Hanging Around Books are proud and delighted to announce the release of “There Goes The Charabang: The Stranglers In Iceland”. It’s been a joy to work with Jill Furmanovsky in bringing these rare and previously unseen images of The Stranglers from the 1978 press launch of the band’s “Black and White” album in Iceland to you.
As Jill writes in her introduction:
In May 1978, I was invited by the weekly journal Sounds to take part in the press launch for the band’s third album “Black and White”.
The two-day trip to Iceland was certainly one of the most unusual press junkets I’ve ever attended. On May 2nd around 50 of us left Heathrow Airport on a chartered plane heading for Reykjavik’s Keflavik Airport. Over the next 48 hours, the party seemed to be constantly on the move in our designated Stranglers bus. There was a press conference where the gathered Icelandic journalists failed to ask a single question, a play-back of the new album at an out of season, snow-starved ski resort, visits to volcanic springs, pony trekking and photo shoots with the band in a bleak but striking landscape comprising of solidified lava and glaciers. Pennie Smith (my esteemed colleague from the NME) and I managed to get the band to ourselves for a short period and many of the images featured here are from that time away from the press pack.
Finally, one of our party made the error of challenging Jean-Jacques Burnel to a drinking competition. While Burnel’s bottle of VAT 69 whisky contained water, the journalist’s did not. The result was the comatose loser being confined to a wheelchair and despite the band wheeling him to check-in, boarding the return flight to London was refused. He was left behind to sober up – yet another journalist falling victim to gentle retribution from the The Stranglers.
All in all, a truly bizarre but unique 48 hours captured and brought together for the first time in this collection. I hope you enjoy it.
Jill Furmanovsky
(HA028X) Photography by Jill Furmanovsky
© Jill Furmanovsky & Hanging Around Books
An edition of 250 copies.
Digitally printed A5 paperback photozine. 36 pages.
For EU customers, please be aware before purchasing that you will now be liable to pay local VAT charges when your order arrives in your country. Any import charges are the responsibility of the customer.
Please note: the images throughout this website are watermarked "Hanging Around Books" for the photographers' copyright protection. Purchased copies do not have these watermarks.
