Gig Review : Echo & the Bunnymen @ Nottingham Rock City 17 February 2022

Review by Andy Houghton for MPM

The UK may have been sandwiched in between Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice, but that seemed nothing compared to the whirlwind inside Nottingham’s Rock City on Thursday night when Echo & the Bunnymen’s 40^th anniversary tour swept into town.

Actually, Echo & the Bunnymen formed in 1978, so it’s actually been 44 years, but what they may lack in maths they more than compensate for with musicianship. Nowadays the band is a twosome (Echo & the Bunnyman?), comprising founder members Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant, and their ninety minute blast of nostalgia kicked off at 8:20pm after a warm-up DJ set courtesy of legendary musician, manager & label owner Alan McGee, known for his association with such bands as The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and The Libertines.

The venue was packed to the rafters at the sold out gig, and as McCulloch took to the stage the atmosphere was electric.

Backlit, surrounded by smoke and wearing his trademark black overcoat, it was immediately clear that this was going to be a tricky gig to photograph. But no problem – it’s really all about the music, and with his McCulloch’s voice in such fine form it really didn’t matter that nobody could discern his face.

Their set began fittingly with ‘Going Up’, the opening track from debut album ‘Crocodiles’, followed by the opener from their sophomore album ‘Heaven Up Here’. McCulloch’s vocals have lost none of their emotive quality and I soon found myself transported back to my teenage years during the band’s heyday.

When the crowd joined in with the chorus of ‘Seven Seas’ as one, it was clear how much of an impact the band’s lyrics have made on their audience over the years. Their new song ’Brussels Is Haunted’ was also well-received, and shows there’s longevity in this band yet.

But nothing could match the response to the encores: when McCulloch and Sargeant returned to the stage and we heard the opening bars of ‘The Cutter’, the reaction was rapturous. ‘The Killing Moon’ followed, and then we were treated to a second encore with ‘Ocean Rain’. A fantastic finale to a fabulous evening, and one well worth venturing out for – even during the Storm of the Century.

Setlist

1. Going Up
2. Show of Strength
3. All That Jazz
4. Flowers
5. Rescue
6. Bring On the Dancing Horses
7. Over the Wall
8. All My Colours (Zimbo)
9. Seven Seas
10. Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
11. Brussels Is Haunted
12. Villiers Terrace
13. Nothing Lasts Forever
14. Never Stop
15. Lips Like Sugar
    Encore:
16. The Cutter
17. The Killing Moon
    Encore 2:
18. Ocean Rain

Social media:

Website: https://bunnymen.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebunnymen

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bunnymen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbunnymen/