Baz Warne of The Stranglers "Convivial Tour" Acoustic & In Conversation About His New Book "No Grass On A Busy Street" at St. Pancras Old Church, March 5th 2026

“Soon, all that’s going to be left is a large pair of smoking boots” Baz Warne tells us, making the sign of the cross and glancing up to the heavens. I’m not sure that the beautiful St. Pancras Old Church has ever had so many swear words bouncing around it’s ancient stone walls. The Stranglers vocalist and guitarist briefly wonders if he will be struck down from above for yet another brutally honest and expletive ridden appraisal of something or someone who winds him up. Baz is in good form, preaching to an attentive flock of fans gathered here today on this sold-out date of a U.K. tour entitled “Convivial” promoting his new book “No Grass Grows On A Busy Street: 25 Years On The Road with The Stranglers”. Yes, it’s hard to believe that Baz has been in the band for so long and yet still there are people who hark back to the Hugh Cornwell years and make comparisons. This is something Baz has to deal with on a regular basis, and he does so tonight with his customary self-deprecating good humour. When tonight’s interviewer, Mark Hart from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Book Club and Music Maps Podcast mentions “So, The Stranglers were looking for some hired help I gather, yet you initially turned them down” Baz replied “I did, and I bet there’s a few people in here who wish I still had!” and he mimics “oh, he’s not Hugh is he?” before raising his middle finger. We all clap and cheer our support, Baz smiles and says, “I see there’s quite a few not clapping!” 

 

It’s a shame that Baz still has to contend with this after 25 years as a Strangler, of course Baz is not Hugh, and I very much doubt he wants to be, after all, he didn’t join a tribute act. What he did do for me, and obviously many other Stranglers fans, considering the number of sold-out shows at impressive venues around the world the band still plays, was to revitalize and re-energize The Stranglers. For me personally, The Stranglers had lost their mojo even when Hugh was still in the band when people seem to forget that the last few albums with him were lack lustre affairs. JJ had lost his mojo and was playing one of those humiliatingly naff Steinberger headless basses, there was an awful brass section and Dave’s trademark organ was reduced to weak synth background noise. I remember being hugely disappointed at their last ever gig with Hugh at Alexandra Palace, it was awful. There was no energy, no passion and it was obvious the band were going through the motions and destined to call it a day. However, as much as I wanted to continue to support the band when they decided to continue after Hugh left, I just couldn’t handle the Paul Roberts, John Ellis line-up era. Paul’s overtly theatrical vocals and performances just didn’t cut it with me until I heard the track “Norfolk Coast”. There was Dave’s swirling organ again and finally an old-school killer bass intro from JJ that had me intrigued. The album of the same name was still patchy but promising, and it was no coincidence that the ousting of the much-maligned Ellis and the addition of new guitarist Baz Warne had something to do with it. 

Just as I thought that Paul Roberts might be winning me over, it was announced that he was leaving the group and the band were reverting to the classic four piece line-up, which meant that Baz was taking on guitars and lead vocals and JJ was back to singing his songs again. Then the album “Suite XVI” was released and I loved it, so I decided to see them play live and was blown away by the sheer power and intensity. It was a throwback to the sound of “The Raven” and I was absolutely thrilled. Baz was great, mastering Hugh’s intricate and often baffling guitar riffs, adding a big visual presence, simmering with aggression and it was good to see the crowd taking to him and embracing this new era of The Stranglers. Most die-hard Stranglers fans have accepted Baz whole-heartedly and I often find it’s the ones that moan about the ‘good old days’ and say, “it’s not the same without Hugh”, haven’t actually seen the band play with Baz. Of course, it’s not the same, and nobody needs to put Hugh down or belittle his legendary status or role in the band, those were the classic days. This is The Stranglers now. Sadly, Dave and Jet are no longer with us but what’s wrong with accepting both the current Stranglers and Hugh’s solo material, nobody can force you to take sides. All I can say is, if you are still in any doubt of Baz’s (and indeed Toby and Jim’s) abilities and contributions, get yourself a ticket to the next gig, give them a go and I’m sure you will feel very differently.

 

Anyway, I digress…back to the night and Baz explains that “No Grass On A Busy Street” is a collection of various diary entries, interviews and tour blogs throughout his 25 years with The Stranglers. However, he has fleshed these chapters out with his current thoughts, looking back on the earlier writing, which give an interesting contemporary perspective. He has also included some more background on his upbringing and family life, of growing up in Sunderland in the Northeast of England and on his time in Canada, where the family relocated due to his Dad’s work. He told us he added this new autobiographical section rather reluctantly and on the advice of his publisher, as he couldn’t believe that anyone would be interested in his life outside The Stranglers. He’s wrong of course, and some of the funniest and most revealing moments during the talk are when he discusses his family and early years. Mark asks questions on a wide variety of topics that despite sometimes veering on the trivial, such as “what’s the hottest gig you’ve ever played?” Baz answers all with a mixture of charm, candour and good humour. For example, after a particularly sweaty show at Fibbers in York, “I was so hot and soaked through that I didn’t want to get on the bed, so I laid on the floor and when I got up there was a large Baz-sized outline on the carpet” and “We’d have a competition to see who had collected the most sweat in their Dr. Martens”. 

Baz tells us about his audition for The Stranglers and how proud and thrilled he was to join the band as, like us he was a big fan. He talked with honesty about his relationship with his bandmates, it wasn’t the usual ‘everyone is lovely’ kind of thing but he said it was more like a family, admitting that Dave could be sarcastic, Jet was gruff, Toby like an excitable puppy, and JJ can be rather prickly and aggressive and he mentioned one incident where he went toe-to-toe with JJ, luckily JJ diffused the situation by saying “let’s have a cup of tea”. He also told us that he had to suffer his “thousand yard death stare” if he happened to hit a bum note. However, he said JJ could be incredibly warm and he’s one of his best friends, joking that JJ was very disappointed not to be asked to be best man at his wedding, but Baz was worried he might try to pull his mother! Baz did drop in some hilarious impersonations of JJ, Jet, Dave and Toby throughout the talk. In fact, during the tour JJ called him up at one point to say “hey, I hear you’re doing impressions of me on your tour”. At first Baz was a bit worried until JJ laughed and said he was over the moon. What was apparent though was the real love and genuine friendship he has for his current and former bandmates. He opened up that he and JJ were devastated by losing Dave Greenfield who, it was clear had made a huge impression on him, telling us how proud he was of the latest album “Dark Matters” and the sad circumstances around the recording of it, with the untimely passing of Dave. He played an emotional “And If You Should See Dave…” which took on an extra poignancy in the hallowed surroundings. 

 

Baz then spoke about Toby’s recent TV appearance on The Repair Shop with admiration, where Toby took in Dave Greenfield’s old battered and broken organ to get it repaired. Baz mentioned that he really wants to get a new album out with Toby and that very same keyboard on it. He mentioned that hopefully the new album would be “full of joy” and that he’s already written a “really fast punky tune, a serious kick up the arse”. Ruts DC guitarist Leigh Heggarty who is also in Wingmen with Baz, was in attendance and they exchanged some banter and Baz told us the good news that they are working on a new Wingmen album along with Paul Gray from The Damned and Marty Love from the Johnny Moped Band. Baz regaled us with more tales of life on the road including humorous encounters with Blondie and Debbie Harry, Simple Minds and their American Tour Manager and Ricky Wilson of Kaiser Chiefs. He stressed the importance of the road crew or “technicians, as we have to call them these days” and dealing with outdoor festivals in dangerous pouring rain. He also touched on the much-anticipated Stranglers documentary, of daring to drop “Golden Brown” from the set, the on-the-road routines and the song writing process in particular how proud he and JJ were with “The Lines” after they finished it and recorded it in one take. He then strapped on his guitar and treated us to a sublime version of the song. 

One interesting thing that Baz mentioned was that it would be JJ calling the shots if the band were to end, if they ever stopped enjoying it or feeling they were not moving forward. He said that he believes it couldn’t be a band unless they have at least one original member in the line-up. Throughout the evening Baz also treated us to a few more songs on acoustic guitar including “Long Black Veil”, “Breathe”, then a unique version of “Peaches”, and his favourite Stranglers song, “Goodbye Toulouse”. So, it was a thoroughly entertaining evening in the company of a real character. I’m sure Stranglers fans will have warmed to him even more after this tour and he would have won over a whole load of doubters, that’s for sure.

