Siouxsie And The Banshees
Nocturne

THE REVIEW

Hello dear ones, here I am with my fourth review, yet another Gothic concert, but this time an old VHS called Nocturne by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Brief introduction to Siouxsie & co.: a band born during the very first Albion new wave, forging a sound that would then be called Gothic rock, a child of post-punk, new wave with horror movie keyboards, and an hallucinated voice. The band would then become less punk and more pop, partially following the fashion of the eighties.

The Banshees with Robert Smith of the Cure on guitar. They release their first live double album, a testament to the two concerts held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on September 30 and October 1, 1983.

A VHS was also released from this album, which is exactly what I will talk about.

Here's the concert setlist:

At the beginning of the VHS, you see fans entering the theater, and it warms my heart to see goths and ordinary people crowding the Albert Hall, considering the Gothic movement was already waning but the hardcore remained. The lights go out, and in comes our barefoot heroine, with heavy makeup and raven hair, moving through the concert like a tormented soul, like a damned in the infernal circles. It starts with Israel, and believe me, I have never heard a piece so bare (guitar, bass, drums) yet so suggestive and evocative. Robert Smith proves to be an excellent guitarist with his skeletal and abrasive riffs hitting the mark. Budgie's drumming is also very dry but precise, and Severin gives the bass an important role. Musically the VHS is this: guitar, bass, drums, and voice with an exploration of all the Gothic genres of the eighties (post-punk, pop, new wave, gothic).

This concert, in my opinion, is the manifesto of Gothic. Siouxsie is its queen, and with her voice, she takes you into the vampiric heart of cold England of those years.

In conclusion, an excellent musical manifesto and shivers under the skin for those orphaned from a context that other musical genres will wipe away,

To be continued.......