THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS + ANJA HUWE (XMAL DEUTSCHLAND) – DE LA WARR PAVILION, BEXHILL-ON-SEA 30.10.25
It’s been 6 years since I last saw The Psychedelic Furs live in action and a lot has happened since that day at Brighton Dome on 4th October 2019 (Review HERE). Friends and my partner have passed away and it’s certain that they would have been here this evening with me at the iconic De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea to see what the Butler brothers and their chums have to offer this time around.
I did have the opportunity to see The Psychedelic Furs performing live at the inaugural ‘Forever Now’ festival at Milton Keynes Bowl on 22nd June this year, but a difficult decision had to be made as there were two stages running at the same time. I knew that I would be seeing The Furs this evening, and so I opted to miss them in June and check out She Wants Revenge, who I had never seen before, plus again catch Public Image Ltd in action as well (Reviews HERE).
I always enjoy heading East to the De La Warr Pavilion as it’s one of my favourite venues and I’ve even got the hardback book about the building! I certainly wasn’t going to be late this evening as The Furs have yet again come up trumps with their choice of special guest for this all too brief 7-date UK tour, which has already called in at Wolverhampton, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester plus Bristol, and tomorrow the tour concludes in London.
The special guest this time around is post-punk icon Anja Huwe, who is marking her first UK shows in over 15 years. The visual artist and former vocalist of German goth outfit Xmal Deutschland unveiled her debut solo record, ‘Codes’, last spring via Sacred Bones. Earlier this year, she returned to releasing with ‘PolarForest’, which blended her solo track ‘Living In The Forest’ with Xmal Deutschland’s 1987 song ‘Polarlicht’. As far as I can recall, I don’t believe I actually went to see Xmal Deutschland in action, despite them playing in Brighton on a couple of occasions (University Of Sussex 1st May 1985 and Coasters on 22nd September 1986), but I did tape their 4 excellent John Peel Sessions:
‘Incubus Succubus’, ‘Geheimnis’, ‘Qual’, ‘Zinker’ (first broadcast 25th November 1982)
‘In Motion’, ‘Vito’, ‘Reigen’, ‘Sehnsucht’ (first broadcast 27th June 1983)
‘Nachtschatten’, ‘Tag für Tag’, ‘Mondlicht’, ‘Augen-Blick’ (first broadcast: 25th April 1984)
‘Polarlicht’, ‘Der Wind’, ‘Jahr Um Jahr’, ‘Autumn’ (first broadcast: 13th May 1985).
I was very much looking forward to rectifying the error of my ways this evening and seeing if Anja Huwe has still got it! Beer purchased, banter had with folk that I know, I entered the auditorium and made my way to near the very front. I have a birdseye view as a handful of musicians take to the stage at 7:56pm and we are in their company for the next 46 minutes until 8:42pm. They are all clad in black and from our left to right they are: Olaf Boqwist (Fender guitar and Fender Precision bass), Christian St. Claire (drums), Anja Huwe (vocals), Drew Richards (guitar), and Mona Mur (who is the producer and co-author of ‘Codes’) on Novation keys and Roland unit. I believe that Jon Caffery is on mixing desk duties for them for the tour.
Anja addresses the crowd with a “Good evening!” and the first thing I notice is how striking Anja’s blue eyes are and that her white hair really stands out from her black clothing. She has kept her striking looks and her movements remind me somewhat of Siouxsie Sioux. Within a minute of opening with their screechy guitared number ‘Boomerang’ from the 1983 Xmal Deutschland ‘Fetisch’ album, I sense that they are Germany’s answer to the Cocteau Twins. Which I guess shouldn’t be that surprising as back in the day they opened for the Cocteau Twins, and as a result Xmal Deutschland were also snapped by the finger-on-the-pulse 4AD independent record label.
