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Bido Lito! April 2015 Reviews
Echo And The Bunnymen (John Johnson/ johnjohnson-photography.com)
ECHO AND THE
BUNNYMEN
Philharmonic Hall
“Life takes its toll, cursed by mortality” Ian
McCulloch sings on the title track of last year’s
Meteorites. It’s heavy subject matter that ECHO
AND BUNNYMEN have rarely shied away from,
from their tenure as leading lights of 80s postpunk through their 90s Nothing Lasts Forever
revival, right through to their recent return to
familiarly anthemic pop. However, now in their
forth decade of existence, are the Bunnymen
beginning to fear the reaper?
Things start off promisingly enough, with a
trio of early career favourites sounding as fresh
as anything else being played across a city
buzzing with top-quality gigs on this particular
weekend. However, the decidedly middle-aged
crowd remain seated, quietly appreciating the
spiky, acerbic classics.
It takes Seven Seas, tonight’s sixth song, to
bring the entire auditorium to their feet and it
is there they remain for the rest of the evening.
There’s a reciprocal love that adds an extra
dimension to a set bursting with top-drawer
counter-cultural gems. “There’s nothing better
than getting applause in your home town,” the
normally rambunctious McCulloch declares at
one point.
While beer paunches and bald patches are
liberally sprinkled throughout tonight’s crowd,
McCulloch’s voice shows no sign of succumbing
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to middle age. Over The Wall is repeatedly
requested and the Bunnymen oblige mid-way
through the set and the soaring vocal is dealt
with with aplomb by both McCulloch and the
dancing gathering in front of the stage.
Tonight’s performance transcends trends
and eras in many ways. The Bunnymen
may no longer get many column inches in
the more fickle music papers, but they have
consistently created great music for the
duration