WHEN music mad teenager Baz Warne sneaked out of a mathematics lesson to buy The Stranglers album Black and White, it changed his life.

Now, and nearly four decades later, Warne has fronted the band longer than Hugh Cornwell, The Stranglers original singer who quit to pursue a solo career some 25 years ago.

“It does seem incredible when I look back because that was the first Stranglers album I bought, and here I am as their singer and I’ve been all around the world with them in the last 15 years,” said Warne.

“It is surreal to think that I’ve been in the band longer than Hugh, it will be 16 years in April, and that amazes me.”

Warne was a 14-year-old punk at school in his hometown of Sunderland when he heard the booming sound of Black and White.

“I remember a mate in class had a copy of the New Musical Express and we were reading a big review of the album, so off I went to my local record shop to buy it,” said Warne.

“Those urgent tracks - Tank, Toiler on the Sea, Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, Walk on By, and Rise of the Robots made a massive impression on me.

“ And I don’t think you can underestimate the importance of that album for the band – it was a watershed moment for The Stranglers.”

From 1977’s growling Rattus Norvergicus to Black and White, a year later, the Stranglers’ grimy sound remains an unmistakable bond for men in black Jean Jacques Burnel, keyboardist Dave Greenfield, and sometimes drummer Jet Black.

“This tour will be the first time The Stranglers will have played the entire album for over 30 years and I’m very excited,” added Warne.

“We’ve had to re-learn some of the lesser known tracks, so we rented a cottage in Somerset for a couple of weeks, getting to know the songs again.”

In their heyday, The Stranglers were notorious for their wild antics and chaotic stage shows.

“We’ve calmed down a bit, we were all in bed by nine o’clock now,” joked Baz.

“We might have a bottle of champagne, but we leave the daft stuff to the youngsters.”

But he added: “We can still party when we want to though.”

Who can forget the snarling malevolence of singles Five Minutes and No More Heroes, to the cunning power pop of Golden Brown, the band’s biggest hit, and it is clear The Stranglers are still breathing fire.

But headline-grabbing controversies aside, they wouldn’t have outlasted their punk-era rivals without a formidable back catalogue and those brutal bass lines.

Warne, who fronted punk band the Toy Dolls – famed for their spoof hit Nellie The Elephant – added: “I think The Stranglers music is woven into the very fabric of British life and when you listen to some of those great tracks you can’t help but know they are a very special band.

“There’s a real buzz and impetus about them right now and the fans just keep coming in their droves. It’s fantastic.

“When you look down at the crowd and see children with their parents singing the lyrics to Stranglers tracks, old and new, then that’s very heartwarming.

“I think it is a true validation of what we’ve done and continue to do.”

The Stranglers, Manchester 02 Apollo, Saturday, March 26. Tickets from 0844 811 0051.