Led by Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant, Echo & the Bunnymen broke into the post-punk New Wave scene with 1980's Crocodile LP. The music press has made endless comparisons to the Doors, owing namely to McCulloch's savory baritone and snarling wail; and the Bunnymen's often melancholic brew has been likened to the Velvet Underground's brooding recordings. Musically, the Bunnymen figured somewhere between New Order and the Smiths, with Sergeant, the criminally underrated guitarist, lost in the spotlight of Johnny Marr's collected accolades. Thirty years after their debut, the lads from Liverpool still have the qualities that propelled them to stardom.
McCulloch remains the supremely cool, fittingly aloof front man, sporting now-signature sunglasses and puffing more than the occasional cigarette, while joking with fans in a somewhat gravelly Liverpudlian accent. Sergeant is a bit chubbier, as are most compared to decades ago, but his asymmetrical haircut is a wonderfully flowing time capsule. Although the only two original members are a bit worse for wear, a solid group of musicians joins them.
Despite its maze of rooms, clubs and bars, the House of Blues proved a remarkably intimate venue. A sold-out crowd bobbed and swayed through a nearly 90-minute, 18-song set that for long-time fans marked a trip down memory lane, with cuts from the group's best: Crocodiles, Heaven Up Here, Ocean Rain, Echo & The Bunnymen, Porcupine and Bedbugs & Ballyhoo. For younger fans, of which there were many, the set list was a live best-of. Both parties should have been pleased.
Though his evocative wailing is now subdued, McCulloch sounded in tune, his sultry croon opening the set with "Going Up," the first track from Crocodiles. The band nailed other tracks from that debut LP, including "All That Jazz" and "Rescue." The band had a bit of fun going from "Villiers Terrace" into the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues," a cheeky riff on a career of comparisons. A stirring "All My Colours," as well as "Show of Strength" and "The Disease" were highlights from Heaven Up Here.
The group's 90s output was always lacking the sonic bombast of the 80s catalog, though "Rust" and "Nothing Lasts Forever" (from What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? and Evergreen respectively), are certainly enjoyable if straightforward Britpop nuggets. The latter led into a tongue-in-cheek "Walk on the Wild Side" cover, with McCulloch singing "Hey Cleveland, take a walk on the Mersey side." The only track from 2009's The Fountain was a lackluster "Think I Need it Too."
Sergeant's guitar work, powered by creative use of effects pedals and inventive technique brought a broad aural palette to Bunnymen recordings. It is most impressive live, and adds as much dimension to songs as McCulloch's voice at times. The pair were really made for each other. McCulloch's vivid imagery needs such a richly textured accompaniment to really sing. Nowhere was that more evident than on standouts such as the uptempo blast of Porcupine's "The Back of Love," and the epic sweep of "Killing Moon" and "Seven Seas," both from 1984's Ocean Rain. "The Cutter" was among the strongest performances of the night, the synth-horn–driven bridge washing over the crowd amid a tidal wave of modern rock mastery.
The encore "Lips Like Sugar" showcased the band's finest: Sergeant's guitar was flawless and McCulloch hit all the right notes with a bit of vamping that had the group sounding like they felt 30 years younger. That feeling is contagious and very hard to come by. I suspect that alone was worth the price of admission for many.
Author:
