The Stranglers

The Stranglers are an English rock band who, over five decades of their career, have explored art rock, gothic rock and other genres, gradually evolving their sound whilst retaining their recognisable bass and keyboard foundation. In this article, we’ll look at how The Stranglers came to be, who made up the classic line-up, why the band’s line-up changed over the years, and which songs brought them widespread fame. We’ll also take a closer look at their awards and nominations.

The History of The Stranglers

In 1974, the future line-up of the band began to take shape around Jet Black, Hugh Cornwell and Jean-Jacques Burnel. They were joined by Hans Wärmling, who became the first keyboardist, but he was replaced by Dave Greenfield as early as 1975. It is this line-up that is generally regarded as the classic one.

The band quickly attracted attention on the British club scene. Their aggressive style, dark lyrics and the unusually prominent role of the keyboards set The Stranglers apart from other bands of the mid-1970s. The musicians found themselves at the forefront of the emerging punk scene, although their music was, from the very beginning, broader in scope than the usual confines of punk rock.

Early albums and success

In December 1976, The Stranglers signed a contract with United Artists, and in 1977 they released their debut album, Rattus Norvegicus. This was followed by No More Heroes and Black and White – all three albums were released in the space of just 13 months. This period saw the release of the songs ‘Peaches’, ‘No More Heroes’ and ‘Walk On By’.

In the 1980s, the band continued to evolve their sound. In 1981, La Folie was released, and its track ‘Golden Brown’ became one of The Stranglers’ biggest hits. This was followed by the albums Feline, Aural Sculpture and Dreamtime, with ‘Strange Little Girl’, ‘Skin Deep’ and ‘Always the Sun’ standing out among the well-known songs of this period.

Line-up changes

In 1990, Hugh Cornwell left The Stranglers. The band continued with a new line-up and released several more albums. In the 2000s, Baz Warne joined the band, and following Paul Roberts’ departure in 2006, The Stranglers returned to being a quartet.

In 2015, Jet Black stopped performing with the band and was replaced on drums by Jim Macaulay. In 2020, Dave Greenfield passed away, but his parts were included on the band’s next album, ‘Dark Matters’. The album was released in 2021 and reached number four in the UK charts – The Stranglers’ best chart position since 1983.

The Stranglers today

Following Jet Black’s death in December 2022, Jean-Jacques Burnel remained the only member of the original line-up still performing with the band. The Stranglers did not cease touring: following the announcement in 2021 of their final full-scale tour of the United Kingdom, the musicians continued to perform across Europe and in other countries. In 2024, the band marked their 50th anniversary with a concert tour.

Awards and nominations

The band’s most significant recognised achievement remains the Ivor Novello Award for the song ‘Golden Brown’.

In 1983, ‘Golden Brown’ won the Most Performed Work award at the 28th Ivor Novello Awards ceremony. The song was recognised as the most performed composition of 1982. Its credited writers are Jean-Jacques Burnel, Hugh Cornwell, Jet Black and Dave Greenfield. Also nominated in the same category were “Oh Julie” by Shakin’ Stevens and “Love Plus One” by Haircut One Hundred.

In 2005, ‘Golden Brown’ was included in a shortlist of 25 songs selected for a special vote to mark the 25th anniversary of the BRIT Awards. The organisers invited the public to choose the best British song from the period since 1977.

Members of The Stranglers

Over half a century of musical activity, the line-up of The Stranglers has changed several times. Of the original quartet, only Jean-Jacques Burnel remains in the band today. He is joined by guitarist and vocalist Baz Warne, drummer Jim Macaulay and keyboardist Toby Hounsham.

Jean-Jacques Burnel

Jean-Jacques Burnel is the bassist and one of the vocalists of The Stranglers, and the only member of the original line-up still playing with the band. Before switching to bass, he played classical guitar and later studied history. Burnel is also a serious martial artist: he holds a high-dan black belt in Shidokan Karate. As a member of The Stranglers, he wrote and performed the vocals for around a third of the band’s early songs. In 1979, Burnel became the first member of The Stranglers to release a solo album, Euroman Cometh.

Baz Warne

Baz Warne joined The Stranglers in 2000, but by that time he had already carved out his own path in punk rock. In his youth, he played bass guitar in the Toy Dolls, then formed the Troubleshooters, which later became Smalltown Heroes. With The Stranglers, Warne initially performed as a guitarist, but from 2006 he became one of the lead vocalists. It is worth noting that in 2000 he initially turned down an offer to audition, but soon changed his mind. As a result, following successful auditions, he set off almost immediately with the band to perform in Kosovo and across Europe.

Jim Macaulay

Jim Macaulay has been associated with The Stranglers for longer than his current status as a band member might suggest. In 2012, he began performing with the band as a touring drummer, standing in for Jet Black at concerts. Since 2018, Macaulay has been a permanent member. He joined the band even before Black’s final departure from the stage. Today, Macaulay is responsible for drums and percussion, and also provides backing vocals.

Toby Hounsham

Toby Hounsham became The Stranglers’ keyboardist in 2021, replacing Dave Greenfield, who died in 2020. For him, this was a particularly significant replacement: Hounsham had been a fan of the band since his youth and described Greenfield as his musical hero. In 2026, he appeared on the British programme The Repair Shop, where experts restored a vintage Hohner Cembalet that had belonged to Greenfield. Following the restoration, Hounsham was able to play the instrument for the first time – the very one his predecessor had once used for The Stranglers’ recordings and live performances.

Former members

The band’s former members deserve special mention. Each of them has their own creative story.

