THE SISTERS OF MERCY with Blaqk Audio
Greek Theatre
Los Angeles, CA,
10.6.24
LIVE REVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARILYN BELL
It was a cold and hot October night when The Sisters of Mercy and opener Blaqk Audio took the stage at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. An outdoor amphitheater isn’t the kind of venue one would normally associate with The Sisters of Mercy, but the night sky at Griffith Park provided the perfect backdrop and dark atmosphere.
Opening the night was Blaqk Audio, the electronic music duo formed by AFI’s Davey Havok and Jade Puget, with a completely different show and sound from their main band. Frontman Havok danced around the stage and sang, striking poses in a head to toe sequined outfit that sparkled like a disco ball, while Puget stoically manned the synths and laptops to provide the music. The Only Things We Love from 2019 was heavily featured in the set list, with a few songs from 2007’s CexCells and 2020’s Beneath the Black Palms. The crowd didn’t seem to mind the lack of newer songs from 2022’s Trop d’amour, and after the scene setting and energetic performance by Havok, the crowd was primed and ready for the headliners.
The Sisters of Mercy, led by enigmatic vocalist Andrew Eldritch, went the opposite direction with its set list, with the vast majority of songs played being new(ish) and unreleased studio tracks. While many of these likable songs were performed well, proving The Sisters of Mercy is more than a heritage act, it was difficult for the audience to get fully behind the live-only tracks. Disappointedly, no material from 1985’s First and Last and Always or the early years was performed, unless you count the rerecorded in the 90s, mechanical versions of “Temple of Love” and “Alice.” “Ribbons,” “Dominion,” and “I Was Wrong” were minor highlights mixed in with the band’s overblown hits, “This Corrosion,” which closed the encore, and “More.”
Eldritch was backed by longtime members Ben Christo on guitar and Chris Catalyst operating the Doktor Avalanche drum machine. Rounding out the band was new guitarist Kai, from the British-Japanese rock band Esprit d’Air, who joined the group at the end of 2023. Although Eldritch has consistently rejected the term “goth“ to describe The Sisters of Mercy, the dark and edgy music under the black sky made a lot fans, who were mostly older and not goth, leaving the Greek Theatre happy that night.
