The champions of goth, Peter Murphy and David J, projected their darkness over the Novo in downtown Los Angeles last night as thousands of fans joined together to create one black sea in worship of Bauhaus.
Starting with an entire play-by-play of Bauhaus' debut album In the Flat Field, Murphy walked out onto the stage in a glorious sequence jacket, striking cheekbones that could cut through steel, and make-up that made him look so immortal that I demand a full YouTube tutorial. David J looked incredibly slick himself, never once taking off his sunglasses during the night as he shredded on the bass in a popped collar like it was nothing. Look up a dictionary definition of "cool" to find a photo of him.
Murphy's vampiric persona shined through-and-through from beginning to end as he glided from one end of the stage to the other, demanding the crowd's complete and undivided attention, and getting unanimous cheers anytime he leered—with not only his eyes, but his arms, his chest... basically his entire body was speaking to us.
The godfather of goth ensured his reign by standing on a pedestal behind the drum set during instrumental breaks. Murphy's patent roar is still instilled in his voice and the band ripped through all the In the Flat Field licks, while their accompanying theatrics amplified the experience. After charging through the album, the band went right to other Bauhaus classics.
They performed everything from "Burning on the Inside" and "Bela Lugosi's Dead," to "She's In Parties" and the influential "Passion of Lovers." "She's in Parties" got a creative dub break down toward the end, showcasing the wide range of elements the band incorporates.
During "Bela," Murphy mimicked a Christ-like image by placing his mic-stand across his shoulders and hanging his arms over the ends, like Jesus on the Cross. The goth god died for our goth sins!
The band came back to perform an epic encore that included two of their coveted covers - T. Rex's "Telegram Sam" and my absolute favorite, David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust." By the end, I was left wondering if I had attended a regular rock concert, or a sermon at the Church of Bauhaus where I was personally baptized by Murphy...
View live photos from the night in the gallery above to get a visual idea of what I mean! Then peep last night's complete setlist below.
After five months of touring, Murphy & co. are on their last leg, but they promised they'd return! Check out full dates on Murphy's website.
