Yes, this tour was not under a good star right from the start. In retrospect, it must actually be said that this tour was simply disastrous in large parts. Guitarist Dylan Chrisford Smith was fired on stage on the very first day of the tour at the Roundhouse in London. Other concerts were cut short or didn't even take place. And when they did take place, they were often - so it was said and to read - shockingly bad. There was a lot of speculation, from the singer being ill to drunk, tripping, up to confused or deliberately sabotaging.
Will this damage the band's image? I have no idea. Probably not.
Because let's be honest: the SISTERS OF MERCY are notorious for their legendarily bad shows - and have been for 30 years now. And yet their tours/shows are mostly sold out.
This begs the question: Why do the fans keep putting up with them? After all, the tickets ain't exactly cheap and it can't be explained by the much-cited cult from the 80s alone.
To put it another way: why does the band keep going on tour when they are obviously so bored out of their minds and have no desire to play live, just to regurgitate the same old shit over and over again? Because for 30 years there has been absolutely nothing new musically.
But apparently there's enough money in it. So much money, that even the former guitarist Chris Catalyst, who left the band completely exasperated, is back on board, this time as a motionless, Andrew Eldritch-lookalike caretaker behind Dr. Avalanche.
Well then. The Muenster show, which was announced early on, sold out so quickly that a second show was booked right at the end of the tour. Also sold out. Unfortunately, the first date didn't work for me - thank Buddha in retrospect - so it had to be the second one. And I was actually convinced until the very last minute that this show wouldn’t take place. Far from it...
On this Sunday, the doors to the :: Jovel Music Hall :: opened before dinner, with traffic jams and gridlock around the venue. No wonder, next door at the Halle Münsterland Till Lindemann played to a sold-out house (and denied press), accompanied by massive protests in front of the hall. But that's another topic...
Inside the Jovel Music Hall, things went rather easy, but that didn't stop the security company from either not acting at all or acting excessively and unprofessionally. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time this had happened in this location. I've been doing this job for over 20 years now, from the smallest pub to the biggest stadium, which means I've seen a lot of security staff working under all kinds of conditions. It's a shame that a venue in my home town stands out so negatively.
:: pics :: THE VIRGINMARYS ::
Be that as it may, the lights went out at 7 pm sharp and :: THE VIRGINMARYS :: started drumming. I first saw the British punk rockers, who have since shrunk to a duo, live in 2011 as the support act for Skunk Anansie and was totally blown away at the time. Back then, they were still a three-piece with long hair, their debut Self Medication had long since been released and their second album was not yet in sight. Today, the fourth album, Northern Sun Sessions, was released five years ago and the band has (presumably thanks to corona) switched to only releasing singles.
What has remained is the incredible energy and dynamism that Ally Dickaty and Danny Dolan bring across, the joy of playing and the passion. Danny on drums, in particular, is absolutely insane.
However, the long tour was definitely noticeable for both of them.
Despite the energy they radiated, the guys seemed tired and exhausted. Singer Ally's voice was audibly scratched and the show seemed rather routine overall. The space on stage was limited and allowed only minimal movement, the light was uniformly red or red-blue. But there was nothing to complain about the sound. And, THE VIRGINMARYS played for almost 45 minutes. Yes, that was indeed fun :)
The audience received the show rather restrained, but nevertheless favorably.
Band: Ally Dickaty (vox, git), Danny Dolan (drums)
Setlist: The Meds, Into Dust, Lies, Lies, Lies, Running For My Life, You're A Killer, Where Are You Now?, Devils Keep Coming, Just A Ride, Look Out For My Brother, Bang Bang Bang
:: pics :: THE SISTERS OF MERCY ::
The changeover went quickly and the intro started shortly before eight, but it dragged on for quite a while, about 15 minutes, until :: THE SISTERS OF MERCY :: really came on stage and kicked-off with Doctor Jeep/Detonation Boulevard.
Surprisingly, there was a female guitarist on stage, Kai from Esprit D'Air, who had joined the band at the Würzburg show as live guitarist. The bass still came from tape, and so did drums and synths, but also some of the guitar parts. You could definitely hear Kai playing, but quietly mixed in. In return she brought a lot of movement to the stage and rocked out properly. So, if she played sloppy (due to her action), you couldn't hear it ;)
Ben Christo's guitar also lacked presence and power. All in all, it has to be said that the sound was ok, too quiet, but ok. Andrew Eldritch's voice was audible again, he seemed to be in a good mood, moved a lot for his standards and even showed a grin here and there. Ben Christo moved rather statically and posed in a choreographed and contrived manner. The only feast for the eyes was the twirling Kai. Chris stood really stiffly with sunglasses on and crossed arms behind the synths when there was nothing to do.
Eldritch visibly tried to get close to the two guitarists, to show some relationship or some kind of harmonious cooperation, togetherness, however you would call this, but was given the cold shoulder. They all didn't really seem to be on the same page.
The fog machine was reduced after the first two songs, so that the stage setting and all the members were clearly visible. Still below average from a photographic point of view, but the bands don't play for us ;)
The song selection was of course predictable, the interpretations completely different from the original, but that's common knowledge. You know what to expect. Either you like the respective version or you don't. Anyway, to me, Marian's interpretation sucked. On the other hand, I found the official closing track When I'm On Fire absolutely surprising, as it was the first and only time the whole band really came out of their shell. This also resulted in exuberant applause.
But then it was already over. At 9 pm. Well, there were still the three smashing hits as an encore, but the mobile Muenster resident must have been home before 10 pm. At least I was ;)
Despite all the prophecies of doom, I have to say that this concert evening was (almost) good by SISTERS OF MERCY standards. So, they can do things differently, even on such a messed-up tour. I never saw THE SISTERS OF MERCY live in the 80s or early 90s, so I can't draw any comparisons in this respect. But, I already have seen a really, really good Sisters show – tonight, they were still far way from this evening.
All in all, it has to be said that the glamor is gone and it's not going to get any better, no matter what Andrew Eldritch comes up with in the future. THE SISTERS OF MERCY is a one-man band with guest musicians and the master himself is obviously no person to work with easily. For me, it was a mostly enjoyable evening and the audience also seemed to be satisfied. But I think, this was my last THE SISTERS OF MERCY show.
Band: Andrew Eldritch (vox), Ben Christo (git, vox), Kai (git, vox), Chris Catalyst, Dr. Avalanche (drums)
Setlist: Doctor Jeep/Detonation Boulevard, Don't Drive On Ice, Ribbons, Alice, Summer, Dominion/Mother Russia, I Will Call You, Marian, Giving Ground, Eyes Of Caligula, More, But Genevieve, I Was Wrong, Here, On The Beach, When I'm On Fire // Lucretia My Reflection, Temple Of Love, This Corrosion
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