Music review: Echo & the Bunnymen, Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow

ECHO & the Bunnymen helped to define the aesthetic of British alternative rock in the 1980s and beyond. All sonorous post-post-punk bands are indebted. Also, charismatic frontman Ian McCulloch was, with his northern nonchalance, pretty much solely responsible for inventing Ian Brown, Liam Gallagher and every berk who monkeyed in their wake, but let’s not blame him for that. He knew not what he wrought.

Ian McCulloch, 60 this year, looks as he did in his pomp

Echo & the Bunnymen, Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow ****

Despite their early existentialist pretensions and a latter day weakness for lachrymose communal balladry (again, let’s not blame them for Coldplay et al), the Bunnymen have always been at heart crepuscular groovers steeped in garage rock, psychedelia, punk and glam.

Fortunately, with the exception of their nice but dull dog-end-of-Britpop comeback hit Nothing Ever Lasts Forever and a couple more in the same vein, tonight they chose to remind us of that with a set featuring the likes of Rescue, Never Stop, The Cutter and The Killing Moon.

From a distance, the black leathers and shades-clad McCulloch, who turned 60 this year, looks exactly as he did in his pomp. His serpentine croon still sounds amazing.

He even sang a snatch of Roadhouse Blues to acknowledge his biggest vocal influence, Jim Morrison: “Glasgow lady, give up your vows!”

Unassuming guitar hero Will Sergeant, the only other remaining original member, unleashed crisp surges of reverb and heavy electric twang. The dry ice billowed. A beautiful darkness descended upon the park. We were spellbound. The Bunnymen still have that power.

PAUL WHITELAW