The Psychedelic Furs Take Fans on a Trip back in Time
–By Laura Tucker
I have a confession to make, and it’s kind of embarrassing. As a St. Louis native and music lover, I had never been to the Pageant in the Delmar Loop before Tuesday night. How is that even possible?
It took the idea of reliving a moment in my teens to see the 80’s new-wave, punk-cusp band known as the Psychedelic Furs to get me there. And I was not alone; they packed the house.
The mood was mellow and the audience was a mix of die-hard Fur fans who were seeing them for like, the 8th time, young adults who were decked out in grunge attire and probably just discovering their music and people who remember them fondly from all-nighters in front of Night Tracks and MTV, like me.
Taking a break from the glam life of music, they waited 29 years to release a new album and in 2020, dropped Made of Rain. But the band didn’t start touring until fall of 2021. They have several dates in the US, a few festivals in Europe and will round it out with some shows in Australia. We were lucky to have them stop here and perform in one of our cities cozy and iconic venues.
The night began with a few throwbacks to 1981 and the Talk Talk Talk album starting with “I Wanna Sleep with You” and “Mr. Jones”. While sprinkling in “The Wrong Train” from the new album which is said to be about taking the wrong direction in life.
About halfway in, the keyboard’s intro brought us to, “Ghost in You”. The melodic tune song that embeds itself into your brain and leaves you thinking about noting but “love, love, love, love” for the rest of the night. This number got the first real reaction out of the crowd.
A couple of songs later, the stage lights turned, you guessed it… pink. The quintessential Furs song “Pretty in Pink” will always conjure memories of Molly Ringwald and James Spader when he was hot. But did you know that the movie was actually based on the song? Yep, the song was released in 1981 on the Fur’s Talk Talk Talk album. The movie, Directed by John Hughes, was released in 1986 and the song was re-recorded for the soundtrack.
Frontman Richard Butler is proof that originality is key in this business. His vocals are growling and haunting. It seems that there is something very vulnerable and raw about him. All the while, remaining as cool as a cucumber. His brother Tim Butler is by his side, keeping the rhythm on bass as one of the founding members. The rest of the band is currently, Amanda Kramer/Keyboard, Paul Garisto /Drums, Rich Good/Guitar and Mars Williams on Saxophone.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with your generation and enjoying a a particular style of music great; seeing a younger generation pick up the torch, was priceless.
Saving the best for last, hits like “Love My Way”, “Heaven” and “Heartbreak Beat” were a perfect way to end the night.
The Psychedelic Furs Setlist:
I Wanna Sleep With You
Mr.Jones
You’ll Be Mine
Dumb Waiters
The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll
Wrong Train
Imitation of Christ
The Ghost In You
President Gas
Pretty In Pink
This’ll Never Be Like Love
No One
Ash Wednesday
Love My Way
Heaven
Heartbreak Beat
India
