Richard Butler and the Psychedelic Furs are back on tour, sounding as fresh as ever (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Best Buy Theater
1515 Broadway at 44th St.
Sunday, October 21, $40, 8:00
www.thepsychedelicfurs.com
www.bestbuytheater.com
capitol theatre slideshow
The last time we saw the Psychedelic Furs (way back when), singer and cofounder Richard Butler spent the entire show sitting in a chair, his legs crossed, elegantly smoking a cigarette. At the time, we all thought he was the coolest dude on the planet. The current version of Butler is still pretty cool, but it is also infused with an innate charm and even a playful goofiness, demonstrating sheer joy in leading the group through a fab set of memorable hits that somehow come off sounding fresh despite their vintage. Formed in 1977 by Butler and his brother, bassist Tim Butler, the Furs defined the postpunk ’80s British sound with a string of successful albums (Talk Talk Talk, Forever Now, Mirror Moves) that spawned such great singles as “Love My Way,” “Heartbreak Beat,” “Heaven,” and their breakthrough, “Pretty in Pink,” all of which showed up Saturday night at the recently renovated Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Richard twirled, jumped, knelt in front of the drum kit, held his arms out in welcoming gestures, and marched back and forth across the front of the stage, greeting his adoring audience and posing in still-elegant ways, a perpetual, infectious smile on his face. The Furs might not have released a record since 1991 — the Butlers did take a ten-year hiatus, forming Love Spit Love — but they managed to not make the ninety-minute show feel retro. In fact, they are even performing a new song, “Little Miss World,” so hopefully more are to follow. The current lineup also features Richard Good on guitar, Mars Williams on saxophone, Amanda Kramer on keyboard, and Paul Garisto on drums, bringing to life such other favorite tunes as “Run and Run,” “Mr. Jones,” LSL’s “Believe,” and the political “President Gas,” in which Butler stuck out his right hand in a fascist salute and sang, “Don’t cry / Don’t do anything / No lies / back in the government / No tears / Party time is here again / President Gas is up for president.” The Psychedelic Furs will be at the Best Buy Theater tonight in Times Square, with Leeds’ the Chevin and the Lemonheads opening up.