The Psychedelic Furs at Irving Plaza

As the first generation of punk rock slipped into more commercially viable, soft-serve New Wave in England in 1977, two brothers, vocalist Richard Butler and bassist Tim Butler, formed the Psychedelic Furs. The band went through several phases, from an initially austere art rock sound, later touching on new wave and even a bit of hard rock. The Psychedelic Furs’ self-titled debut album was released in 1980 and created a buzz in new wave circles, but the band only launched to international attention in 1986 when the film director John Hughes used the song "Pretty in Pink" for his movie of the same name. After a few personnel changes, the Furs went on hiatus in 1991, and the Butler brothers formed a new band called Love Spit Love. The Psychedelic Furs later regrouped in 2001. The Psychedelic Furs recorded seven studio albums, and Richard Butler released a self-titled solo album in 2006, but the band has not released an album since World Outside in 1991. The current touring line-up is Richard Butler (vocals), Tim Butler (bass), Rich Good (guitar), Mars Williams (saxophone), Amanda Kramer (keyboards), and Paul Garisto (drums).

At Irving Plaza tonight, with no new album to promote, the Psychedelic Furs performed a best-of set, each song faithfully close to the recorded versions. Front man Richard Butler was always less Johnny Rotten, more David Bowie, and so he appeared all but a mannered gentleman onstage, wearing black trousers, a dark blue open-necked button-down dress shirt, black vest and thick black glasses. He led the Furs through songs he has performed hundreds of times over three decades, yet he danced a bit, gestured grandly as he sang and smiled a lot, looking like he was having more fun than anyone in the venue. Regrettably, however, his uniquely raspy growl missed a lot of notes, and I mean a real lot. Nevertheless, his signature snarly, craggy, cockney-accented voice still commanded the core of the show. Meanwhile, Mars Williams, the second-busiest man in the six-piece band, fleshed out the songs with his saxophone and provided lively visual appeal, and Tim Butler also hovered over the edge of the stage, singing without a microphone to the audience while plucking his bass. The concert was well-performed, but left an inevitable question: how long can a band remain viable without introducing new material?