Former Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell is returning to the fray with a new album and tour later this year.

New album ‘Monster’ will be released on October 5, each track dedicated to Cornwell’s heroes and villains from history, politics and the arts.

It’s a diverse gallery, ranging from Lou Reed (‘Mr. Leather’) to Mose Allison (‘Mosin’’), to ’70s stuntman Evel Knievel (Pure Evel), 1940s Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr (‘The Most Beautiful Girl In Hollywood’) to Sgt Bilko star Phil Silvers (‘Bilko’), Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (‘Duce Coochie Man’) and Zimbabwe ex-president Robert Mugabe (‘Robert’).

‘Monster’ is available to pre-order on 2CD or double vinyl (gatefold, 180gsm) formats as well as digital downloads.

PRE-ORDER HERE

Accompanying the album is ‘Restoration’, a companion disc of acoustic rerecorded Stranglers classics and Hugh will be taking the whole thing on the road in November – visit store.hughcornwell.com for tickets.

Those tracklistings and tour dates in full:

‘Monster’:

1. ‘Pure Evel’
2. ‘La Grande Dame’
3. ‘The Most Beautiful Girl in Hollywood’
4. ‘Mosin’’
5. ‘Mr. Leather’
6. ‘Bilko’
7. ‘Robert’
8. ‘Monster’
9. ‘Attack of the Major Sevens’
10.’Duce Coochie Man’

‘Restoration’:

1. ‘Outside Tokyo’
2. ‘Let Me Down Easy’
3. ‘Souls’
4. ‘Don’t Bring Harry’
5. ‘Goodbye Toulouse’
6. ‘Ships That Pass In The Night’
7. ‘Never Say Goodbye’
8. ‘No More Heroes’
9. ‘Big in America’
10. ‘Always The Sun’

Tour dates:

Thurs 1 Nov – Southend Chinnerys
Fri 2 Nov – Stoke Sugarmill
Sat 3 Nov – Manchester Club Academy
Sun 4 Nov – Oxford Academy 2
Tues 6 Nov – Islington Academy
Weds 7 Nov – Bristol Fleece
Thurs 8 Nov – Chester Live Rooms
Fri 9 Nov – Kendal Brewery Arts
Sat 10 Nov – Clitheroe Grand
Sun 11 Nov – Stockton Georgian Theatre
Tues 13 Nov – Newcastle Cluny
Weds 14 Nov – Glasgow Oran Mor
Thurs 15 Nov – Dundee Beat Generator
Fri 16 Nov – Dumfries The Venue
Sat 17 Nov – York Fibbers
Sun 18 Nov – Brighton Concorde 2