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I am sure I am not the first (and I most certainly will not be the last) to claim ‘Pretty in Pink’ as an all-time favorite teen flick. I related fiercely to the protagonist, the red-haired Andie played to perfection by Molly Ringwald, whose prerogative to stay true to her individuality in the face of cruel high-school archetypes. Her character was an inspiration.
If you were to tell a teen-angsty Olivia that she’d be standing in front of the band that wrote and recorded the track that the aforementioned film was named after, I am pretty certain that she wouldn’t believe you. Rather, she would be mesmerized by the thought, and she would immediately pull out her copy of Talk Talk Talk and put it on her record player for a spin.
As a singer and songwriter myself, I consistently find myself revisiting Psychedelic Furs’ tracks circa the early 1980s to find inspiration in not only their synth drenched instrumentation but also their simple, yet beautiful, lyricism. Tracks like “The Ghost In You” and “President Gas” inspire me, both poetically and emotionally – lyrics like:
“A man in my shoes runs a light
And all the papers lied tonight
But falling over you
Is the news of the day.
Angels fall like rain
And love is all of heaven away
Inside you the time moves”- “The Ghost In You”
With such beautiful imagery contained in just six, short lines, The Psychedelic Furs reminds us that creating a touching narrative with … or any narrative at all … through the written word is something we, as artists, need to strive for; to push ourselves towards something beyond just the status quo.
The radiant energy of The Psychedelic Furs’ Brit-pop/post-punk music perfectly complimented the blissful summer evening on the Santa Monica Pier last thursday. Opening band Day Wave warmed up the crowd with indie-rock melodies that soared and soothed the spirit at the same time, but the crowd this evening was truly here for The Psychedelic Furs.
As soon as the Butler brothers (bassist Tim and lead singer Richard) took the stage accompanied by their current roster of accompanists (Paul Garisto, Mars Williams, Amanda Kramer and Rich Good), nostalgia permeated the air. For me, it was as if my record player spinning “Talk Talk Talk” was coming to life right before my eyes, lighting up the stage with some post-punk classics, making my head spin with joy.
The group played all their greatest hits, closing out the show with that tune little, teenage Olivia was so loyal to all those years ago, “Pretty in Pink”. Throughout the entire evening, Richard and company strutted about the stage, exuding a true sense of joy and happiness that was truly contagious such that one could not help but dance along throughout the entire set.
Truly a wonderful weekly reason to get over to the beach, make sure you check out next week’s show with Raging Fyah opening for Protoje & The Indiggnation! Meanwhile, I think I’m going to turn back to my turntable and close my eyes while The Psychedelic Furs sing me to sleep!
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