The Forum
07-09-2006
Being stripped of my photo pass the first night, this review stretches over 2 evenings…
With their admiration not only coming from fans, their following also stems from all their tribute albums dedicated to them by adoring bands. With Peter Murphy‘s fame he is an icon that demands respect, as he sways onto the stage. A come-back long in anticipation, with Love and Rockets and some solo acts in between.
Clad in flamboyant and at the same time seemingly understated dandy black shirt, and jeans-the standard Rock ‘n Roll uniform that’s painted its way through the decades. Peter, and gang may be showing signs of wear and tear, but their eloquent style has not faltered. He stands elegant, brimmed with German-like pride, as they enter immediately into ‘Double Dare‘. The crowd falls silent in complete obedience, a change from the punk-mosh-pit-mayhem I am used to. Peter Murphy is the staple diet of Goths and the Industrial revolution, as is legendary Ian MacKaye to Punk Rock.
The ‘Billy-fuckin-Idol’ looking bassist, David J, is strapped low, and finger strumming up a fury. You can almost see the smoke heaving off his bass guitar. If his flowing baselines weren’t enough for you, David is also set to be making a movie called ‘Control’ with Joy Divisions’, Ian Curtis.
Peter dances like a madman, getting lost in the moment, swinging his arms wildly, whilst not skipping a note in ‘Hair of the Dog‘. His sexy dance moves match his rough low Elvis-esque voice.
Daniel Ash’ semi-acoustic adds depth to the sound, and his stage theatrics are on par with Peter. He bathes in the main stage light as Peter moves (almost) backstage, taking a mysterious break from the all the attention by…dancing with a light? Peter is renowned for his stage theatrics, and his pedantic need for perfection. So dancing with a pole, and striking random model-esque poses is why you see them live and don’t just wallow in their CDs-it is a Live Performance after all.
Daniel takes a break from guitar, and sax, by playing violin with his electric guitar for ‘Hollow Hills‘. From this they break into one of their hit tracks ‘Dancing‘, whilst I spot a few middle-aged men in suits stirring up a Goth-mosh pit, with people dancing in the aisles.
They break their encore with an acoustic, and end perfectly with ‘Dark Entries’ . You wouldn’t expect anything more neat and tidy from a Goth rock band.
Words and pics: Niki Kova’cs