 

 

All photos and videos copyright Retro Man Blog 2026. Check the Stranglers and Wingmen archive labels for more of our features with reviews, photos and videos on both bands. For more information on Baz, please check out his official Facebook page here, The Stranglers can be found here and Wingmen here.

Retro Man Blog & Retrosonic Podcast's Favourite Albums of 2023

First of all I'd like to sincerely thank all the Retro Man Blog and Retrosonic Podcast subscribers, contributors and people who have kindly offered encouragement and assistance along the way in the past year, thank you for your support, it is very much appreciated. As always, we would encourage you to check out the highlighted links below to also add your support to the many fantastic, bands, artists and record labels that we have featured in 2023. You can hear tracks from many of the bands in various epiosdes of Retrosonic Podcast which are all available in our archives at Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and iTunes - if you are not already, please like, subscribe and share to help spread the news about the great new music that is being released. Have a wonderful New Year and let's hope 2024 brings us even more superb sounds! 

Retro Man Blog & Retrosonic Podcast's Pick of 2023 Albums

1. def.fo "Eternity"

Despite only being released on December 15th - this perfectly plotted debut album from the Liverpool based Tom Powell shot straight into our Number 1 slot. The immediacy of the melodies, the rich production, insistent riffs and hooks and timeless genre-defying sound made it an immediate hit. Tom has been ably assisted by a superb cast of contributors including Tom's 'day job boss' in The Red Elastic Band, Mick Head, Chris Geddes from Belle & Sebastian and Tom's Dad, the guitarist and producer, Steve Powell. "Eternity" is a masterclass in songwriting of the highest order. You can hear Tom talking about the concept behind def.fo in our special Retrosonic Podcast here.

Retrosonic Podcast · Tom Powell of Def.fo and Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band

2. Jim Jones All Stars "Ain't No Peril"

Absolutely blistering album from the fomer Hypnotics, Jim Jones Revue and Righteous Mind frontman and his new all action outfit. Somehow "Ain't No Peril" manages to capture the intense energy of the band's live performances in it's grooves and the album screams out Gospel, Garage Rock, Soul and downright raw Rock 'n' Roll.

3. Lalalar "En Kötü Iyi Olur"

Taking Turkish Psychedelia and mixing it with modern day Electronica and Dance beats along with some hugely inventive guitar playing - this Istanbul-based trio produced one of the most striking and original albums of 2023.

4. Jah Wobble "A Brief History of Now" (featuring Jon Klein)

Jah Wobble got together with former Specimen and Siouxsie & The Banshees guitarist Jon Klein to release this stunning album which sees a return to the angular Post-Punk sound of Public Image Ltd with trademark bubbling bass and Klein's scathing guitar work.

5. Wingmen "Wingmen"

A collaboration featuring Baz Warne of The Stranglers, Leigh Heggarty of Ruts DC, Paul Fox of The Damned, Marty Parrott of the Johnny Moped Band and Rob Coombes of Supergrass might have signalled a new tribute act to themselves - but bravely they avoided any notion of nostalgia and released a quite magnificent collection of all new original material. The always entertaining Leigh Heggarty joined me to discuss Wingmen and how it all came about in this great episode of Retrosonic Podcast.

Retrosonic Podcast · Leigh Heggarty on Wingmen and Ruts DC

6. Sparks "The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte"

The Mael Brothers continued their remarkable 50-plus year musical journey with this great album packed full of their usual wit, originality and inventive songwriting.

7. Pascal Comelade & The Limiñanas "Boom Boom"

A hypnotic and atmospheric collaboration between the avant garde musician Pascal Comelade and our favourite fuzzed-up French duo Lionel and Marie Limiñana.

8. The Blue Aeroplanes "Culture Gun"

Released not long before the terribly sad news of guitarist Angelo Bruschini's passing - this album is simply one of the best of the Bristol based collective's long musical history. Poet/Vocalist Gerard Langley's half-spoken delivery is complemented by the vocal harmonies and contributions of his revolving line-up of collaborators and band-mates.