Jet Black

Jet Black, whose real name is Brian John Duffy, was the founder and first drummer of The Stranglers. Before turning to music, he was a successful businessman: he owned a fleet of ice-cream vans, The Jackpot shop in Guildford and a business selling home brewing equipment. It was The Jackpot that became one of the band’s first bases, whilst the old vans were used by the musicians to travel to gigs. Black gradually stepped back from touring due to health issues and officially ended his career with The Stranglers in 2018. He died on 6 December 2022.

Hugh Cornwell

Hugh Cornwell was the guitarist and lead vocalist of The Stranglers from 1974 to 1990 and remains one of the key contributors to the band’s classic material. Whilst still at school, he played in a band with Richard Thompson, who would later join Fairport Convention. Cornwell went on to study biochemistry at the University of Bristol and continued his studies at Lund University in Sweden, where he formed Johnny Sox. After leaving The Stranglers, he embarked on a solo career, recording several studio albums and continuing to perform.

Hans Wärmling

Hans Wärmling was The Stranglers’ first keyboardist, forming part of the band from 1974 to 1975. Prior to this, the Swedish musician had played in The Jackie Fountains, and subsequently joined Johnny Sox alongside Hugh Cornwell. Wärmling was unhappy with the direction the new band was taking: in particular, he found himself having to play cover versions, including ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon’. In 1975, he left the band and was replaced by Dave Greenfield. However, Wärmling remained a co-writer on several early tracks, including ‘Strange Little Girl’, which became a hit for The Stranglers in a new version in 1982. In 1995, the musician died in a boating accident.

Dave Greenfield

Dave Greenfield joined The Stranglers in 1975 following an advert in Melody Maker and remained with the band until his death in 2020. His keyboard playing became one of the defining features of The Stranglers’ sound. Before joining the band, Greenfield played in bands in England and Germany, and also worked as a piano tuner. It was his keyboard part that formed the basis of ‘Golden Brown’: Greenfield originally wrote an instrumental piece in 6/8 time, which was later transformed into the famous song. He also recorded the album Fire & Water (Ecoutez Vos Murs) with Jean-Jacques Burnel in 1983.

John Ellis

John Ellis joined The Stranglers following Hugh Cornwell’s departure in 1990. Before joining The Stranglers, Ellis was one of the founding members of The Vibrators, and from 1988 to 1989 he played alongside Jean-Jacques Burnel and Dave Greenfield in The Purple Helmets. Ellis left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Baz Warne.

Paul Roberts

Paul Roberts became the lead singer of The Stranglers following Hugh Cornwell’s departure and spent almost 16 years with the band – from 1990 to 2006. Unlike Cornwell, he did not play the guitar, so the role of second guitarist at live gigs was initially filled by John Ellis and later by Baz Warne. Roberts contributed to the recording of five studio albums and was also a co-writer of the material. After leaving The Stranglers, he continued his musical career with the projects Paul Roberts and The Faith Band and Soulsec.

Concerts and festivals

The Stranglers have been performing on stage for over fifty years, so their concert history spans everything from small clubs to major British venues and festivals. Yet the band have not confined themselves to nostalgic performances: their touring has continued even after several generations of line-up changes.

A significant milestone was the band’s performance at the Glastonbury Festival in 2010. Prior to this, The Stranglers had never played at this festival – the 2010 invitation was a long-awaited event. The Stranglers performed on the Other Stage on 25 June.

In London, the band appeared on major stages on numerous occasions. For example, on 29 May 1988, The Stranglers performed at Wembley Arena.

The concert at Alexandra Palace on 11 August 1990 holds a special place in the band’s history. It was The Stranglers’ final performance with Hugh Cornwell. After the concert, he left the band, whilst Jean-Jacques Burnel, Jet Black and Dave Greenfield decided to carry on without him.

The Stranglers have also returned to the Brixton Academy on several occasions. One such performance took place on 11 March 2016 – the band played the album Black and White in its entirety as part of their UK tour of the same name. In 2022, the band took to this stage once again, playing two nights in a row on 4 and 5 February. Both concerts were part of the Full Final Tour, dedicated to the memory of Dave Greenfield.

In March 2024, The Stranglers embarked on their ‘Fifty Years In Black’ anniversary tour, marking the band’s 50th anniversary. The UK leg of the tour included a concert at the Bristol Beacon on 25 March. The following day, the band performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 26 March. These performances were part of the officially announced tour itinerary.

Footage from the anniversary tour was later compiled into the live album Fifty Years In Black – The Anniversary Tour Live. The release marked The Stranglers’ 20th entry into the UK Top 40.

Albums and popular songs

Throughout their career, The Stranglers have released 18 studio albums. Their debut album, Rattus Norvegicus, was released in 1977 and immediately established the band as a prominent force on the British rock scene. No More Heroes followed in the same year, and Black and White in 1978.

The late 1970s saw the release of The Raven (1979) and The Gospel According to the Meninblack (1981). A major milestone was the album La Folie (1981), which featured the track ‘Golden Brown’. The song became The Stranglers’ biggest UK hit, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart.

In the 1980s, the band released Feline (1983), Aural Sculpture (1984) and Dreamtime (1986). This period saw the release of ‘Strange Little Girl’, ‘Skin Deep’ and ‘Always the Sun’. The last album featuring Hugh Cornwell was 10 (1990).

Following his departure, the band’s discography continued with the albums Stranglers in the Night (1992), About Time (1995), Written in Red (1997) and Coup de Grace (1998). In the 2000s, the band released Norfolk Coast (2004), Suite XVI (2006) and Giants (2012). In 2021, Dark Matters was released.

The Stranglers’ best-known songs include:

1. ‘Golden Brown’
2. ‘No More Heroes’
3. ‘Peaches’
4. ‘Walk On By’
5. ‘Strange Little Girl’
6. ‘Skin Deep’
7. ‘Always the Sun’
8. ‘Big Thing Coming’

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