Anja again raided the Xmal Deutschland ‘Fetisch’ album with the more urgent Sisters Of Mercy goth vibed ‘Geheimnis’ which I have heard via the John Peel Session, and with both tunes being lapped up by the receptive audience, things were looking favourable for them. Four of tonight’s songs are culled from Anja’s latest ‘Codes’ album, with the first of these being ‘Pariah’ with its initial keys riff (courtesy of Mona) sounding not too far of the Pet Shop Boys ‘West End Girls’. Anja’s vocals sit atop this and are delivered in a somewhat talky style, and the booming synth beat kicks in, this is rather impressive. Tune four is also from ‘Codes’ and this time it’s ‘Rabenschwarz’ and I’d honestly have to state that this is the best tune thus far, on account of the keys sounding like Gary Numan’s material, and the guitar riffage was pleasurable as was the bass guitar parts which Olaf had switched to for the first time.
It was back to Xmal Deutschland’s ‘Fetisch’ album with the arrival of ‘Young Man’ which sees the keys kick off and then Christian gets to work on the drums. It’s not as immediate as the previous song, and it catches out a few of the crowd with its abrupt ending. ‘Polarlicht’ from 1987’s Xmal Deutschland ‘Viva’ album came next and I also recall this from the Peel Session. It was then back to ‘Codes’ with the arrival of the slow chugging beats of ‘Exit’, which notably featured Drew using an EBow. Sleep (With One Eye Open’ from ‘Codes’ was up next and this had a great keys intro and a chunky grinding beat and it’s based on this track alone that I honestly believe that Anja would be the perfect support artist for a future Gary Numan tour, his fans would love it.
‘Mondlicht’ from Xmal Deutschland’s ‘Tocsin’ album from 1984 came next with its trademark wailing vocals and the keyboards on this reminded me of early Clan Of Xymox, who were also a 4AD band around that time. In fact I can remember attending Xymox’s first ever UK gig with my friends Barry and Julie (RIP), which was taking place at Croydon Underground on 31st October 1985, and standing immediately behind us were all three of the Cocteau Twins.
The penultimate selection this evening was arguably Xmal Deutschland’s most well known tune ‘Incubus Succubus’ from 1982’s EP of the same name. Gritty swirly keys started off this number, followed by the drums and then the solid beat kicked in. I found myself going slightly tingly whilst enjoying this track and it just about sneaked in as the set highlight. There was a space invaders sounding synth passage followed by speedy drums and another corker followed which closed the set, this being ‘Qual’ another from the ‘Fetisch’ album. Then with a “Thank you, good night, we love you” Anja and her band were gone. It had been a brilliant performance and you honestly couldn’t tell the difference between the early 1980’s Xmal material to the new Anja material. The Furs are seriously going to have to deliver and then some in order to beat this set for yours truly!
Anja Huwe:
Anja Huwe – vocals
Mona Mur – keys
Drew Richards – guitar
Olaf Boqwist – guitar and bass
Christian St. Claire – drums
Anja Huwe setlist:
‘Boomerang’ (from 1983 Xmal Deutschland ‘Fetisch’ album)
‘Geheimnis’ (from 1983 (Xmal Deutschland ‘Fetisch’ album)
‘Pariah’ (from 2024 Anja Huwe ‘Codes’ album)
‘Rabenschwarz’ (from 2024 Anja Huwe ‘Codes’ album)
‘Young Man’ (from 1983 Xmal Deutschland ‘Fetisch’ album)
‘Polarlicht’ (from 1987 Xmal Deutschland ‘Viva’ album)
‘Exit’ (from 2024 Anja Huwe ‘Codes’ album)
‘Sleep (With One Eye Open’ (from 2024 Anja Huwe ‘Codes’ album)
‘Mondlicht’ (from 1984 Xmal Deutschland ‘Tocsin’ album)
‘Incubus Succubus’ (from 1982 Xmal Deutschland ‘Incubus Succubus’ EP)
‘Qual’ (from 1983 Xmal Deutschland ‘Fetisch’ album)
The Psychedelic Furs head honcho, Richard Butler, has gone on record to say that the band was formed in 1977 and they used to rehearse in his family’s front room, but like a number of new band start-ups, they were speedily banished because of the noise! Thankfully this didn’t put off the then lineup: Richard Butler (vocals), Tim Butler (bass), Duncan Kilburn (saxophone and keyboards), Roger Morris (lead and rhythm guitar) and Paul Wilson (drums). In fact the outfit went on to release 7 studio albums (5 of which hitting the Top 30) from 1980 until 1991 and got through no less than 14 other members in that period, but in 1992 they went on a hiatus for some 8 years. Then in 2000, Richard Butler, Tim Butler, and John Ashton reformed The Psychedelic Furs, although their releases since this time have fallen to the same rate as Kraftwerk, with 2020’s ‘Made Of Rain’ long player being the sole new release, although, in terms of UK Album Chart positions, it was the second highest, eventually stalling at No.13.