9. Iggy Pop "Every Loser"

Merging the best of all aspects of Iggy's repertoire from foul-mouthed 100 miles an hour rockers like "Frenzy" to the crooning baritone of "Strung Out Johnny", this album has it all - if you love Iggy you'll love "Every Loser".

10. The Skids "Destination Dusseldorf"

Harnessing all the trademark Skids tricks that I've loved since seeing the high-kicking Richard Jobson and his Dunfermline gang on Top of The Pops as a kid. The huge, stadium sized choruses, ringing guitar and Jobbo's impassioned vocals are all present and correct in this fantastic collection of new material.

11. The Hives "The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons"

The Swedish Garage Rock legends returned with their first album since 2012 and it's their strongest to date for sure, a swaggering beast of a record. New outfits, new bassist but same attitude and energy, proving they were always far more than a cartoon act.

12. The Brian Jonestown Massacre "The Future Is Your Past"

The run of superb albums from The Brian Jonestown Massacre over the past few years continued with this excellent collection of songs that came in a colour-your-own album sleeve complete with BJM crayons, genius! 

13. Fake Names "Expendables"

Dennis Lyxzén from The (International) Noise Conspiracy and Refused teamed up with members of some of his favourite American Punk bands such as Minor Threat, Bad Religion, S.O.A., Fugazi and Girls Against Boys to release this melodic tour de force, building on the promise of their self-titled 2020 debut album. Check out out thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast with Dennis where he discusses how Fake Names came about and other aspects of his fascinating musical career.

Retrosonic Podcast · Dennis Lyxzén of Refused, Fake Names and The (International) Noise Conspiracy

14. Gina Birch "I Play My Bass Loud"

One of the founding members of the Raincoats, Gina Birch released this great album bursting with fresh and inventive ideas tinged with Reggae and Electronica. "Wish I Was You" ranks up there among the very best songs of the year.

15. The Damned "Darkedelic"

There's no doubting that for me personally, the return of bassist Paul Gray reignited my love for The Damned and if you liked the 60's Garage Rock nuggets of their alter-ego Naz Nomad and the "Strawberries" and "Black Album" era, then "Darkedelic" will be right up your street (of dreams...). The news that Rat Scabies will be back behind the drum-kit makes 2024 a very exciting year for fans of the band.

16. Shonen Knife "Our Best Place"

The Osaka based trio have been consistently releasing albums of pure buzzsaw Punk Pop joy for 40 years now but there is seemingly no let up on their cheerful worldview and tales of their favourite food and cuddly animals.

17. Melody Fields "1901"

This Swedish Psychedelic band that emerged from ashes of The Movements are fast becoming one of our favourite acts. This is a masterclass in neo-Psychedelia that almost defines the genre.

18. Vännäs Kasino "Vännäs Kasino"

It's Dennis Lyxzén again but on guitar duties this time with a fantastic album featuring his INVSN colleague Sara Almgren on vocals and a blistering collection of Punk Rock that reminds me in places of prime Dead Kennedys.

19. Altin Gün "Aşk"

Dragging the exotic strains of Turkish Anatolian Rock and Psychedelia into the present day, Altin Gün are becoming hugely popular and it's easy to see why with releases of this calibre.

20. The Jack Cades "Something New"

A kind of contemporary Garage Rock 'supergroup' featuring members of The Embrooks, Speedball Jr, The Baron Four and The Missing Souls - The Jack Cades albums just get better with each release and this memorable collection of great songs with Mike and Elsa's vocal harmonies and nods to The Velvet Underground and early Brian Jonestown Massacre. It makes you wonder just how they are going to top this one. We spoke to Mike and Elsa about some of their favourite songs and influences in this episode of Retrosonic Podcast.

Retrosonic Podcast · Lockdown Lowdown Episode 4: Mike & Elsa of The Jack Cades

21. Ian Kay "Walk That Road Again"

Elsa from The Jack Cades' former colleague in The Missing Souls, Ian Kay, finally released his long-awaited debut solo album this year and yes, it was well worth waiting for. Ian's highly infectious Garage Soul packed full of irresistable hooks will get you in the dancing mood from the moment the needle hits the groove.

