Opinion: Not Too Many Echoes Heard
New wave and its darker sibling, post-punk, weren't exactly the most enduring musical genres, which explains the ho-hum response to some recent comeback attempts (see Duran Duran and Depeche Mode). Regardless, the post-punk legends Echo and the Bunnymen are reunited, touring, and set to release their first new material as a full unit in 10 years.
The Bunnymen's performance at Guild Hall Friday night proved what the band's cult-like following already knew: that Echo and the Bunnymen were not just a pop gimmick - all mascara and no meat - but a solid artistic force.
A reviewer in their native England once credited them and their contemporaries, Joy Division, with setting off "a whole generation of doomy youth sporting raincoats, big hair, and carefully cultivated angst."
Star Material
There were no raincoats at Guild Hall's John Drew Theater on Friday night, but the near-capacity crowd seemed dedicated and expectant. One half of the room stood up for the entire two-hour show.
A truly retrospective set, the show opened with the band's first big single from 1980, "Rescue," and closed 15 numbers later with its second hit single, "Do It Clean." The band went light on its new material, even though a new album, "Evergreen," is set to be released next month. Instead, members treated the audience to a spirited reintroduction to the band, running through dark classics like "All That Jazz," "Killing Moon," and its most recognizable and recent hit, "Lips Like Sugar."
The group's lead singer, Ian McCulloch, was pure pop-star material throughout, proving why the band never quite succeeded without his sex-symbol charisma. Wearing white jeans and white denim jacket and sporting hair that looked like a severe case of bed-head, Mr. McCulloch played the part.
Three Moves
At first, his calculated indifference seemed unfair to the crowd, who obviously adored him. His persona appeared to stem more from boredom than angst, and he seemed more concerned about his drink on the floor and getting lit cigarettes from his backstage crew than putting on a stage show.
Mr. McCulloch had three moves throughout the show: standing with a hand on the microphone with a bent knee; turning to the drummer and nodding his head between verses, and crouching down to take a drink from his cup.
Somehow, though, his Jim Morrison-style of standing and crooning seemed to give him more and more charisma as the show rolled on. The band even saluted Jim Morrison with its version of "People Are Strange" - a dead-on version, without much added personality.
Adoring Fans
"I can't believe how adorable he is!" a girl behind me cried to her friend during a rousing version of "Killing Moon." Before the show, a woman in a white stretch limo pleaded with the Guild Hall staff to send out Mr. McCulloch, blocking traffic in the process for about a half-hour.
Other than Mr. McCulloch, the band was not much to look at. With minimal lighting effects and other diversions, one was drawn into the vocals and the psychedelic, echo-laced guitar work of Will Sergeant. Musically, the band had few traces of the happy synthesizer-driven pop that characterized much of the new wave era. These songs were soaring, powerful vehicles for Mr. McCulloch's high-pitched crooning.
Mr. Sergeant's guitar intertwined with the synth to create full-bodied chords, and Les Pattinson's steady, rolling bass was complemented by flawless drums by Michael Lee (Mr. Lee was recently tapped to back the reunited Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin).
A few new numbers - "Don't Let It Get You Down," "Altamont," and "I Want to Be There (When You Come)" - proved particularly engaging, with the Bunnymen seeming to conjure back some of the darker, punk-glam essence of Iggy Pop, David Bowie, et al. Too often during the set, you could close your eyes and swear you were at a U2 concert.
All in all, Echo and the Bunnymen put on an inspiring show that, thankfully, avoided dredging up new-wave gimmickry and fashion and concentrated on music.