In March next year, The Stranglers will head out on a full UK tour which will see them showcase their legendary Black & White album both chronologically and in its entirety plus additional material new and old.

And the tour will bring them to The Hexagon in Reading. 

The band’s third studio album Black & White was unleashed in May 1978 and showed them to be the first of their peers to break away from the ‘punk’ formula of the previous year. 

Described recently by journalist John Robb as ‘the first post punk album’, its release was acclaimed by fans and critics alike at the time and it reached number 2 in the UK charts. 

Lyrically, subject matter had been broadened by the band’s recent travels around the world and included the Cold War, Yukio Mishima, Sweden and Hell’s Angels.

Musically, taking inspiration from influences as diverse as Devo and Captain Beefheart, the album pushed the boundaries of the band’s established sound and they experimented with quirky time signatures and synthesisers-one track even includes a morse code message! 

The album was split into two distinct ‘sides’-the ‘white side’ proving closer to the band’s first two albums while the ‘black side’ was a darker and more challenging listen. 

The tour brings The Stranglers to The Hexagon in Reading on March 16.

The special guests for the complete tour will be Welsh rockers The Alarm featuring Mike Peters.

Tickets are now on sale. 

Visit www.readingarts.com or call the box office on 0118 960 6060 for tickets and more information.