Review By Vanessa Monaghan
Photos By Abraham Tarrush
Going to see a band play almost 25 years after their biggest hit can be a risky business. It definitely raises questions about if they are trying to jump on a cash cow and if it’s all a bit too nostalgic? There is even the possibility that they still like playing music.
Building the hype before The Bangles, were Talulah Does the Hula. Visually striking in their sixties inspired couture, the four ladies and a drumming gent entertained the crowd with their brand of harmonic electronica. The band switch around instruments a lot on stage which is a little off putting but that doesn’t stop the audience getting behind them. They even venture to playing a new song for the first time live before finishing with their current single, ‘Don’t Panic’. It’s a uptempo track with nasty keys, (totally in a good way).
Three of the four Bangles we all knew appeared on stage in Vicar St, Vicki and Debbie Peterson and Susannah Hoffs along with ‘Mangles’. Yes, a few guys playing bass, keys and percussion. “Hazy Shade of Winter’ starts the set to a roar of approval, before “Some Dreams Come True’.
‘Manic Monday’ gets the reaction you’d expect of such a hit but the band seem to be going through the motions a bit. At times the vocals seem a little muddy and hard to make out and at one stage The Bangles even seemed a little unsure of what they were supposed to be playing.
Some magical force must have flipped a switch, from this point on, the band seemed to have upped their game. ‘If she knew what she wants’ had the crowd singing at the top of their voices and it seemed like The Bangles started enjoying themselves. Fan favourite, ‘Under a Cloud’, ‘a happy little song about depression’ followed.
Debbie Peterson comes to the front of the stage, joining her sister and Hoffs for ‘Going Down to Liverpool’. She has so much energy when she does, playing up to the audience at the edge of the stage, more of a frontman (ok, person) than the other two put together. This in turn seems to egg the others to get more into the show.
The hit singles are scattered amongst lesser known tracks and ‘Eternal Flame’ pepps the audience up again. Musically it’s understated live. Hoffs vocals are delicate and tender. If lighters were still the norm, lots of lighters would be in the air instead we have camera phones.
The longer the night goes on the more noticeable it is that The Bangles were always more of a rock band than the eighties pop band that we knew of. A cover of ‘Open My Eyes’ a Todd Rundgren/Nazz song steps up the gear even more, with the ladies claiming they haven’t played this in thirty years.
The band are now chatting more with the audience and joking about how they’ve released one album this century. They play ‘Ride the Ride’ from their 2003 album ‘Doll Revolution’, this is more upbeat than the previous track and it’s obvious the band are enjoying themselves with Susannah Hoffs swishing her hair around like its 1987.
The tempo and pace of the show is kept up with ‘In Your Room’. Musically, vocal harmonies are amazing and stage wise Vicki Peterson and Susanah Hoffs interact better, while Debbie Peterson, a great drummer, seems to be able to hold everyones attention from behind her drumkit. Guitar battles onstage and playing with feedback add to the rock and roll show.
An encore, of course must have ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’. Debbie Peterson gets her own verse (the record label didn’t let her on the recorded version). The predominately late thirties/early forties crowd go, well, a bit nuts.
The Bangles finish their set with a cover of The Seeds 1967 song, ‘Pushing Too Hard’. They let rip with ‘Light my fire-esque’ keys and Vicki Peterson and Susannah Hoffs going head to head in a guitar battle, both ending on their knees in front of the drumkit.
What started as routine and bland turned into a cracker of a gig, maybe they should have being playing harder rock all along.