22. Gatuplan "Välkommen Till Underjorden"

Inge Johnansson, the livewire bassist with The (International) Noise Conspiracy released the second album from his band Gatuplan in 2023 and its bursting with a positive, uplifting energy cramming in all of Inge's passion for Swedish Hardcore, Punk Rock and Ska. Have a listen to the hugely likeable Inge on Gatuplan, The (International) Noise Conspiracy and some of his favourite songs and influences.

Retrosonic Podcast · Inge Johansson of Gatuplan & The (International) Noise Conspiracy

23. Rhoda Dakar "Version Girl"

A brilliant collection of lovingly curated and performed cover versions from the former Bodysnatchers vocalist, "Version Girl" also boasts stunning cover art from Pete McKee.

24. Duncan Reid & The Big Heads "And It's Goodbye From Him"

The fact that "And It's Goodbye From Him" is possibly former Boys bassist Duncan Reid's best collection of his now trademark Power Pop Punk gems makes the unexpected decision to call time on his musical career even more disappointing, but it's one hell of a way to bow out. I just had to catch up with Duncan to discuss the reasons behind his decision to pack in music suddenly and what followed was a fascinating chat on the life of a post-Brexit musician.

Retrosonic Podcast · Duncan Reid "And It's Goodbye From Him..."

25. French Boutik "Ce Je Ne Sais Quoi"

An immaculate collection of Pop Moderniste songs from the Paris based band oozing class with their high quality mix of Indie, Ye-Ye, Soul and 60's Pop.

Bubbling under... 

Ian Person "Autoimmune", Galen & Paul "Can We Do Tomorrow Another Day?", Per Svensson "Magic Trip", The Coral "Sea of Mirrors", Holiday Ghosts "Absolute Reality", Ruts DC "ElectrAcoustic Vol. 2", The Bug Club "Rare Birds: Hour of Song", Popincourt "We Were Bound To Meet", The Go! Team "Get Up Sequences Part 2", The Sound of Pop Art "Shapes & Shadows".

Retrosonic Podcast with Leigh Heggarty on Wingmen (feat. members of The Stranglers, The Damned, Supergrass, Ruts DC & Johnny Moped )

Steve from Retro Man Blog chats to Ruts DC guitarist Leigh Heggarty on the phenomenal reaction to the recent Wingmen tour and critically acclaimed self-titled debut album. Wingmen is the superb new collaboration featuring Leigh on guitar, Baz Warne from The Stranglers on lead vocals and guitar, Paul Gray from The Damned on Bass, Marty Love from Johnny Moped on drums and Rob Coombes on keyboards and Leigh explains how this lockdown project took off and exceeded all expectations. Leigh also updates us on the latest Ruts DC news including upcoming tour dates and the forthcoming album "ElectrAcoustic Vol. 2". This episode includes a pick of tracks from the Wingmen album and most recent Ruts DC releases. It's also soundtracked by The Dolphin pub's jukebox, sorry about that! You can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Amazon music or direct from our SoundCloud site below. 

Retrosonic Podcast · Leigh Heggarty on Wingmen and Ruts DC

You can check out the recent feature on the Wingmen's album and London show at the Islington Academy here, which includes reviews, photos and videos. 

Wingmen - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Useful links (click on the highlighted link below for further info)

Wingmen (official Facebook page)

Wingnuts (Facebook Fan's group)

Leigh on Guitar (Leigh Heggarty official Facebook page)

Leigh's Mad World of Guitars (Leigh Heggarty's official Blog)

Ruts DC

The Stranglers

The Damned

Johnny Moped

Supergrass

Cadiz Records

Wingmen - Photo by Retro Man Blog

Retrosonic Podcast had a valid PRS Licence. Podcover photos - Top Left: Terry Heggarty / Bottom Right: Retro Man Blog. With thanks to Leigh Heggarty. Don't forget that our "Lockdown Lowdown" episode with Leigh is still available to listen/download/stream, in which Leigh tells us about his most memorable musical encounters and experiences and includes a pick of his favourite songs and influences including tracks from The Beatles, T-Rex, The Stranglers, Rory Gallagher, Dr. Feelgood, The Flamin' Groovies and more.

Retrosonic Podcast · Lockdown Lowdown Episode 2: Leigh Heggarty of Ruts DC