In the early '80s, U2 and the Psychedelic Furs played the German TV show Rockpalast. Thirty years later, Bono is filling Sun Life Stadium while the Furs play Culture Room.
What happened? Both acts were influenced by the Jam, the Clash, the Buzzcocks, and the Sex Pistols. But as Bono's hairline receded, so did his band's Never Mind the Bollocks roots, and U2 quickly slid from postpunk to pop-rock. The Furs, meanwhile, churned out New Wave classics such as "The Ghost in You" and "Love My Way." Frontman Richard Butler and company remained plugged into punk sensibility (they once used a vacuum cleaner onstage as an instrument), and they continued to sing about the brutality and nihilism of love.
Yes, the Furs appeared on a John Hughes soundtrack for their song "Pretty in Pink." But rather than a pop cut about a good-looking prom dress, it was actually a metaphor for being naked. Listen to the words: They portray a slutty girl who sleeps around and thinks she's clever and beautiful but is really just gossip fodder.
Celebrate the fact that these craggy-voiced London New Wavers never sold out for the sweetest thing.
