2018

New show: "Richard Conte: Godfather of Noire"

New show: "Peter Webber on Morricone"

New show: "Gloria Grahame: iconic femme fatale"

Hugh announced for A New Day Festival on Friday 3 Aug 2018; a full-band show

New show: "Sam Fuller - Untamed Maverick"

New show: "Fred Armisen: Jaws, Portlandia and Peter Sellers"

New show: "Lana Turner on Sex"

New show: "HITCHCOCK/VERTIGO/SANFRANCISCO"

Band show as special guest of Wilko Johnson; Hugh onstage 19:45; tickets on sale from 10am, Monday 11 Dec 2017

Band show as special guest of Wilko Johnson; Hugh onstage 19:45; an earlier source names the smaller O2 Academy 2 room

Band show as special guest of Wilko Johnson; Hugh onstage 19:00; an earlier source names the Nick Rayns LCR

Band show as special guest of Wilko Johnson; Hugh onstage 19:45

Band show as special guest of Wilko Johnson; Hugh onstage 19:00

Band show as special guest of Wilko Johnson; Hugh onstage 19:45; distinct from the 3 Nov Manchester Academy date. The venue was previously unverified, from a themeninblack forums thread body only ("Manchester Review")

BURYFields Festival; band show at Chesham Old Town HP5 1JE, headlining the Big Top; announced 17 Nov 2017

A New Day Festival; band show; announced 29 Jan 2018

"Pure Evel" and "Monster" made available on all major streaming services ahead of the album

*Monster* released through Sony Music: ten tracks about remarkable and infamous figures of the 20th century, heroes and villains alike. The starting point was Hugh's 98-year-old mother Winifred, who swam in the Hampstead ponds several times a day in all weathers — a local hero and a family villain — which produced "La Grande Dame". The title track is a love-letter to model-maker and animator Ray Harryhausen; other subjects include Lou Reed ("Mr. Leather"), Mose Allison ("Mosin'"), Evel Knievel ("Pure Evel"), Hedy Lamarr ("The Most Beautiful Girl in Hollywood"), Phil Silvers ("Bilko"), Mussolini ("Duce Coochie Man") and Robert Mugabe ("Robert"). Hugh on his choices: "These are people who have defied categorisation. I've spent my whole life trying to defy categorisation."

*Restoration*, the companion disc to *Monster*: re-recorded acoustic versions of Stranglers songs, including "No More Heroes", "Always The Sun", "Outside Tokyo", "Don't Bring Harry", "Let Me Down Easy", "Souls", "Goodbye Toulouse", "Ships That Pass In The Night", "Never Say Goodbye" and "Big in America"

Monster Tour

Monster Tour

Monster Tour; the Manchester Academy's Club Academy room

Monster Tour; the O2 Academy Oxford's Academy 2 room

Monster Tour. Set 1 (solo): Pure Evel (intro), Leave Me Alone, I Want One Of Those, Monster, Stuck In Daily Mail Land, Getting Involved, The Most Beautiful Girl In Hollywood, The Prison's Going Down, Bilko, Black Hair Black Eyes Black Suit, Mothra, Duce Coochie Man; Set 2 (Stranglers): Peaches, Duchess, Strange Little Girl, Hanging Around, Golden Brown, Skin Deep, Sweden, Tank, 5 Minutes, (Get A) Grip (On Yourself); encore: Always The Sun, Thrown Away, No More Heroes

Monster Tour

Monster Tour

Monster Tour

Monster Tour

Monster Tour

Monster Tour

Monster Tour

Monster Tour

Monster Tour

Monster Tour

Monster Tour; second Concorde 2 date this year

Monster Tour — Ireland leg; 196 Rathmines Road Lower, Dublin 6

Monster Tour — Ireland leg; Monck Street, Wexford

Monster Tour — Ireland leg; Phoenix St, Cork. Moved here from The Venue (16 Hanover Street), which the itinerary originally listed, and flagged on the live dates page as a venue change

Monster Tour — Ireland leg; 9 Dominick Street Upper, Galway