The interview: The Stranglers

As punk’s great survivors The Stranglers line up a North West return, MALCOLM WYATT talked to singer Baz Warne about his Family in Black

It’s not often a front-man is still regularly held up to scrutiny after 15 years with a band, but that’s how it goes with Baz Warne.

To put it mildly, The Stranglers’ founder member Hugh Cornwell was a hard act to follow, even though he left 25 years ago.

Hugh’s legacy was certainly a difficult one to live up to for replacement Paul Roberts, but he stuck around nearly 16 years – more or less the same period as Hugh.

And when Paul departed, the band had a ready-made successor in the ranks, Sunderland-born and bred Baz having replaced guitarist John Ellis six years earlier.

By next year, Baz should have eclipsed Hugh and Paul’s time with the band, yet he’s still asked by prying journalists like me what it’s like to be the new kid with his head on the block.

He had a colourful enough background with other bands, but this is The Stranglers after all. Does he still have to pinch himself this is all happening?

“Well yeah, but I have been with the band 15 years.”

True, but there must be times when you look around the stage and spot iconic bass player JJ Burnel, keyboard wiz Dave Greenfield and drumming legend Jet Black, wondering how this all came about.

“To be honest, I used to think like that, but probably just for the first three or four months. They made me feel welcome and a part of it right from the word go.

“As far as they’re concerned, this is The Stranglers, and this line-up’s now been on the go nine years and we’ve done more than we’ve ever done before.

“The last two albums were very well-received, JJ maintaining Giants is probably one of the best.”

I agree, having listened to Giants a fair bit on the build-up to last July’s Preston gig.

“Thank you very much. Was that for the 53 Degrees show? Was that a good one? I can’t really recall.”

It certainly was, and Baz was on fine form, as were all his band-mates. So when did the 50-year-old – who was just 10 when The Stranglers formed - become aware of the Men in Black?

“As a very early teenager up in Sunderland, one of the ways I got money to buy a good guitar was by delivering papers, and a guy on my route ordered Sounds.