I get an unexpected chance tonight to
right a 30-year gig wrong… I’d initially discovered Siouxsie And The Banshees
in my early teens, of course, in that heady rush of late 70’s punk, enjoying
their short, snappy singles (particularly the dramatic cascade of “Love In A
Void” and circular fairground dervish dance of “Spellbound”, both excellent to
dance to at Under 18 Brunel nightclub!), but oddly never delved further into
their album material, even as they and I morphed into a mid-80’s Goth phase. So
by their performance at Reading Festival 1993 (gig 248) they were well and
truly out of step with my then largely US alt-rock dominated tastes; I gave
them a few numbers, got bored, and walked away…
My mistake. My 2016 post-redundancy
re-evaluation of a few bands that had previously passed me by included The
Banshees earlier albums, and I fell hard for their intricate, introspective
post-punk pseudo-Goth sound and particularly the unique and inspired fretwork
of the late John McGeoch on the excellent “Juju”. I immediately regretted I
hadn’t paid more attention back then, and lamented the fact that I’d likely
never get to see any of that material played “live”, given iconic lead singer
Siouxsie’s apparent retirement to the wilds of rural France. So when scarcely
believable news broke earlier this year that la Sioux was breaking a 15-year
retirement to play a couple of European Festivals, I hoped against hope for a
UK non-Fest date and was duly rewarded with this one, booking tix immediately.
Wolverhampton? A bit of a trek, but who cares?
Also joining me were old school buddy
Keith Turner, with whom I’d bonded over punk rock back then, and his lovely
wife Jen. Hit the road North at 4, hitting slow traffic off the M5 but parking
up next to the venue just after 6 and wandering into the city centre for Thai
curry tea! Back about 7.30, eventually squeezing into a house left spot, about
10 rows back, in this large and recently expensively refurbished auditorium. It
didn’t feel like a gig venue; the toilets were clean and there was no queue at
the bar! The place filled up in anticipation of Siouxsie’s arrival – no support
tonight– and I noted with dismay a proliferation of 2 kinds of irregular gig
goers; the entitled “5 to 3” late arrival types trying to shove in front of
everyone, and conversely the “won’t move a muscle” folks usually prevalent in
Boston! As I’m used to a bit of ebb and flow in the audience, this all felt a
bit unnecessary, and made for a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere…
Purporting to start at 8.30 prompt, the
lights however didn’t dim until 20 to 9, the black clad backing band taking the
stage to a baroque pastoral backing track. Finally la Sioux appeared… dressed
(nay, draped) in flowing powder blue dress and sporting Cruella streaks
of grey, she was immediately the focus as the band eased into the gloomy grunge
growl of opener “Nightshift”. Mid-sixties now, but her charismatic stage
presence was immediately apparent, grandiose of gesture, and The Voice of
legend as inscrutable, insouciant and aloof as hoped, and dominant in the mix.
A few flat notes, but hey, 15 years offstage is a loooong time…
That said, the early stages of the set drifted
for me a little, an early, plangent “Arabian Nights” (which was preceded,
oddly, by Siouxsie complimenting the local football team’s badge; “Black wolf’s
head, what’s not to fucking love about that?!”) and the descending carousel twirl
of “Dear Prudence” notwithstanding. Also, Siouxsie seemed a little unhappy with
the onstage sound (commenting, “it’s swampy up here” and later challenging the
venue to, “get your priorities right!”). However, things started looking up
with “Cities In Dust” which was elegiac, sweeping and stately, and the Burundi
style tribal percussion of a subsequent “But Not Them” was a dramatic and
absorbing beast. The subsequent “Sin In My Heart” however really kick-started
the set into life, the careering and seething punk rock thrill-ride of one of “Juju”’s
highlights being overlaid by easily Siouxsie’s best vocal performance of the
night for me, strident and powerful.
After
that, it was brilliant! The moody, bass-led “Christine” was followed by the
terrific skeletal backbeat pitter-patter of “Happy House” and the hard-edged, heavy
set closer “Into A Swan”, Siouxsie leading the band offstage briefly, only to
re-emerge for the taut and tense “Switch” and an excellent rendition of “Spellbound”
before exiting with a huge bouquet of flowers. We were then treated to a second
encore, the wonderful oriental chimes of debut “Hong Kong Garden”, then the
haunting slow-burn of “Israel” to close out a 1 hour 40 overall performance,
Siouxsie leaving us with thanks and a flourish. I’d have liked a little more,
particularly given the lack of support, but I couldn’t deny the old girl had put
in a shift, ably backed by a very proficient if slightly anonymous band. And (unlike
la Sioux) I had no complaints about the sound!
Managed
to grab a list (my 999th!) before a difficult drive home, involving
2 lengthy diversions off the M5 and A419, eventually getting back at 1 a.m.
after dropping Keith and Jen off. A slowish start to the set, maybe, but
definitely a strong finish, and fine company both on and offstage. I’m glad I
got the chance to right this ancient gig wrong, so thank you Siouxsie!
