Former The Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell recently sat down for an interview with EON Music and shared his thoughts on his former band and his feelings about a possible reunion.
Hugh Cornwell fronted the new wave band the Stranglers, for over 15 years. In 1974, he was in the UK with Hans Wärmling and his previous band, Johnny Sox. He later crossed paths with Jet Black and Jean-Jacques Burnel, which marked the beginning of the Stranglers. Wärmling was later replaced by the well-known keyboardist of the band, Dave Greenfield, and they continued their musical journey with this line-up for many years.
Sixteen years later, in 1990, Hugh Cornwell left the Stranglers due to creative differences and because he felt like the band could not go any further artistically. After Hugh Cornwell departed from the band, there were many line-up changes. So much so that Jean-Jacques Burnel is the only original member accompanied by Baz Warne, Jim Macaulay, and Toby Hounsham.
Cornwell recently participated in an interview with EON Music, and during the conversation, he was asked if he would return to the stage with the Stranglers. The musician’s answer was unequivocal no. As some may remember, Dave Greenfield passed away in 2020 from COVID-19, while Jet Black had already left the band in 2018. Referring to these two names, Hugh Cornwell said that since the two were not with the band anymore, there wasn’t anyone he knew anymore, and he did not want to play with people he did not know.
Here is what Cornwell told about his former band and whether he would play with them again:
“No, it’s not even the same band. If it was the same people… you can’t do anything about it; Dave’s died, and Jet [Black] can’t drum anymore, so there’s no way I’m going to go on stage with some people I don’t even know. So, unfortunately, that’s not going to take place.”
Cornwell has released ten more solo albums since leaving the Stranglers, and he still records and performs live. He plans to play in Europe in May 2023. As for The Stranglers, they will also be in Europe this spring and play in Spain and France in March 2023.
