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 The Alarm |
 Psychedelic Furs |
 The Fixx |
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Story and photos by Andy Argyrakis On one hand, the "Rockin' The Colonies" tour could appear to be a mere nostalgia trip geared exclusively towards the hits of yesteryear and the hopes of making some quick dough based on memories from the 1980s. But upon closer examination, the triple bill of Psychedelic Furs, The Fixx and The Alarm had more merit than merely a jukebox of oldies, particularly in the case of the former and the latter. No, the Furs don't have anything new out, but its effect on the
modern day alternative rock scene is evident through
bands like The Killers, The Bravery, Boy Kill Boy and
a million more retro synth-poppers. Plus The Alarm
literally found a second life thanks to front man Mike
Peters' recent brush with death, which led to a
supercharged new CD full of fist pumping insistence.
Oh yeah, then there was The Fixx, though let's just
say that band was the one who lined right up with
skeptics' preconceived negative notions.The night kicked off with a spirited set by The Alarm, who despite a recent SxSW Festival appearance has been relatively absent in America. Much of the time away was spent on Peters' battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which he not only survived, but used as a catalyst to thrive on the band's current CD Under Attack (Eleven Thirty) and this subsequent comeback tour. He not only kept up with fashion trends by wearing a sleek designer suit (despite the outdoor heat) but also remained relevant as a rebellious pub rocker with each strum of the guitar and microphone toss to the crowd. It didn't hurt that the Wales-bred band's older material aged incredibly well, thanks in part to updated arrangements of "Rain In the Summertime" and "Rescue Me," plus the punk rock leanings of "45RPM," the 2005 single credited to The Poppyfields to fool age biased music industry executives into becoming an international top 40 hit. Unfortunately, the clock hasn't been nearly as kind to The Fixx, who took the center slot by prodding through its new wave and alt-pop catalogue with lackluster results. After stumbling on stage with several awkward minutes of technical difficulties, the band finally got its gears grinding, but never took off beyond auto-pilot. Front man Cy Curnin looked absolutely uninterested singing the band's key song "One Thing Leads To Another" (placed third in the set as if to get it out of the way),  while other popular tracks
"Stand or Fall" and "Red Skies" suffered from
instrumental indifference. Slight sparks of the band
it used to be surfaced during an audience sing-along
of "Secret Separation" and the peculiar keyboard laden
"Saved By Zero," but it wasn't enough to override the
otherwise drowsy dose of filler.Thankfully the Psychedelic Furs faired much better, partially due to an enthusiastic performance and also because its catalogue continues to inspire so many younger acts. As is almost always the case, Richard Butler and company merged suave singing, entrancing beats and an overall sense of debonair delivery by all players. Standout cuts included the sax drenched opener "Heartbeat," the left of the dial staple "Love My Way" and the delightfully raspy, almost eerie "The Ghost In You." Perennial favorites "Heartbreak Beat" and "Heaven" remain timeless for their channeling of David Bowie grandeur with the decade of decadence's cooler side, while the finale "Pretty In Pink" remains a classic for anyone who grew up in the John Hughes era. Now all fans need is a new album to sink their teeth into, which aside from Butler's lukewarm solo album and several career retrospectives, is over a decade overdue. |
 Psychedelic Furs |
 The Fixx |
 The Alarm |
 Psychedelic Furs |