Fans of gothic rock have been faithful to the Sisters of Mercy since the band formed in 1980 in Leeds, England. By the late 1980s, the band’s sole remaining original member, Andrew Eldritch, disassociated both himself and the Sisters of Mercy from the goth label. Nevertheless, a panorama of the audience at the band’s Brooklyn Paramount concert was dominated by imaginative black fashion accessorized with black lipstick, generous mascara, black nail polish, and torn fishnet stockings. This night was a celebration of goth culture.
The Sisters of Mercy achieved commercial success from 1985 to 1990 with three studio albums, each recorded with a different cast of musicians. Vocalist Eldritch has been the one constant Sister of Mercy. Even the drum machine, known as Doktor Avalanche, is not the original technology. The current band consists of Eldritch, guitarists Kai and Ben Christo, and Chris Catalyst, who operates Doktor Avalanche.
As the musicians did last year when the Sisters of Mercy made its first U.S. tour in 14 years, the concert at the Brooklyn Paramount played in near total darkness. For most of the performance, the musicians appeared as moving silhouettes against a red or blue backlit stage. The photographs accompanying this review were captured in the rare moments when the musicians were visible.
Photo by Everynight Charley
The music was equally dark. Deep basslines rumbled, electronic percussion pulsed dance-driven rhythms, metallic guitar leads wailed, and Eldritch’s cavernous baritone vocals seemed to creep out of the underworld. The band has not recorded a studio album since 1990, but almost half of the songs performed were written in recent years, just not yet released. The set included the band’s most successful songs in America, “This Corrosion,” “Dominion,” “Lucretia My Reflection,” and “More,” as well as fan favorites “Mother Russia” and “Temple of Love.” The set also included a cover of “Giving Ground,” originally recorded by Eldritch’s short-lived side project, The Sisterhood.
The Sisters of Mercy’s dynamic sound has become even more appealing with the addition of Kai’s guitar licks and an improvement of Eldritch’s vocals since last year’s tour. The concert was originally scheduled for the 6,013-seat Radio City Music Hall, then was moved to the 2,700-capacity Brooklyn Paramount, and even so, the new venue seemed half full. The Sisters of Mercy may need to abandon its 34-year recording hiatus and make new music available to the broad public if the band hopes to fill larger venues in the United States.
Photo by Everynight Charley
Setlist
- Doctor Jeep / Detonation Boulevard
- Don’t Drive on Ice
- Ribbons
- Alice
- Summer
- Dominion / Mother Russia
- I Will Call on You
- Marian
- Giving Ground (The Sisterhood cover)
- Eyes of Caligula
- More
- But Genevieve
- I Was Wrong
- Here
- Something Fast
- When I’m on Fire
- On the Beach
- Temple of Love
Encore
- Lucretia My Reflection
- This Corrosion
