Live Review: The Mission – O2, Academy Leeds, 03/11/2016

THE MISSION (+ The 69 Eyes, Skeletal Family)
O2 Academy, Leeds
03/11/2016

The Mission have been one of the most consistent and and influential gothic rock acts since their acrimonious split from The Sisters Of Mercy 30 years ago. It seems fitting then that three decades down the line their anniversary tour should see them return to their home town in triumphant fashion, bringing fellow gothic rock pillars Skeletal Family, and international big-hitters The 69 Eyes along for support. The Mission are a band that have never rested on their laurels, which is attested to by their latest album effort 'Another Fall From Grace', as well as the rabid fans in attendance.

First up though is fellow Yorkshire goth institution Skeletal family who without standing on ceremony and keeping true to their post-punk roots, ripped through a set of their own classic tracks, as well as a couple of Ghost Dance numbers for good measure. Even though the room was slow to fill up, the band brought the energy up quickly with tracks such as 'Far and Near' and 'Promised Land' in particular receiving a lot of appreciation from the crowd.

Next up were the Helsinki Vampires, The 69 Eyes – headliners in their own right – mark their return to the UK after five years away. With a short sharp set heavily favouring classic cuts such as 'Gothic Girl', Dance D'Amour', 'The Chair', 'Sister Of Charity', and 'The Lost Boys', they still find room to include the latest singles 'Dolce Vita' and 'Jet Fighter Plain'. The band are tight throughout and deliver on every level quickly drawing more of the younger element of the crowd to the front. By the time the band left the stage the room was sufficiently pumped for the headliners.

The Mission hit the stage accompanied by the rousing strains of 'The Dambusters Overture' and quickly dived into a formidable set. The band were on top form with the stage presence and skill befitting their veteran status but with the energy and conviction that would put most bands half their age to shame. Tracks such as 'Beyond The Pale', 'Garden Of Delight', 'Severina', 'Stay With Me', 'Tower Of Strength', 'Wasteland', 'Butterfly On A Wheel', and 'Like A Hurricane' provided particular highlights especially with backing vocals aptly provided by special guest Evi Vine to add extra depth.

The encore provided more exhilaration with '1969' getting an airing, as well as rapturous renditions of 'Blood Brother', 'Sacrilege', and 'Deliverance' closing the set. The band were unrelenting throughout and the crowd fed off their energy and amplified it back threefold. Wayne and crew even in the face of advancing years remain one of the coolest bands to fly the gothic rock flag today, and tonight's homecoming was a testament to thirty years worth of commitment to their sound and their fans.  

Read More

Review: The 69 Eyes – 'Universal Monsters'

THE 69 EYES
'Universal Monsters'
NUCLEAR BLAST

Helsinki's The 69 Eyes have been doing their part for good ol' fashioned goth 'n' roll since 1999. The sleaze-glam-turned-goths have enjoyed international success as one of the genre's most visible bands since their RoadRunner records debut 'Wasting The Dawn'. Now in 2016 the band return with 'Universal Monsters' a move back to their more overtly gothic rock sound after a few years dabbling with their early glam influences. The new album sees the return of producer Johnny Lee Michaels who previously worked with the band on their most definitive albums 'Blessed Be', 'Paris Kills', 'Devils', and 'Angels' that coupled with the evocative Boris Karloff-like portrait of vocalist Jyrki on the cover and it will be obvious to fans where the band are going with this one.

Musically the album bears a strong resemblance to 'Devils' with a mix of hard guitar riffs and sombre gothic atmosphere punctuated by Jyrki 69's deep vocal style. There is a mix of Danzig, Type O Negative, The Sisters Of Mercy, and The Cult running throughout which gives the band a lot of room to play with.

The album kicks off with the singles 'Dolce Vita' and 'Jet Fighter Plane' which both feature great riffs and catchy choruses that will compliment the band's live sets nicely. Songs such as 'Miss Pastis', 'Shallow Graves', and 'Rock 'n' Roll Junkie' follow suit giving the album its up-tempo accessibility for fans of their most recent albums. While songs like 'Blackbird Pie', 'Jerusalem', 'Never', and 'Blue' push the gothic elements right to the front again.

The production has that luscious edge that the band's definitive releases kept intact. The harder and more metal elements still sound within the keeping of the presentation of the album, whereas on the past couple of albums their focused came off as a little more confused.

It would still be nice to hear a bit more of that slow and thick gothic sound that made albums like 'Blessed Be' and 'Paris Kills' such attention grabbing releases. But with 'Universal Monsters' The 69 Eyes find a nice balance between their different influences in a focused and consistent way that shall please almost all of their fans.  

Read More

Review: The 69 Eyes – 'Lost Without Love' (Single)

THE 69 EYES 

'Lost Without Love' 

NUCLEAR BLAST 

After once more experimenting with their glam metal roots on recent albums, the Helsinki Vampires have slowly been finding their way back to their signature “goth 'n' roll” sound. What better way to celebrate this than with the second “best of” compilation in the band's 20+ year career.

The new single that accompanies 'The Best Of The Helsinki Vampires' is quite an apt one. 'Lost Without Love' is a nice blend of the bands metallic edge without compromising on their gothic pomp. The semi ballad fits in nicely with classic tracks such as 'Dance D'Amour', 'Stolen Season', and 'Betty Blue'.

The deep bassy tones to Jyrki 69's vocals are dropped in favour of a more dynamic approach, which works but does also bring the song a bit close to HIM territory. Though the band thankfully stop short of imitating their own imitators.

If you want a big single to close a live show with, then this is going to tick the boxes. It has the classic jangling guitars, haunting synths, grooving bass and a big sing-a-long chorus to really rouse the audience.

It doesn't quite live up to the legacy of singles like 'Brandon Lee', 'Gothic Girl' or 'The Chair'. But it does a good job of maintaining a link between the band's past and their most passable recent cuts like 'Borderline' from 'X' and 'Ghost' from 'Perfect Skin'.

Read More