I managed to get hold of a nice film of Protex playing live in New York. It may have been filmed by John Davies of Shell Shock Rock fame, not sure. I`ll get in touch with Owen McFadden (ex Protex) and see what he says.

Ernie, if there's any way of getting a copy of that or lending it to me to copy (I'd be more than willing to cover any costs) then you'd make one Yorkshire lass very happy. Email me if you can. I had a crush on drummer Owen long before Damian (but please don't tell him that!). The faded photo I still have was once stuck to my school folder! Me and a friend turned up at York to see them support Adam Ant with our badges and t-shirts but found out they'd dropped out the tour half way through. We were gutted. Very jealous of you Doninblack and anyone else who managed to see them. Can't you persuade them to do a reunion gig Ernie? I'd brave the plane again for that one (unlike Mr JP).

Seven degrees of separation - the ex singer of the Inspiral Carpets is a friend of mine still doing solo acoustic shows and the odd gig with a full band - well worth going to see. very powerful. I'm going to see the Hives here in May -they've sold out already and most people I know who have the album really rate it. Ernie, I also know John T Davies quite well. A version of the Stranglers are coming to Belfast and I was thinking of going to that as well although they don't have Hugh Cornwall now. By the way CMos - please add the Manchester screenings, Sat 27 and Sun 28 April at the Cornerhouse on Oxford Road.

'Revolver' was brilliant. Disorganised and chaotic. I can honestly say that programme, along with Peel's show, is responsible for the fact that I'm here on this website today.

Tom Hingley is the ex singer from the Inspirals.

Quiz time - the follwoing appeared as track names on an August 1981 gig - what are their real titles. 1) Dancing 2) lets have a party 3) its not easy 4) untitled 5) i got a girl

Arthur, 'The Stranglers' without Hugh are still a good live band. The vast majority of the set is Hugh era stuff (as that is all anyone is interested in hearing). IMO the post Hugh material is sub-standard. Also look out for a superb tribute band called Four More Heroes, who will be 'coming your way' Sept/Oct time. (They played The Limelight last year, and will probably be returning there). These guys are from Leeds and are true fans of the band. They recreate the sound amazingly accurately (even better than the Cornwell-less band!) and only play classic early stuff (77-82 material). Can't rate these guys highly enough. Check out their website for dates www.fourmoreheroes.com

Anyone from Leeds can't be bad.

Lots of posts to catch up: Lindsay as far as I know Protex recorded an album in New York with the late Chas Chandler as producer and since nobody was happy with it, it was never released! Read all about it on the website, i'l give a link to, follow the band's pages, follow the P and click on the Protex Bio!!!

Sorry Cliff what do you mean by trigan empire??, my english lets me down.... On the protex bio you can also read about their tour with the rats, I still rate 'rattrap' as a classic although I was deeply ashamed for a while that it was released in the same time as Teenage kicks. In november 78 I was raving about the rats being Ireland's best band and...... I did not know the Undertones at all and I only discovered the Undertones 6 months later.....

CMoS: I emailed you mu address, wilke: CD is in the post monday!

Lindsay, get yourself down to The Serbian in Leeds in April and have yourself a good time! Close your eyes and you will be back in 1978. I'm sure the band would let you 'dance' to Nice'n'Sleazy. They would probably even do 'La Folie' specially for you if you asked them nicely. Don't think they've done the ballet bit yet...

4 up at half-time!! ;-))

Thanks Julius, I was going to reply to your message today. Re. the Trigan empire (see white line below!), I think occasionally our posts accidentally find their way onto CMoS's other 'talk' pages so don't worry about it.

Even if I do go Donin, I'm far too old to 'dance' to either (phew, luckily that's got me out of that one!!!). My bruv was the Stranglers fan, I only saw them the once. Always perceived them to be more of a blokes band myself - none of my friends liked them. What do you think Jackie? Apart from J-J I thought at the time they were too old to be 'real' punks, a good band who just happened to be around during the same era. Punk for me was about being a rebellious teenager with youngsters picking up guitars for the first time. The Stranglers could actually play their instruments! They were like seasoned pros. by the time 1977 came along and not surprisingly had the pedigree to outlast most of the earlier punk bands. That's not to say I didn't like listening to the stuff my brother played – Grip, No More Heroes and Something Better Change are classics.

I saw the 'Strangler' a few years back, and it's not close! JJ with a cast of fill-ins, just didn't cut it. I saw them in 1981 here in Los Angeles at a club called The Country Club, and Hugh we in a fine mood, went out into the crowd to a photograher and took his camera and smashed it up. Mumbled something about nobody is going to make money off of the Stranglers. The show was brilliant, JJ doing his Karate kicking and Hugh singing with all that rage was brilliant. Like most UK bands at that time, never really given much airplay here in the states until the very end of the bands days with Hugh with the song Always the Sun. I was thrilled to hear their music used in the soundtrack for SNATCH, which brought back memories. My favorite Stanglers track would have to be Dutchess, since we had an Airedale with the same name, and Hanging Around, love the beginning of that song. 'Whatever happened to Ivan Trotsky, he got an icepick that made his ears burn!'

Yes Lindsay, the Stranglers, like the Damned were definitely bloke bands. Though I did sing 'peaches' a lot without knowing what it was about! Couldn't possibly have seen them live- too many leather clad blokes in the audience! My big regret was not being allowed to see the Buzzcocks at Newcastle City Hall supported by Joy Division in 1979, though I did have a friend who went and told me all about it.I still play my Stranglers greatest hits tape from time to time-the keyboards on some of their songs were amazing.

...and the fact we used to scoff Jet Black was drawing his pension in '77!!

And the stranglers did always *eclair* anybody who invaded the stage. A mate once borrowed an FX pedal of theirs only to find it was a plain switching box between the acoustic and the electric guitar - Doh

I saw the Stranglers at the Glasgow Apollo,La Folie, when Waltzinblack was the 'shapes' at the end(excellent). I also saw them in Jersey when I was working there and they were warming up for a tour(still good). Jackie spot on, Dave Greenfield superb sound. '..Does it everytime..' TITS anyone??