(Minneapolis, Minnesota) Just sitting here at home rocking out in my desk chair. Tomorrow night I’m photographing The Psychedelic Furs live and for real onstage at the Uptown Theater in Minneapolisland and I have never deep-dived this band. I was going to get around to them. Believe me, I was. Behead me if you must, but I’m only familiar enough to recognize them when I hear them. Other than that, to be honest the name connects to only to two facts in my brain: “Pretty In Pink” is them, and they have many songs far better than that one – that I’ve never listened to – until tonight.
Tonight and tomorrow I’ll listen to their entire discography in sequence, like a kid who put off his homework. Stuffing my head full of some fuller concept of The Furs. I’m only on the third album and I already love this band as much as knew I would. My first feelings at the outset being gratefulness that this voice found a band. It needs to be in a band. I’m from the generation that felt “Pretty In Pink” sink like a tent spike into our popular culture. That voice. It’s tied to memory (and not just of that era) and generational identity no matter what song it’s singing because it sang that one.
What I’ve learned so far is that if I put their first album on side one and drop the stylus, I’ll be hit with something that eclipses that catchy 80’s cultural milestone overwhelmingly. Five albums in now. The Furs are, clearly, visionary. I’ll just keep them on repeat until I hop out of the Uber at the Uptown Theater tomorrow night. (Thirty-one hours later) And then I’m there and the line stretches out and around the corner down Lagoon, for blocks.
The Uptown Theater holds a lot of memories for me and every friend from here I have. From the outside it looks like same grand old place, but the Art Deco interior is now mere memory. The last time I went there was to see “Under The Skin” on the big screen with a good friend of mind. Once he and I saw The Room there and we too were throwing plastic spoons with everyone else. My god that was funny! The Uptown Theater was Rocky Horror central. It was *the* Minneapolis midnight movie house. Tonight would be my first time inside since the change.
Get in line (The Psychedelic Furs)
I collected my ticket and photo clearance at will-call, and then made my way to the end of what was the longest line of people in Minneapolis, probably, then. Passing them, I saw many die-hard longtime fans waiting along the wall, most in their forties or fifties, but some even older. Once inside I checked out the merch table. Really cool poster. Great shirts. I wish I’d bought the poster. If you’re planning to see them, bring money.
Anticipation (The Psychedelic Furs)
Love the poster (The Psychedelic Furs)
The Uptown theatre used to be the only theatre left where you could watch a movie from the balcony. And they kept that. And nothing else. It has the scale and a similar layout and vibe as the First Avenue Mainroom. It’s a pretty good First Ave clone and that’s great. Uptown needed exactly that. It hasn’t had good music venues since The Uptown Bar became an Apple store. Before this, Uptown was just basement shows everywhere. I’m still trying to get my head around it though: The gutting of such a landmark in favor of something more necessary.
I found stage security and learned that my photo clearance meant only that I was free to shoot with my kit for three songs, from NOT in front of the barricade where one can walk back and forth. That was the band’s wishes. I thanked him with a fist bump and found a spot front and center and was limited to that place like a camera turret. I made some lens decisions and I shot the first three songs of Squeeze to warm-up and practice my plan (they are, after all, the warm-up band). I was happy with what I got so I did the exact same thing for the first three songs as The Psychedelic Furs played.
Squeeze
Squeeze
They began appearing onstage to rising cheers until Richard Butler ran out to greet everyone like the Master of Ceremonies he is, and the welcome expanded to wild applause. At first I had to get past that up close Butler looks exactly like actor Gary Oldman. Uncanny. But the novelty of that vanishes quickly, and the moment he began singing I realized how deeply this man’s voice was woven into the musical fabric that I so closely identify with.
They opened up with “Into You Like A Train” with its pulsating, battering, unyielding beat. The drama of this unfolded in my viewfinder. Pressed to the barricade and hemmed in by everyone around me. I could only frame, hit moments, and try to create ways to make it look like I wasn’t rooted to one spot the entire time. Having to work within arbitrary limits in any creative endeavor often amps up creative thinking to noticeable effect.
Zach Alford and Tim Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Tim Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Rich Good (The Psychedelic Furs)
I switched lenses between songs and “Mr. Jones” began. Another intense rocker, clearly rooted in British punk, it opens feeling like a Warsaw song (the early Joy Division). My 35mm Summicron and the lights start doing this band all sorts of favors. I work with it awhile, shooting, moving from one idea to the next with an openness to what ever direction it takes, mining the possibilities with the tool.
Rich Good (The Psychedelic Furs)
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Mars Williams (The Psychedelic Furs)
“Heaven” begins, different lenses, more ideas. But once that third song ceased, I ceased. Standing there, now listening, I realized I didn’t really experience the first songs under that pressure. So I closed my eyes to stop seeing photo moments, because watching them perform I would see little things and could only repeat “if only…”, but my window of opportunity was closed. I was happy with what I got, remembering in my mind’s eye. So I closed my eyes to turn that off and was transported by this band. Such the sound.
Mars Williams and Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Rich Good (The Psychedelic Furs)
Mars Williams (The Psychedelic Furs)
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Butler’s powerful voice echoed off the thrumming, sustained wall of majestic sound with all the authority of Bowie. “You’ll Be Mine” and “Wrong Train,” from 2020’s Made Of Rain, were played in sequence.
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Then “President Gas” which has the eighties new wave feel going for it, but grounded by Butler’s sardonic voice. Then “The Ghost In You” which felt to me like a playmate of “Pretty In Pink.” Which was played after first charging through “In My Head,” a straight ahead melodic rocker that everyone began singing at some point. At least I did. I kept my eyes shut. So much to get lost in. Even through earplugs, the mix was lush and every performer generous and flawless.
Amanda Kramer (The Psychedelic Furs)
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Tim Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
“Pretty In Pink” was well-executed, and the band treated it no differently than any other song. But it wasn’t like they were just checking a box. Every single song they played was a well polished touchstone.
Richard Butler is a born performer and sings with his hands, right down to perfect gestures that mimic the lyrics, poetic to see. Once I opened my eyes. And he was, above all, always having great fun communicating a song with his whole body. Or off visiting those watching from the far ends of the stage, or his enjoyment at seeing his hand signs for lyrics made back to him from superfans in the balcony, and laughing, always laughing.
Richard and Tim Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Rich Good (The Psychedelic Furs)
Rich Good (The Psychedelic Furs)
Tim and Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
“Sister Europe” was such a wonderful treat. The earliest Furs song played, it appeared on their first record from 1979, and will change your life a little if you listen to it in headphones and let it suspend you. Saxophonist Duncan Kilburn was amazing on “Heartbeat” before the band ended with hits “Love My Way” and the triumphant “Heartbreak Beat.” Then the house lights broke the spell, and for a moment all looked about blinking, as if spooked from a collective dream, before migrating away from the stage, where the roadies took over.
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Richard Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
Minneapolis waves goodbye (The Psychedelic Furs)
Article/Photos: Joe Cunningham
Setlist:
Into You Like a Train
Mr. Jones
Heaven
You’ll Be Mine
Wrong Train
President Gas
The Ghost in You
In My Head
Pretty in Pink
No‐One
This’ll Never Be Like Love
Sister Europe
Heartbeat
Love My Way
Heartbreak Beat
