The Stranglers - Ground Control (2021)

Punk is not dead! Anyone who doesn't believe that punk is still alive and kicking in our times should check out the Stranglers' performance at Ground Control. The band released their 18th studio album Dark Matters in 2022. Dark Matters - an ode to darkness? The work was partly written with keyboardist Dave Greenfield, who died of Covid-19 in 2020. But even though it deals with themes such as grief, old age and politics, there is no need to fear gloomy music - on the contrary! The record captivates with the synth sounds and arpeggios typical of the Stranglers, which contributed to the success of their 1981 hit "Golden Brown" from the album La Folie. Their punk attitude is also still present. It is characteristic of the formation, which has been active from its beginnings in London pubs in 1974 to the current line-up with Jean-Jacques Burnel, Baz Warne and Jim Macauley.