The Stranglers are an English rock music group, formed on September 11, 1974 in Guildford, Surrey. Scoring a string of UK top ten hits, including "No More Heroes" and "Peaches", the Stranglers began as a pub rock group, but later branched out to explore other styles of music, including punk rock, gothic rock, and new wave, but their idiosyncratic approach never fitted completely within any single musical genre. With a sound that relied heavily on keyboards when the instrument was unfashionable, The Stranglers' early music was characterized by Hugh Cornwell's growling vocals and misanthropic lyrics, but their output grew more refined and sophisticated, as critic Dave Thompson writes, from "bad-mannered yobs to purveyors of supreme pop delicacies, the group was responsible for music that may have been ugly and might have been crude -- but it was never, ever boring." Original personnel were drummer Jet Black (real name Brian Duffy), bass player/vocalist Jean Jacques Burnel, guitarist/vocalist Hugh Cornwell and keyboardist/guitarist Hans Warmling. Hans was replaced by keyboardist Dave Greenfield within a year. None of the band actually came from Guildford - Black is from Ilford, Burnel from Notting Hill, Cornwell from Kentish Town and Greenfield from Brighton, while Warmling came from Sweden, and returned there after leaving the band. They were originally called The Guildford Stranglers and operated out of The Jackpot, a Guildford off licence run by their drummer.