A perfect post-punk night with the Furs, supported by Anja Huwe of Xmal Deutschland
Four decades ago, The Psychedelic Furs arrived on the post-punk scene, led by vocalist and songwriter Richard Butler, and his bass-wielding brother Tim. Championed by alternative radio they soon scored a flurry of major hits with ‘Love My Way,’ ‘Heaven,’ ‘The Ghost In You,’ ‘Heartbreak Beat‘ and ‘Pretty In Pink,’ which inspired one of the most iconic motion picture soundtracks of all time.
Eight studio albums down, their latest (2020) release ‘Made Of Rain‘ has charted in a multitude of countries and became The Furs’ second highest ranked UK Album ever. The band especially thrive live in concert, having headlined at the UK’s famed Glastonbury Festival, and more recently at esteemed venues including the Hollywood Bowl, London’s Royal Albert Hall, and New York’s Radio City Music Hall amongst others.
This evening, The Psychedelic Furs complete a highly successful UK tour in the rather grand setting of the London Palladium in Soho, with special guest Anja Huwe of Xmal Deutschland in support. Anja’s band assemble on the stage first, taking us back to the early 1980s with that distinctive German underground post-punk sound. Anja herself then makes an entrance, to whoops and cheers from the crowd (it’s an all-seated show) and launches into ‘Boomerang‘, from Xmal’s first (1983) album ‘Fetisch‘.
It’s clear tonight why Xmal Deutschland were such a force within post-punk – Anja Huwe‘s vocals are still powerful, and sung with meaning and passion. Stalking the stage like a black-clad, sequin-striped lioness, her poise and expressive hands punctuate the 45 minute set, which is filled with as many numbers as possible, the singer wasting no time on chit-chat! Her band are truly faithful to the Xmal sound – the bass in particular reverberates throughout the opulent building – giving a perfect overall audio balance. There are several stunning guitar solos also.
In addition to classic Xmal material, we are treated to several of Anja’s songs from her 2024 solo album ‘Codes‘, including ‘Sleep With One Eye Open‘ (video below). During penultimate number ‘Incubus Succubus‘, Anja stands to one side tapping time on one of the building’s many pillars, before ending the set with ‘Qual‘ and many thanks to the audience. We should be profusely thanking her for this stunning performance, after a decade’s hiatus!
Anticipation for the headliners is palpable amongst the capacity crowd as showtime approaches. Regularly touring across the world, their dazzling live show is always something to behold. The Psychedelic Furs touring lineup is: Richard Butler (vocals); Tim Butler (bass); Rich Good (guitar); Peter DiStefano (guitar); Amanda Kramer (keyboards) and Zachary Alford (drums).
Richard has a cold, but being the professional he is, he still puts everything he’s got into his performance and his vocals are as sharp as ever. A fully seated gig has a different vibe to a standing one, and the crowd mostly stay dully on their bottoms through the first half of the set. With great songs like ‘President Gas‘, the boppy, poppy ‘The Ghost in You‘ and a rocking favourite of mine ‘Mr. Jones‘, I’m glad I am officially taking photos and videos and can dance in the aisles between shots!
Finally, the crowd rise en masse, and sing along to the chorus of ‘Love My Way‘. Throughout the set, I am very impressed by dynamic drummer Zack, who is obviously enjoying every second, beating the kit with full gusto! Richard is a consummate frontman, expressive and limber, frequently and easily dropping to a neat curtseying crouch at the edge of the stage to engage with the front row of the audience.
The lead and bass guitarists, Rich and Tim, are often found at the edge of the stage during the performance as well, much to the front few rows’ delight. The rest of us do our best to catch glimpses of them through a forest of tall heads and mobile phones.. Rich plays his guitar solos with elegance and precision, while Tim is the epitome of cool, as his bass thrums through the speakers.
Amanda’s beautiful swirling keyboards make ‘Until She Comes‘ an almost religious experience. ‘Pretty In Pink‘ has the entire audience on their feet again, phones in the air, many singing along to this legendary anthem. The main set ends with ‘Heartbreak Beat‘ from the band’s fifth studio album ‘Midnight to Midnight‘. This one is more of my era, being a tad younger than the majority of the attendees, including Charlie Harper of the UK Subs, who is sitting up above me in the circle!
Of course the Furs return for the obligatory encores: ‘It Goes On‘ followed by the much lauded and lengthy ‘India‘. Peter DiStefano starts this one, using a violin bow on his guitar, before heading to the stage front where Richard pulls him around like a puppet as Peter plays the insane guitar solo!
The band exit to roars of approval – what a magical way to spend Halloween night! Now The Psychedelic Furs can take a short break before resuming their 2025 tour in Europe:
06/11 – Gruenspan – Hamburg, GER
08/11 – Columbia Theatre, Berlin, GER
09/11 – Flex – Vienna, AUT
11/11 – Fabrique – Milan, ITA
13/11 – Apolo – Barcelona, ESP
17/11 – Custom – Seville, ESP
18/11 – Trinchera – Malaga, ESP
21/11 – Wagon – Madrid, ESP
22/11 – Auditorio Roig Arena – Valencia, ESP
Main Photo Credit / All Photos & Videos: RUTH RAE
- Heaven
- President Gas
- Wrong Train
- The Ghost in You
- The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll
- Mr. Jones
- My Time
- No‐One
- Love My Way
- In My Head
- Run and Run
- Until She Comes
- Pretty in Pink
- Heartbreak Beat
- It Goes On
- India
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Usually found jumping around down the front at gigs, I also relish taking photos and videos, singing, speaking with fellow music fans, and asking musicians the questions nobody else does. Writing about my favourite bands and connecting with people who love music too keeps me more-or-less sane! I’ve worked for over 25 years at a video production company, mainly filming live music events, therefore I have an additional backstage perspective on the scene.
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