In the early '80s, both U2 and the Psychedelic Furs played the German TV show Rockpalast. Thirty years later, Bono's filling Sun Life Stadium while the Furs play Culture Room.
What happened? Both 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. U2 quickly slid from post-punk to pop-rock. The Furs, meanwhile, churned out New Wave classics like "The Ghost in You" and "Love My Way."
They remained plugged into punk sensibility (they once used a vacuum cleaner onstage as an instrument), and they kept singing about the brutality and the nihilism of love.
Yes, the Furs did appear 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: It's about a slutty girl who sleeps around and thinks she's clever and beautiful, but is really just gossip fodder.
Come celebrate the fact that these craggy-voiced London New Wavers never sold out for the sweetest thing.
The Psychedelic Furs. Friday, July 1. Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $25 plus fees via ticketmaster.com. Call 954-564-1074 or visit cultureroom.net.
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