Gigography

The Gigography for The Stranglers and Hugh Cornwell

← All years

The Stranglers 1974 concert dates

The earliest known live dates for the band, including performances under the name "Johnny Sox" before settling on The Stranglers. The name was registered as a business on 11 Sep 1974; the first gig billed as The Stranglers is the Star Inn, Guildford, on 21 Dec 1974 (PRS plaque and the band's official site). Local press sometimes collapses those two dates into a September Star Inn debut — there is no independently dated September concert. The Rusty Butler entries are included as early appearances by Dave Greenfield with that band; The Stranglers did not perform under the name Rusty Butler. Several 1974 dates remain uncertain or approximate.

🎙️ = a recording of this show exists

  1. 12 Jan 1974
    Brecknock (227 Camden Road, NW1)
    London
    Billed as Johnny Sox. Cited as the first gig the band played since arriving from Sweden. Venue now known as The Unicorn (near Camden Road station).
  2. 13 Jan 1974
    Lord Nelson pub, Holloway Road, N7
    London
    Billed as Johnny Sox
  3. 14 Jan 1974
    Duke Of Lancaster
    New Barnet
    Billed as Johnny Sox
  4. 17 Jan 1974
    Newlands Tavern (40 Stuart Road)
    Peckham, London
    Billed as Johnny Sox. Third night of a run of three gigs in three pubs (13–17 Jan); the band went their separate ways after these gigs. Venue now called "The Ivy House".
    X →
  5. 22 Feb 1974
    Sussex University
    Brighton
    Dave Greenfield appearance with Rusty Butler (not a Stranglers performance)
  6. 23 Feb 1974
    Bath Technical College
    Bath
    Dave Greenfield appearance with Rusty Butler (not a Stranglers performance)
  7. 26 Feb 1974
    The Greyhound
    Fulham, London
    Dave Greenfield appearance with Rusty Butler (not a Stranglers performance)
  8. 27 Feb 1974
    Thames Polytechnic
    London
    Dave Greenfield appearance with Rusty Butler (not a Stranglers performance)
  9. 30 May 1974
    (venue not stated)
    —
    Not a confirmed gig, but a specifically dated recollection from JJ Burnel about the band's line-up at the time: "I turned up from a karate lesson with my arm in a sling! That was 30.05.74. So at that time there was just the three of us, guitar, bass and drums."
  10. 11 Sep 1974
    Business registration
    Guildford
    Not a concert. The band registered as "The Guildford Stranglers". Local press and some X posts treat this as the Star Inn debut date; the official site and PRS Heritage Award put the first gig as The Stranglers on 21 Dec 1974
    X →
  11. Autumn 1974 (undated) 🎙️
    Transworld Studios
    Fulham, London
    Four-song studio session; date and details from a private recording archive
  12. Mid 1974 (undated)
    Purley Over 18's Club
    Purley
    Young Conservatives Ball, supporting "The Rockets" — described as the first Stranglers gig at a Young Conservatives Ball. Hugh Cornwell recalled: "375 people walked out on us at that gig. They all turned up in ultra-smart evening dress and as soon as we started they began drifting out. By the time we'd finished there were about three people left! Right in the middle of a number a guy came up and grabbed me. I thought he was going to get heavy, but he just launched into a very intellectual rap about why we weren't working with the audience, the ethnic quality of the music and bluurrggh! We just told him to piss off and kicked him off the stage." John added: "Mind you, they just weren't our type of audience, and we did happen to be out of our heads 'cos we'd had a four hour wait to go onstage. We went on and said 'You're not going to like us so you may as well piss off!' As the set went on it sank in and they started going out in droves, panicking at the exits!" (© Kris Needs, 1976)
  13. 4 Dec 1974
    Lord Nelson, Holloway Road
    London
    Free admission
  14. 8 Dec 1974
    The Brecknock Arms
    Camden, London
    Now known as The Unicorn
  15. 21 Dec 1974
    Star Inn
    Guildford
    First gig billed as The Stranglers (Johnny Sox had already played in January). Jet recalled the audience were expecting a folk band. PRS unveiled a Heritage Award plaque here on 31 Jan 2019. Some local reports still date this debut to September 1974; see the 11 Sep registration row
    X →Official site →
  16. 30 Dec 1974
    (venue TBC, West Country)
    West Country
    Scheduled; date/venue uncertain. Cross-referenced in "Punk Diary 1970-1979".
  17. Circa 1974 (undated)
    Farnborough Tech
    Farnborough
    Undated. Promoted by brothers Mike & Richard Ashworth (as Wax Promotions), who put on "The Guildford Stranglers" at Farnborough Tech, where they played several standards, including "Johnny B Goode".
    Photo set →

Source: themeninblack forums thread