A Relaxed Post Punk Angst
Smiling through the sneers: Richard Butler & Psychedelic Furs wink at Houston
For an alienated and angst-ridden man, Richard Butler, lead singer of The Psychedelic Furs, sure smiles a lot.
At Warehouse Live Saturday night, Butler and company presented two sets; the entirety of their 1981 album Talk Talk Talk that’s the one with “Pretty In Pink” on it, and another hour of songs from their extensive repertoire of 1980s post punk, new wave and gothic disco. Each and every member of Furs smiled during the performance, but none more than Butler who appeared genuinely moved by the reception Houston gave to the music.
The crowd included parents with children young enough to still need a babysitter, a smattering of twentysomethings boldly recording the show with camera phones, and plenty of middle-aged fans ready to scream out the lyrics to classic numbers like “India” from the first Furs album — played with scorching fury in the evening’s encore.
The night began with TTT’s “Dumb Waiters.” Butler, brother Tim on bass, and tenor saxophonist Mars Williams zigzagged the stage and egged the audience on with the song’s sardonic lyrics. Throughout the show, Tim Butler, wearing his requisite sunglasses, would often stand at the edge of the stage and shout key lines from the songs directly at members of the audience, including some of those aforementioned young ones.
Richard never stayed still for very long, and maintained the phrasing of both the ballads and the more punk rock numbers while complimenting his lyrics with his trademark theatrical gestures. He along with the rest of the band — Paul Garisto on drums, Rich Good on guitar, and Amanda Kramer on keyboards — were never aloof or distant. Even a cool Kramer on her dual keyboard rig swayed happily to the variety of grooves.
The Furs have a lot of songs in their rep, and they are mixing it up with each date as far as what they play for “fans” vs the “heads.” The MTV hit “Love My Way” or the spooky “Highwire Days”? Why not play them both? They did.
The two “Hey audience, let’s all sing along with Richard Butler!” numbers turned out to be the Furs’ 1986 hit “Heartbreak Beat” and an earlier more obscure number called “Heaven” during which Butler spun himself around with his hands held in prayer perhaps enjoying the collective trance of music and audience. He did have that smile on his face!
If I had any complaint about the night, it would be that the Warehouse Live’s PA/sound system isn’t suited for any subtleties in this music, although “wall of sound” is a description the Furs happily appropriated for its ensemble onslaught back in the day. However, the guitar and saxophone duo that introduces TTT’s “All Of This And Nothing” was quite beautiful and came through in the house mix, inspiring well-deserved cheers for Williams’ eerie solo.
The Psychedelic Furs' tour continues through July.
