Echo & The Bunnymen took to the iconic Glasgow Barrowlands stage for a sold out show on the 21st of February as part of their “Songs to Learn and Sing 2024” tour around the UK, Europe and the United States.
To start of the night there was support from Erica Nockalls, her setlist came from songs from her latest album “Dark Music from a Warm Place” which was great. Erica has amazing vocals which worked very well with Jean Charles-Versari who is the guitarist for Erica. Erica’s violin gave her such a distinctive and captivating sound which was really interesting to listen too. Her performance of “House of Erica” was the highlight of her set, it was impressive and definitely caught the attention of the crowd! Her performance was very dynamic and powerful and was a great start to a fantastic gig!
Echo and The Bunnymen entered the stage and opened up their set with “Going Up” which was from their album “Crocodiles” which was released back in 1980! The Bunnymen’s setlist was providing nostalgia to the crowd as it had songs from all through the years. This opening song set the tone for a fantastic night with a good entrance. The stage lights and the background was great, throughout the first couple songs the background was a forest which was pretty cool and felt quite different to what you would usually see.
When The Bunnymen played “All My Colours (Zimbo)” it was definitely a exceptional experience! The lights were rainbow which added to the song and the crowd were absolutely loving it! The Bunnymen finished off their first set with “Bring on the Dancing Horses” which is one of their most popular classics. Ian McCulloch the lead singer handed the chorus to the Glasgow crowd and they knew every single lyric. This was definitely one of the best moments of the night creating a connection between the band and the audience.
The Bunnymen then took a 10 minute break to transfer the gig over to their second set, this seemed a bit long and also considering later in the gig they went of the stage 2 more times for 2 encores. This felt unnecessary and definitely felt like a bit of a crowd killer. However when they came out for the second set they captivated the audience again starting of the with “Show of Strength,” and “Over the Wall” which took the audience in a time machine back to the 80s and created a really memorable moment. It is possible to say the 10 minute break did create more excitement as the crowd was thriving during the second set!
The highlight of the second set was “Nothing Lasts Forever” with the amazing vocals and instruments. The Bunnymen then included a snippet of “Walk on the Wild Side” by Lou Reed where Ian McCulloch added into this song “Glasgow City is the best place.” This cover was a great surprise for the crowd and they were absolutely loving it and singing along, making this night very memorable. Throughout the gig Ian shared his love for Glasgow and how much he loves the Barrowlands venue.
The Bunnymen finished off this second set with “The Killing Moon” which is their most popular song. It is fair to say that this was remarkable. This had everyone singing along and brought the crowd together. The visuals for this song (and the entire gig) was great with the moon on the backdrop. Truly a special moment for everyone in attendance. They then finished of the second set with “The Cutter” brought ALL the energy from the band and the crowd, and had all the hands up in the air. It really was an extraordinary performance. They then exited the stage and finished the second set, preparing for the encore.
They returned back onto the stage and Ian McCulloch shared his love for Glasgow once again and started of the encore playing “Lips Like Sugar.” Great vocals and instruments again throughout this song and everyone in the crowd was loving it! The song came to a close and the band exited the stage again. They then returned to close of the night with “Ocean Rain” which finished of the night with a nice ending to a memorable night.
Setlist:
Set 1:
Going Up
All That Jazz
Flowers
Rescue
Brussels Is Haunted
All My Colours (Zimbo)
Never Stop
Bring On the Dancing Horses
Set 2:
Show of Strength
Over the Wall
Seven Seas
Nothing Lasts Forever/ Walk on the Wild Side
Heads Will Roll
Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
The Killing Moon
The Cutter
Encore 1:
Lips Like Sugar
Encore 2:
Ocean Rain
If you have the chance to see Echo & The Bunnymen during this tour its definitely worth going to see! A fantastic nostalgic night for everyone in an electric atmosphere. Very special for everyone who was in attendance at the Barrowlands this night. Echo & The Bunnymen Return to Glasgow on August 8th to play at the Kelvingrove Bandstand, worth going and to get an unforgettable experience!
