SOUTHAMPTON'S 02 Guildhall plays host to the legendary Stranglers on Monday ( March 20).

One of the punk era’s most eclectic, rebellious and uncompromising bands, The Stranglers have always drawn on a wide range of musical genres, from pop to prog, metal to jazz, creating their own distinctive style.

They have created some of the most memorable pop and rock tunes of the past five decades, from the strident opening bass solo of No More Heroes to the lilting harpsichord strains of Golden Brown.

Following the sell-out success of their Black and White Tour last March the group will this time present the Classic Collection to coincide with the planned re-release of the entire Stranglers studio album catalogue from the period 1977-82.

The legendary Ruts DC promise to deliver a memorable addition to the tour as special guests.

More than 40 years on the mean and moody men in black are riding high on the crest of a resurgent wave of popularity. They might be in their 60's and 70's but relative newcomer Baz Warne, who joined the band 17 years ago, is just 52 who told the Echo:

" It’s still all the originals – plus myself – but we still make an almighty noise that leaves your eardrums ringing.

“Attitude still counts for a lot in a band like ours. It wouldn’t do to go on stage in yellow dungerees and pink Doc Martens!”

These days you find three generations of families at Stranglers gigs but Baz still says: “Expect the unexpected.”

“ We play to please ourselves as well as the audience, and we have to keep ourselves interested; it’s never just a nostalgia trip, we don’t go out there and simply churn the hits out.

“I think in one massive respect that’s why The Stranglers are so timeless. The music captures a moment in time that people have fond memories of but we still take pains to not wallow in nostalgia. We take time to record and write and we have had the best reviews ever. It’s timeless because they are all great songs and instantly identifiable.”

Asked to describe or categorise the music he says: “It’s all kinds of sounds. I don’t think The Stranglers was ever punk. There was a lot of punk elements and punk attitude but the band’s been recording and going since 1974 – two years before punk happened. We already had a distinctive style and gave it more of an edge.

“We would say we were ‘punk’ (Jet would) just to get a gig. In fact we’d say we were country and western just to get a gig! The Stranglers are completely unique – no one sounds like that and no one ever has.”

In their heyday the band were notorious for their wild antics. They once sparked a riot during a gig in France – two members ended up in prison where they shared a cell with two murderers. Another time they were escorted out of Sweden by armed police after kicking up a fuss at a hotel because they weren’t serving hot food.

Another gig saw strippers on stage in Battersea Park. The band even took the “artistic” decision to take heroin for a year.

Baz tells me that they still always drink a glass of champagne or two when they come off stage but adds: “These days after a gig we are more likely to have a glass of claret, put the slippers on and watch Match of the Day. That’s not to say we don’t have our moments. At the show anything can happen."