by redbeergoggles » Tue Dec 22, 2009 5:16 pm
The official review by Danny Lamb 17/ 12/09 Liverpool's Click magazine
As over 1200 satisfied fans left Liverpool's o2 Academy, on what was the first of three shows for the post-punk legends, the sky glistened; snow flakes gracefully drooped and the nearby iconic St. Georges hall dominated the city landscape.
If last night is anything to go by fans who have tickets for tonight and tomorrow's sold out gigs are in for a treat.
With a back catalogue of spanning over thirty years The Bunnymen can throw together a set list to rival any band on the planet.
However, the first four songs alone would have left most of the paying punters happy yesterday evening.
Kicking off with the incredibly atmospheric Going Up, the opening track off their debut album Crocodiles, which next year moves into it's fourth decade since release, the mood was set.
Smoke billowed from the stage, leaving only the hazy trademark silhouettes of the band.
Frontman Ian McCulloch cuts a fine shadowy figure on stage. Gutairst Will Sergeant, the only other remaining member from the original line up, kept his head down in placid concentration throughout.
McCulloch came across a little irked during the third song, Rescue. Ironically pointing at the crowd and asking for his band to "take it down a little so I can hear these talk".
The crashing crescendo at the finale led straight into a hard and fast version of Villiers Terrace.
Even the casual gig go-ers chatting at the back must have pricked their ears to attention.
It was not just the more talkative, irregular and less interested in the audience that blighted Mac.
Last night McCulloch seemed annoyed on more than one occasion at the more 'hardcore' fans at the
front.
Whether it was their mistimed singing, shouting or camera flashes some visibly upset the Norris Green born singer throughout. He held it together though. Describing Bring on the Dancing Horses as "the greatest version we've ever played" and he was cockily pleased with the groovy Bedbugs and Ballyhoo, proclaiming after "and that was only a b-side".
Few present would say a word against him. The musical world may have largely 'missed' the Bunnymen - in the mid-80s there was every chance they could have cracked through to the mainstream proper - but their loyal legion of fans justifiably rank the five piece as amongst the best on the planet.
The aforementioned Killing Moon saw singing, swaying and smiling in equal measures before the set was drew to a close with The Cutter. During which McCulloch thrust his arms out sideways for the lyric "am I the worthy cross"; a biblical like moment.
During the interlude prior to the encore a truly partisan chant of "Shankly" began from towards the back.
In recognition of it being 50 years since legendary football manager Bill Shankly arrived at Liverpool FC, the Scotsman has been at the forefront of local media coverage lately.
The chant picked up, but in an out of character move McCulloch played it down when he reemerged. The high-profile Reds' fan made a point of telling the assembled "it's about the Bunnymen not football, we're better than that", before playing "I think I need it to", one of only two songs off the new album, The Fountain.
An extended version of Nothing Ever Lasts forever did, however, include a nod towards Shankly. "I want to play football for the coach, Bill Shankly is the coach" crooned Mac,which went some way to appeasing the football fans in the audience.
Exiting for a second a time the crowd wanted more.
They got it when the band re-emerged for a final encore consisting of the 1987 single Lips Like Sugar.
McCulloch bizarrely repeated the name of Liverpool FC's Dutch striker Drik Kuyt, and the various pronunciations of his name during it. We thought it wasn't about the football, Ian!
But it's Christmas. We'll forgive you. As a brief snow flurry tried desperately to blanket the city the revellers left the Lime Street venue festively happy.
but she didn't realise how good a band they actually were until seeing them perform live 
