingham is a proper British city” - Baz from The Stranglers on the 50th anniversary tour

This year will see a very special show taking over the Royal Concert Hall which will mark the 50th anniversary of The Stranglers. The special UK and Ireland tour will only stop in iconic and special venues close to the band and their incredible history.

The one-off show will take place on Tuesday, March 19 with tickets already on sale starting from £40.00. The plan is to celebrate the milestone with extra two sets featuring songs from the band’s incredible back catalogue showcasing the best of their sound.

The Stranglers have been a huge part of the punk movement since they began in 1974. They created their own sound which gave them over 25 singles in the Top 40 and 8 albums in the Top 40. Their most recent release, Dark Matters hit number 4 in the UK charts.

We join Barry ‘Baz’ Warne for a chat to find out, how it feels to be celebrating 50 years of The Stranglers, what can Nottingham fans expect from the new show and, in his opinion - what is the best pub in the city?

“It makes you feel old to start with as it feels unreal and we haven’t thought too much about it. We tend to get on with what we do then these things sneak up on you,” Baz admitted. “I can vividly remember doing a 40th anniversary then it’s been 10 years since we did that so suddenly here we are at 50.”

When it comes to iconic music venues, Nottingham has more than its fair share of long-time music fan favourites. Baz recalled playing Rock City in previous years.

“Rock City is a stalwart of the British music scene as it’s been around for 40 years. We’ve played there around 20 times with other bands. It’s one of those venues when you get there in the afternoon and think, my god how are they going to get so many people in here as it never looks particularly big,” he said.

“Then you go back out in the evening and go on stage and it is heaving. Rock City has always been fantastic. We’ve had some really great times in Nottingham. There is that pub, the Old Trip to Jerusalem, that’s where we used to go drinking. It’s a good city Nottingham, a proper British city.”

He added: “We used to love this pub in Nottingham which was horror themed with cobwebs, magic mirrors and things. It’s a good city to go drinking in.”

Having played Rock City more than a few times, Baz is excited to try Royal Concert Hall as this will be a first. Baz joined the band in the eighties as a guitarist and vocalist.

“It’s going to be nice to do the Royal Concert Hall as I’ve never done that before. I think the boys may have played there back in the day but I’ve certainly never played there. The people in the Nottingham crowd are always well up for it.”

He added: “We’ve played Nottingham on a Monday or Tuesday and it is always rammed. It doesn’t have to be the weekend to play there as far as gigs are concerned. It’s a wonderful place to play and we always look forward to it.”

When it comes to what the audience can expect, Baz is keeping the plans under wraps for now.

“The 50th anniversary is something that very few bands get to celebrate so we are going to do something a little bit special within it. We are going to do two spots where there will be something different for the first half and then we will come on to do something else but I can’t give too much away.”

The 2024 gigs will kick start an incredibly busy period for Baz and the band which will mean a lot of international work.

“Next year is going to be good as it will be really busy. I like getting on my motorbike to relax after a tour and I quite enjoy the domestic life too like doing the dishes, the market and the normality. However, it doesn’t last long as after about two or three weeks, I’m ready to get back out there again because it’s what we do.”