Straighten Out - Bannerman’s, Edinburgh 9th March 2024

When we arrived at Bannerman’s it was starting to busy up, by the time we went into the gig room, the place was packed. Perhaps too packed. I’ve been to Bannerman’s many times, and this was without question the busiest I have ever seen it. Three times during the set we were asked to move forward as people just couldn’t get into the room. It felt to me that tickets had been oversold and, for some I spoke to afterwards, this was a disappointment as they just didn’t manage to get in to see the band. It would have been good to see more people behind the bar too, there were a lot of thirsty fans who felt they waited just too long for a beer.

So to the music. Just after 3:00 Waltzinblack came through the PA and our Stranglers Day kicked off.

Four guys took the stage, led by bass player, Shaggy. “Something Better Change” launched the afternoon. I always think a tribute act needs to nail the sound of the band they are covering and do that from the get-go. Straighten Out, I felt, managed this really well. Their sound was solid and positively represented the originals.

Whilst looks are less important, it was not surprising Straightened Out were dressed in black. The guitarist has a Hugh Cornwall-esque black leather necklace going on and the bassist tried a few of the JJ Burnell moves throughout the afternoon.

The band played a solid two hour set. They very much peddled on the early years of The Stranglers and played a set that fulfilled that ambition. They banged through everything you might have hoped for “Peaches” and “Duchess” being obvious choices but also really effective ones. The joint was jumping.

Shaggy was the man with the chat. He took on a bit of an in your face, antagonistic approach to his audience engagement. How many times can you tell the back of the room they are useless and still get away with it? It was all good natured enough, I guess.

The tunes kept coming. I thought the volume went us just a little bit as “(Get a)Grip (on yourself)” and that was a very good thing. “Five Minutes” was a particular favourite of Grahams, it was the first punk single he bought and started him on a lifelong journey. “No More Heroes” and “Down in the Sewer” brought the afternoon to a sweaty end.

There are a few good tribute bands who have started to do afternoon gigs in advance of the real thing playing in the evening. I enjoyed the afternoon and Straighten Out really did The Stranglers justice. I quite often spend the afternoon before a gig listening to the songs I am looking forward to on the night. Saturday in Bannerman's was, I guess, an extension of that. Part of the reason I do that is that I know, particularly at punk shows, some of my favourites are going to be started and finished in less than two minutes. By hearing many of these songs live, twice, on Saturday gave me a chance to enjoy them just that wee bit more.

As we poured out of the Bannerman’s sweat box into Edinburgh Cowgate, I was struck by how chuffed all the fans were and how much they enjoyed the afternoon. I don’t think I came across anyone who was not off to The Stranglers gig later that night. To that end, Straighten Out had done their job, they had entertained an audience who were invested in what they had to play and who thought that their tribute to the real thing was worth paying money for. A full house of happy people headed to various pubs to talk Men in Black, drink beer and reflect on a great afternoon in a sweaty club whilst looking forward to a great night in a grand hall. More of which later!