The Sisters of Mercy at the Brooklyn Paramount

Fans of gothic rock have been faithful to the Sisters of Mercy since the band formed in 1980 in Leeds, England. By the late 1980s, the band’s sole remaining original member, Andrew Eldritch, disassociated both himself and the Sisters of Mercy from the goth label. Nevertheless, a panorama of the audience at the band’s Brooklyn Paramount concert was dominated by imaginative black fashion accessorized with black lipstick, generous mascara, black nail polish and torn fishnet stockings. This night was a celebration of goth culture.

The Sisters of Mercy achieved commercial success from 1985 to 1990 with three studio albums, each recorded with a different cast of musicians. Vocalist Eldritch has been the band’s one constant Sister of Mercy. Even the drum machine, known as Doktor Avalanche, is not the original technology. The current band consists of Eldritch, guitarists Kai and Ben Christo, and Chris Catalyst, who operates Doktor Avalanche.

As the musicians did last year when the Sisters of Mercy made its first U.S. tour in 14 years, the concert at the Brooklyn Paramount played in near total darkness. For most of the performance, the musicians appeared as moving silhouettes against a red or blue backlit stage. The photographs accompanying this review were captured in the rare moments when the musicians were visible.

The music was equally dark. Deep basslines rumbled, electronic percussion pulsed dance-driven rhythms, metallic guitar leads wailed, and Eldritch’s cavernous baritone vocals seemed to creep out of the underworld. The brand has not recorded a studio album since 1990, yet almost half of the songs performed were written in recent years but not yet released. The set included the band’s most successful songs in America, "This Corrosion", "Dominion", "Lucretia My Reflection", and "More," as well as fan favorites “Mother Russia” and “Temple of Love.” The set also included a cover of “Giving Ground,” originally recorded by Eldritch’s short-lived side project, The Sisterhood.

The Sisters of Mercy’s dynamic sound has become even more appealing with the addition of Kai’s guitar licks and an improvement of Eldritch’s vocals since last year’s tour. The concert was originally scheduled for the 6,013-seat Radio City Music Hall, then was moved to the 2,700-capacity Brooklyn Paramount, and even so, the new venue seemed half full. The Sisters of Mercy may need to abandon its 34-year recording hiatus and make new music available to the broad public if the band hopes to fill larger venues in the United States.

Setlist

1. Doctor Jeep / Detonation Boulevard
2. Don't Drive on Ice
3. Ribbons
4. Alice
5. Summer
6. Dominion / Mother Russia
7. I Will Call You
8. Marian
9. Giving Ground (The Sisterhood cover)
10. Eyes of Caligula
11. More
12. But Genevieve
13. I Was Wrong
14. Here
15. Something Fast
16. When I'm on Fire
17. On the Beach
18. Temple of Love

Encore

1. Lucretia My Reflection
2. This Corrosion

***

The Manhattan Beat reports on New York City's live music circuit. All articles are written by Everynight Charley Crespo. All photographs are taken by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise.

For a list of Manhattan venues that are presenting live music regularly, swing the desktop cursor to the right of the The Manhattan Beat home page and click on the pop-up tab "Where to Find Live Music."

For a more complete listing of upcoming performances in the New York City area, visit The Manhattan Beat's September and October calendars.