July 27, 2024

Hugh Cornwell – Tuning Fork: July 26, 2024 (13th Floor Concert Review)

The Hugh Cornwell concert at The Tuning Fork in Auckland’s CBD fringe was an intoxicating blend of new material and classic hits. Cornwell is a semi-regular visitor to New Zealand, having last played at the Powerstation in 2019.

On Friday night the legendary ex-frontman of The Stranglers showcased his enduring charisma and musical versatility, delivering a performance appealing to both casual fans (like myself), as well as long-time diehards, of which there were many in attendance.

Hugh Cornwell Launching straight in with post-pandemic single Coming Out of the Wilderness, and following it immediately afterwards with another song from last year’s Moments of Madness, Too Much Trash, it was clear from the outset that this was not going to be just a nostalgia trip. It wasn’t until the third song that a slightly jittery audience finally got a Stranglers’ song, a blistering Skin Deep. The crowd (mostly fifty-plus, mostly male) went from polite-nodding-with-their-arms-folded to actually having a bit of a dance, much to the amusement of Cornwell, who clearly hadn’t come all this way just to play “the hits”. Describing his first delve into The Stranglers’ back catalogue as a “glistening nugget” in the set list, Cornwell knew what his audience was primarily here for, but was content to let them wait it out a bit.

Dressed in a tight black tee and still sporting a decent head of hair, Hugh looked and sounded incredible, especially when you consider he’s 74 years old. His voice a low growl that has lost none of its menace, and his deft, spindly guitar playing sounding one part Byrds, one part Television. The rhythm section accompanying him was tight and cohesive, with long-time bass player Pat Hughes and drummer Windsor McGilvray enhancing the live dynamics with their solid musicianship and palpable on stage chemistry. In particular, Hughes’ harmonies and backing vocals added an extra layer of musicality to the performance.

Hugh Cornwell

Hugh Cornwell The setlist followed a “template” of sorts, with a couple of newer / solo songs, then another Strangers’ song, and so on. Highlights of the set list included his tribute to Lou Reed, Mister Leather, and The Stranglers’ classics Strange Little Girl and Who Wants the World?. Each of these “nuggets” was met with enthusiastic applause, and it’s clear these songs have transcended their punk / post-punk origins and are now bona fide classics in the rock canon.

And herein lies the dilemma of the “legacy” artist. Cornwell has been out of The Stranglers for far longer than he was ever in The Stranglers, and has released a vast catalogue of music he is clearly very proud of, which he clearly wanted to showcase tonight. Still, it was the encore, featuring The Stranglers’ classics Nice ‘n’ Sleazy and show closer No More Heroes that really brought the show to a climax, with Cornwell finally relenting and giving the audience what they came for. Sometimes it’s nice to get what you want, even if you have to wait.

Lawrence Mikklesen