It’s therefore obvious that The Furs especially thrive when performing concerts, and they have headlined Glastonbury Festival, as well as esteemed venues including the Hollywood Bowl, London’s Royal Albert Hall, and New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The outfit can still pack a punch and fill a decent sized venue and thus give their fans, old and new, another live experience of their flurry of major hits including ‘Love My Way’, ‘Pretty In Pink’, and ‘Heaven’, thankfully all of which get an airing tonight. These days The Psychedelic Furs touring lineup is Richard Butler (vocals); Tim Butler (cordless bass); Rich Good (Fender & Gretsch guitars), Amanda Kramer (Nord Lead 2X Virtual Analog Synthesizer, Korg Nautilus Workstation,laptop, and another unit), Zachary Alford (drums) and Peter DiStefano (Jackson guitar).
This evening we are in their company for around an hour and a quarter and during that period they perform 16 songs for us and commence with one of their big hitters, ‘Heaven’ from 1984’s ‘Mirror Moves’ album, which as you can surmise goes down an absolute storm, with many punters singing along. Like the support, The Furs are all clad in black and all certainly look like rock’n’roll stars. I’ve moved my location to the side of the stage now with only one person in front of me for cover so that the band don’t see me taking notes on my phone, and from here I suddenly realise that the photographers pit this evening is of double the depth than I’ve ever seen it before, and so the fans are quite a few feet back. However the stage does afford side wings, which are regularly patrolled by Tim Butler and Rich Good, and they are able to get up really close to those lucky fans that are standing there. The blond haired ladies with their phones out are certainly getting their monies worth tonight, as not only are they able to get some close up filming (including Tim launching his face right into a phone on one occasion), but whilst Tim and Rich are playing the ladies are stroking the guys legs, something which no doubt will be the ladies go to party piece for years to come!
Richard is as you would expect centre stage and has each of the songs lyrics on hand on a stand just in case. I do see him flip the pages between tunes, but not once do I see him have a quick shifty at the next line. He very much is the focal point of the band and at 69 years young, he still easily manages to crouch down several times throughout the set with ease. I note that he’s very much a creature of habit and on the conclusion of each of the tunes he is at the front of the stage by the microphone stand and as the crowd give out their hearty applause each time, he physically bounces up and down as folk are doing this. Then when it starts to die down he turns and walks to the drumset with his back to us and either speaks to Zachary, or more often has a sip of his water. It’s an endearing trait, if not a robotic one.
Song two is the less immediate ‘President Gas’ from 1982’s ‘Forever Now’ album. I wonder if the festival got its name from this? The solid rockin’ ‘Wrong Train’ is the first of a trio of cuts tonight taken from 2020’s ‘Made Of Rain’ album, and is followed by ‘The Ghost In You’ from their ‘Mirror Moves’ album and I a get a small whiff of A Flock Of Seagulls’ ‘Space Age Love Song’ in here. I have the feeling that a number of Furs tunes are telling a story and this is one such example, with Richard’s dramatic movements adding to this. Cut two from the last album arrives, it’s ‘The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll’, and judging by its title you may assume it’s a really rocky song, but you’d be wrong, however Peter does play his guitar with a violin bow for some of this. ‘Mr. Jones’ from 1981’s ‘Talk Talk Talk’ album is next and this is a rocky number. ‘My Time’ with its much repeated title from ‘Mirror Moves’ is next, and I feel that this is less immediate than its predecessor.
