It’s fairly undeniable that Sheffield’s atmospheric City Hall provides an excellent setting to step back in time and celebrate Echo and the Bunnymen’s gloomy, genre-defying discography. Most commonly considered post-punk or new wave but with hints of psychedelia, they released their first album Crocodiles almost 45 years ago. As to be expected from ‘The Very Best Of’ tour, the Bunnymen played a fantastically career-spanning set, impressive to hear from a band with such a fraught interpersonal history. It was notably heaviest on songs from their first three 1980s albums yet still highlighted the band’s subsequent development and impressive body of work since. The setlist could certainly be described as a slow burner; unusually, it had an interval, and the second half was definitely the stronger of the two.
There were two particularly memorable highlights. Firstly and somewhat predictably is the pre-encore play of ‘The Killing Moon’ which is both a fan and band favourite; frontman Ian McCulloch has himself described it as “the greatest song ever written”. Undoubtedly, it is sweeping and powerful, almost biblical, and a euphoric moment which rippled through the crowd. Another highlight was the medley interlinking the Bunnymen’s classic ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ with Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’. McCulloch has cited Reed as a huge personal influence, and paid a good tribute to him with the fusion, which came as a pleasant surprise towards the end of the concert.
McCulloh is certainly an interesting frontman; appearing mumbling and shy yet with an air of foreboding to match his music. His struggles with mental health and his artistic conflicts with bandmates have been well documented, as well as his outspoken nature. Whilst he is definitely interesting to watch, I found it hard not to feel that it was the crowd who really brought the energy to the performance, and without them it may have lacked some substance. The Bunnymen have an immensely dedicated fanbase, and (from my conversations with several fellow attendees) one which is heavily steeped in nostalgia; perhaps the band are riding the wave of revival. Regardless, it’s a testament to their originality and influence that they are still able to embark on such a large and nearly sold out tour almost half a century after their formation.
The double encore was fantastic, and a moment at which McCulloh’s pride was evident and his engagement with the crowd was stronger. Years melted away with the performances of ‘Lips Like Sugar’ and ‘Ocean Rain’, released in 1985 and 1983 respectively, proving that the Bunnymen are still able to create magic. As a much younger fan, I felt this conclusion was a snapshot of a now bygone era, with the band’s trademark mystical, gothic sound only adding to this impression. Overall, while it didn’t fully defy the marks of time, the show was a wonderful celebration of the Bunnymen’s music both old and new, and of their fans’ love for them.