Live Review: Hugh Cornwell brings Stranglers hits and solo tracks to Roadmender

A respectable 500 or so people turned out on a chilly November evening to catch not one but two pioneering new wave icons in action – with Cornwell joined by EX-TC.

A sizeable number which, in truth, is perfect for a mid-range Midlands venue such as this.

Not so many that its main room might feel uncomfortable and claustrophobic, but more than enough to create that oh-so-essential mood of anticipation and interaction off which both artists feed.

EX-TC (the new spelling a condition of the agreement between sole original XTC member Terry Chambers and that band's long-retired Andy Partridge) most definitely benefit from these conditions.

Now wisely trimmed to a power trio, with guitarist Steve Hampton and bassist Terry Lines trading lead vocals à la their Swindonian predecessors, they are spiky, sharp and to the point.

And, even if TC's timekeeping does falter a little early on he very soon regains it, providing the angular pulse necessary to guide his proteges through a set of rapid-fire hits.

While their truncated timeslot only allows time for two deep cuts in the shape of Rocket From A Bottle and Living Through Another Cuba, that same brevity, also facilitated by the aforesaid slimming of personnel, works noticeably in their favour.

Whereas as a quintet, their sets often exhibited a sprawling tendency to dwell on albums Chambers, who left XTC in 1983, never even played on first time round.

As a trio, they concentrate primarily on the earlier, punchier material and as such, they immediately win the support of many who may previously not have actively sought to see them.

Thus, Science Friction, Generals And Majors, Ball And Chain, Towers Of London and This Is Pop all achieve their desired objective of nicely preparing the Roadmender's assembled punters for the headline act.

With their appetites suitably whetted by the arm-waving singalong of Senses Working Overtime and the rumbling mantra of Making Plans For Nigel - the latter ending with suitably raucous shouts of "steel, steel, steel" – gig goers were left in the perfect frame of mind for Cornwell.

No doubt buoyed by such sterling support, his delight at being here is pretty much apparent from the off - at least until someone yells out “tell us a joke”.

Yet despite that - and even taking into account his open admission of dismay at not being able to watch the cricket - Cornwell is quite evidently on his finest form for several years.

Much like the openers, he obviously relishes the asceticism of his latter-day trio format and the gnarling grooves of Coming Out Of The Wilderness, When I Was A Young Man, the Hendrix-esque Wrong Side Of The Tracks and the reggae-tinged Moments Of Madness are all the better for it.

Moreover, bassist Pat Hughes and drummer Windsor McGilvray are the ideal players with whom to forge this path.

At times reminiscent of the classic Hanley / Burns rhythm section of the Fall, at others the more exploratory Morton / French Magic Band axis.

Their rolling, tumbling, looping beats frequently push their leader's already fine guitar-playing into unexpected areas, keeping his creative urges very much alive at an age and time where many of his contemporaries have long given up.

Pure Evel from 2019's excellent Monster opus and Wired are pointedly powerful in their execution and the Lou Reed homage Mr Leather evokes the New York legend's decadent worldview with vivid flair.

And in case you were wondering, they handle the Stranglers material with equal deftness and aplomb- although this time, our hero's wisely chosen to jettison 2022's MO of devoting the entire second half to it.

Instead, electing to skilfully interweave hardy perennials like Nice N Sleazy, Nuclear Device, Duchess, Golden Brown and Tank - plus a genuine surprise in the shape of Dead Loss Angeles - around his solo compositions.

Taking this approach helped Cornwell to continue his relevance as a contemporary artist while simultaneously acknowledging his debt to the combo with whom he made his name.

And, though it's a precarious line to tread, he just bout gets away with it.

Sure, one inevitably misses Dave Greenfield's spidery keyboards and I remain markedly unsure as to whether going ‘full-on prog’ with Nosferatu-era selections Big Bug and Mothra is quite the ending we hoped for.

However, it's nice to know at 75, Hughie (as the audience affectionately dub him while yelling for said encore) is still challenging expectations and pushing boundaries.

While it must almost certainly be galling for Cornwell to be playing venues of these dimensions some three and a half decades into his solo career there was no sign tonight of the 'curmudgeonly sourpuss'.

Instead of introspection we got an enthusiastic, engaging performance from a man driven by his unabashed love of rock n roll and confident in his ability to play it.

Which, with the added attraction of one of British pop's great eccentric collectives provided a more than satisfying two-course menu for all in attendance.

Even more encouragingly, with proceedings neatly wrapping up by 10:30pm, several of the throng's punkier contingent still had time to meander to The Lab in time to catch a late show from anarcho overlords Sick On The Bus - a welcome bonus all-too-rarely found or experienced in this country's increasingly regimented music scene. More of this, please.