Words by Sophie Revell and Jasmine Jones (@jasminee_mae and @sophiethejourno)
For Echo & The Bunnymen, their comeback tour has been a long time coming- even more so for their strong cult fanbase who have followed them for decades. Since their last Cardiff gig at the old student union in 2014, Echo & The Bunnymen have released 2 studio albums and performed countless highly anticipated festivals, truly cementing their legacy as one of the UK’s most successful punk rock bands. After the tourÔÇÖs postponement in May and June 2021, McColluch and Sergeant returned to the stage to celebrate 40 years of the band’s music- reminding us exactly what we missed.
Considering Echo & The BunnymenÔÇÖs reputation within the punk and new wave genres, the all-seated St. DavidÔÇÖs Hall seemed like a strange choice of venue. However, it wasnÔÇÖt long until the rousing melodies and lyrics got fans, old and new alike, on their feet and flocking towards the front of the stage- following encouragement from vocalist Ian McCulloch.
The stage was backlit with blues and purples and featured the iconic Echo and the Bunnymen logo on the back wall. The mysterious lighting plunged the band members into complete darkness; all that was visible to those in the audience who werenÔÇÖt in the front row was the dramatic silhouette of vocalist Ian McCulloch, wearing a long trench coat and sunglasses. His style choice felt very reminiscent of grunge fashion in the 1980s. Adding to the mystery was a heavy use of dry ice and reverb on McColluchÔÇÖs vocals.
That being said, as eerie and gothic as the set was, the conversation and banter with the crowd was as lighthearted and upbeat as you would expect from the Liverpool legends. In fact, much of the time in between songs was spent mocking the fans and vice versa over who would win the highly anticipated Liverpool vs Cardiff FA Cup match that was to be held the following afternoon. A chorus of ÔÇÿbluebirdsÔÇÖ chants swept across the venue and even for someone with no interest in football it was hard not to get involved.
The set began with ÔÇÿGoing UpÔÇÖ, which was the first track of their debut single ÔÇÿCrocodilesÔÇÖ released in 1980. After the song ÔÇÿFlowersÔÇÖ, McColluch commented ÔÇ£that song is better than all of Led Zeppelin’s workÔÇØ, inspiring a lot of reaction from the audience who were likely to also be Zeppelin fans. The set highlighted the spirituality in EchoÔÇÖs lyrics, which concern themselves with fate and destiny amongst other things. Their spiritual style leaves a lot for the fans to interpret, countering a lot of the mainstream pop of the time and cementing them as a new wave band.
Rather unexpectedly in the latter part of the show, the dark and solemn melody of ÔÇÿSeven SeasÔÇÖ beautifully transitioned into a rendition of Lou ReedÔÇÖs ÔÇÿWalk On The Wild SideÔÇÖ, which if the crowd were not already on their feet singing, definitely got them to do so. Those who are avid fans of the band know that with every night on every tour comes a cover of a different UK greatest hit, and the Cardiff crowd were definitely treated to that one.
This added touch felt like a nostalgic honouring of other big British bands of the 70s and 80s, which no doubt appealed to the older audience demographic. Perhaps, from a perspective of a lifelong fan, including much-loved songs from other bands of the era in a tour that celebrates Echo and the BunnymenÔÇÖs last 40 years of music may have acted as a portal back in time- when Echo and their contemporaries were in their prime.
The evening rounded off with two encores. This felt like a bit of an overkill, yet it still left the audience calling out for more each time the stage emptied. The last song was their greatest hit ÔÇÿThe Killing MoonÔÇÖ, which stayed in the Top 10 for 6 weeks when it was released in 1984. The hallmark track features the lyrics, ÔÇ£fate up against your will/through the thick and thinÔÇØ in the chorus, encapsulating the spiritual journey of Echo and the BunnymenÔÇÖs lyrics.
The audience left the auditorium on a nostalgia-high and, though an enjoyable gig for anyone in their twenties, the tour is doubtlessly aimed towards an older demographic or at least those who were born when their greatest hits were released.
