Having seen Echo and the Bunnymen possibly more times than I’ve had hot dinners, this was the first time that I got to see him playing acoustic and out of the confines of his band. Supplemented by Ian Broudie (yes, he of Lightning Seeds) on second guitar, McCulloch delivered a set which in some ways surpassed some of the more recent Bunnymen performances.
This is possibly down to the choice of songs. Reliant for too long on some of the more popular songs in his back catalogue, it was perhaps with the recent performances of ‘Crocodiles’ and ‘Heaven Up Here’ which stirred his faith in his older songs. This was proven tonight with a brace of songs from ‘Crocodiles’ opening up the set. ‘Rescue’ and ‘Stars Are Stars’ started the night followed by ‘Villiers Terrace’ which, stripped down to its skeletal frame, managed to sound more foreboding than ever. This was followed by ‘Monkees’ and ‘Do It Clean’, bringing the first half to a close.
‘Bedbugs And Ballyhoo’, rarely played, was a wild jam which was complemented well with McCulloch’s fantastic cover of Velvet Underground’s ‘Waiting For The Man’. ‘Zimbo’ followed which, in its acoustic form, became a showpiece for McCulloch’s voice. ‘Rust’ sent me into raptures as it is one of the few songs I can’t recall them playing before. A perfect counterbalance for the hits that followed.
A quick one-two of ‘Seven Seas’ and ‘Bring On The Dancing Horses’ reminded everyone of the many classic hits the Bunnymen have written over the years. Whilst ‘Killing Moon’ now often seems overplayed, these two were perfect for the occasion. ‘Killing Moon’ is starting to sound a tad tired now and may be worth a rest from future setlists.
‘Nothing Ever Lasts Forever’ featured an extended coda where it went into ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ with McCulloch changing the words to reflect the town of Wrexham. A nice touch and an excellent way to end the set. All that remained was for an encore of ‘Sorrow’ and ‘Lips Like Sugar’ which I will never grow tired of. A fantastic performance and one which catered for all eras of Bunnymen fans.
Posted by Martyn Coppack.
