BAUHAUS @ O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON, LONDON

Peter Murphy’s original Bauhaus lineup – David J (bass), Daniel Ash (guitar) and Kevin Haskins (drums) – returned for a second London date. It follows their show last year at Alexandra Palace, the first reunion of the band since 2006.

They played a similar setlist as the previous show, beginning on Ash’s high pitched, unstable chords in John Cale’s ‘Rosegarden Funeral of Sores’, to which a very focussed Peter Murphy walked onstage, strutting around wearing a jewel encrusted jacket and waving a walking stick. The band then moved onto their ‘In The Flat Field’ debut album with its title track, featuring Haskins’ clattering drumbeats and Ash’s disorientated, screeching guitar.

Ash then switched to disembodied free jazz saxophone in ‘In Fear Of Fear’ from ‘Mask’ while Murphy moved to keys. The band also performed ‘She’s In Parties’, their last single for which Murphy played melodica and percussion, identical to the recorded version if not for its experimental afterthought.

Bauhaus continued their set with favourites such as their 1979 debut single ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’, ‘The Passion Of Lovers’ and ‘Stigmata Martyr’; the first saw plenty of experimentation such as David J grinding his bass against a fan; the last witnessed the stage turn blood red and Murphy take up his crucifix pose with the microphone.

The band came back for an encore of three covers, which included Iggy Pop’s ‘Sister Midnight’, and, more unusually, ‘Adrenalin’, from their last studio album ‘Go Away White’, performed by the original lineup of the band for the first time live since it’s release in 2008. Unfortunately, Murphy was unable to complete the setlist with ‘All We Ever Wanted Was Everything’ as he had done at the previous show.

19/08/22: Bauhaus @ O2 Academy Brixton, London.