The final number from ‘Made Of Rain’ is their next selection, this being ‘No‐One’ with its screechy guitars and solid drums from get go. It’s back to the big hitters with the arrival of ‘Love My Way’ from ‘Forever Now’ with its notable keys intro. Many fans are merrily singing along to this one and it concludes with Richard briefly using a tambourine. ‘In My Head’ from 1991’s ‘World Outside’ album is next and with four strikes of a cymbal by Zachary they are off and like all previous numbers it is delivered with professionalism and they are a tight unit. I particularly enjoyed the solid drumming on this track. After this there was another cut from ‘Forever Now’, this time it’s ‘Run And Run’ and other than the vocals, the tune did remind me somewhat of New Order. It was back to that trademark Furs sound with the arrival of ‘Until She Comes’ from ‘World Outside’ which again features some solid drumming and many fans’ heads are bobbing along with the beat.
It’s earworm time with the arrival of the iconic ‘Pretty In Pink’ from ‘Talk Talk Talk’ which is arguably the band’s best known work and eventually becoming their highest charting single in the UK when re-released in 1986 as part of the ‘Pretty In Pink Soundtrack Album’ for the film of the same name, it got to No.18. Yes I know WTAF, The Furs never had a UK Top 10 single. Even when it was originally released in 1981 it got to No.43, and if my memory serves me right, some of the 12” came with a free t-shirt shrink-wrapped in the package as well. Their only other Top 40 single was ‘Heaven’ which got to No.29 in 1984. So it really is hats off to the band to still be able to bring punters to their gigs in order to (virtually) fill up decent sized venues like the De La Warr Pavilion.
The final song of the main set was ‘Heartbreak Beat’ from 1987’s ‘Midnight To Midnight’ album, which is noted for its standout line of “And it feels like love”. After which the musicians vacate the stage, only to return a couple of minutes or so later and launch into ‘It Goes On’ from ‘Talk Talk Talk’ with its wah wah guitar Isaac Hayes ‘Shaft’ guitar-like sound. They send us on our way with ‘India’ from 1980’s ‘The Psychedelic Furs’ album, which sees Richard using a couple of small wooden blocks to tap along to the beat with. I’m rather hoping that they are Indian Rosewood Claves as the tune is called ‘India’. Peter utilized a violin bow again across his guitar and having been to the rear of the stage for the whole duration thus far, is suddenly thrown to the edge of the stage and grabbed by the scruff of the back of the neck and shaken a few times by Richard as he summons his inner most Johnny Rotten moment with snarly vocals to boot. As you would expect, this is a solid rockin’ number and it’s definitely one of the set highlights. I’m guessing by the crowd reaction that they agree with me concerning this. I do feel that maybe they could have thrown in a couple more numbers that would have seen them on stage for around 90 minutes, just like The Stranglers were for me last night (Review HERE). Yes it was an enjoyable set and a good night out, but for yours truly I preferred the Anja Huwe set more. A controversial decision, yes, but I’m not alone as I spoke to a lovely chap afterwards who was flying to Mexico the following morning and he agreed.
The Psychedelic Furs:
Richard Butler – vocals, tambourine, percussion
Tim Butler – bass
Rich Good – guitars, backing vocals
Amanda Kramer – keyboards, laptop, backing vocals
Zachary Alford – drums
Peter DiStefano – guitar
The Psychedelic Furs setlist:
‘Heaven’ (from 1984 ‘Mirror Moves’ album)
‘President Gas’ (from 1982 ‘Forever Now’ album)
‘Wrong Train’ (from 2020 ‘Made Of Rain’ album)
‘The Ghost In You’ (from 1984 ‘Mirror Moves’ album)
‘The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll’ (from 2020 ‘Made Of Rain’ album)
‘Mr. Jones’ (from 1981 ‘Talk Talk Talk’ album)
‘My Time’ (from 1984 ‘Mirror Moves’ album)
‘No‐One’ (from 2020 ‘Made Of Rain’ album)
‘Love My Way’ (from 1982 ‘Forever Now’ album)
‘In My Head’ (from 1991 ‘World Outside’ album)
‘Run And Run’ (from 1982 ‘Forever Now’ album)
‘Until She Comes’ (from 1991 ‘World Outside’ album)
‘Pretty In Pink’ (from 1981 ‘Talk Talk Talk’ album)
‘Heartbreak Beat’ (from 1987 ‘Midnight To Midnight’ album)
(encore)
‘It Goes On’ (from 1981‘Talk Talk Talk’ album)
‘India’ (from 1980 ‘The Psychedelic Furs’ album)
