Photos: Peter Murphy @ Irving Plaza

Peter Murphy @ Irving Plaza - November 21, 2011
Photos: Chloe Lee

Bauhaus may have broken up again in 2008 (somewhat acrimoniously), but that hasn’t stopped frontman Peter Murphy from keeping busy. Back in June, Murphy played an in-store appearance at J&R Music World, followed by a very intimate midnight show at The Delancey in support of his latest solo album Ninth. Last night, Peter and his band performed at the much larger Irving Plaza along with darkwave act She Wants Revenge. Photographer Chloe Lee was there for us and her set of photos are below, along with the remainder of Peter Murphy’s tour dates…

Peter Murphy – 2011 Tour Dates
Tues, Nov 22 - Montreal, QC @ Corona
Wed, Nov 23 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
Fri, Nov 25 - Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom
Sat, Nov 26 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
Sun, Nov 27 - Kansas City, MO @ Beaumont
Mon, Nov 28 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Thu, Dec 1 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox Market
Fri, Dec 2 - Vancouver, BC @ Venue
Sat, Dec 3 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
Sun, Dec 4 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Tue, Dec 6 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up
Wed, Dec 7 - Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia
Thu, Dec 8 - San Juan Capistrano, CA @ Coach House
Fri, Dec 9 - Pomona, CA @ Glass House
Sat, Dec 10 - Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Hotel

Stream / Download Peter Murphy's "Gaslit"

Check out more photos from Peter Murphy's J&R Music World and Delancey shows!

Very rare that I say this but - way to go, Rolling Stone! FN favorite Peter Murphy just released The Secret Bees of Ninth, an EP containing B-sides and other material recorded during the sessions for his latest full-length Ninth (which we reviewed and you can stream below), and that obscure little music magazine has a cut of said EP, "Gaslit" available to stream and download.

Give it a listen and pick up a ticket to see him and She Wants Revenge at Irving Plaza on November 21. Yes, somehow those tickets are still available and it's the Spin Doctors who have sold out a show. What the fuck.

Peter Murphy Announces Fall North American Tour Dates

We've seen him at J&R Music World, we've seen him at The Delancey, we dug his new album Ninth... it's pretty safe to say that we're Peter Murphy fans here at Fucking Nostalgic. Looks like he likes us here in America too, as he's just announced that he's coming back to the States again this year for a fall tour with She Wants Revenge.

Check out the full set of dates below, including another NYC stop at Irving Plaza on November 21 - tickets are on sale Friday for that one. Be sure to stream Ninth again below too.

Review: Peter Murphy - Ninth

Peter Murphy Ninth [Nettwerk; 2011]

by Francesca McCaffery

Who doesn’t remember watching David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve, the original Twilght-ers, sinking their fangs into Anne Magnuson at the beginning of The Hunger, to the sensual, lightly pounding thrum of Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” crooning in the background?

It’s not easy keeping the old-school goth torch lit, but Peter Murphy does just that with his current album. Ninth is grown up, sleek and twisty, and just a little bit goth-wonky; as in, if you were at a grown-up cocktail party and this came on, it would feel strange yet somehow in correct company, just right. Murphy still sort of croons with his plaintive baritone, which sometimes ascends then cascades into a brief, cosmic wail. 

On songs such as "Crème de la Crème," he gets in a lovely ballad (where his voice eerily mimics Bono’s at some strange points) but my favorites by far were “Slowdown” and “Uneven and Brittle,” truly great synthy crunchy-riffy rockers, at least for Murphy’s own Bauhaus-originated pop-Goth sensibility. “Never Fall Out” is also really, actually, quite sexy and slowly grooveable in that kind of silly Murphy-like way, and “Secret Silk Society” has that dreamy Bauhaus-era funk and sway.

“I Spit Roses,” "Seasaw Sway,” and “Velocity Bird” sound much more like good, solid, vintage Murphy--which means, that they will probably make you feel really old (but in a good way!). “Peace to Each” has a really impressive grindy-tech guitar intro, with drums following suit, and exhibits Murphy’s voice in all its nutty, register-dripping glory.

In a Rolling Stone interview last year, Murphy was speaking about his recent cameo in the latest Twilight installment. Citing author Stephanie Meyer’s inspiration for her young, female protagonist, Murphy insisted that she had christened her Bella because of the infamous Bauhaus song. He also descended like a bat from the ceiling at the opening of a recent show. Perhaps Murphy is finally satisfied with his place in the pop-rock pantheon. On Ninth, he is certainly staying true to his original goth-synth roots, which he practically alone can lay solid claim to. Or maybe, after eight records gearing up to this one, he has simply brought those roots back from the great undead.

Check out our coverage of Peter Murphy's two most recent New York City performances at J&R and the Delancey, and watch some videos (including the aforementioned opening to The Hunger) below the jump.

Photos: Peter Murphy @ The Delancey

Peter Murphy @ The Delancey, June 8th, 2011

If I was a little disappointed by his performance a day earlier at J&R, Peter Murphy blew any skepticism I had away within the first few seconds he and his band began playing "Velocity Bird" off his latest solo album Ninth. Murphy took the stage in the extremely intimate venue (people were packed like sardines down there), dressed exactly the same way he was at the in-store performance, but of course a dark and scummy dive bar in the Lower East Side was a lot more fitting for his persona.

With the four piece setup of Murphy, violinist/guitarist, keyboardist and additional guitarist, the minimalist take on these songs just sounded so fittingly dark and eery, and yes, rocking, at the midnight Delancey performance. Most of the new album was played including  single "I Spit Roses" (in which members of the crowd gave Murphy roses to spit out... which he did... more than once), as well as other classics from his back catalog such as "A Strange Kind of Love" and "I'll Fall With Your Knife." Truly a great performance, and surprisingly a funny one (Murphy really is a charismatic performer), the Delancey proved to be a great venue for Peter Murphy to wow his New York City fanbase.

Ninth is now in stores now and you can stream it below the full set of photos from the Delancey show right here...

Photos: Peter Murphy @ J&R Music World

Peter Murphy @ J&R Music World, June 7th, 2011

Goth icon Peter Murphy released his latest studio album Ninth yesterday, and in celebration he did an in-store performance at J&R Music World in the Financial District of Manhattan. The performance marked the beginning of a short tour the former Bauhaus frontman is about to embark on, and his stay in New York City continues tonight at a surprise intimate performance at the Delancey in the Lower East Side. As of right now, tickets are still on sale, but I suspect that's because this performance has not been highly publicized. Grab one while you still can. You can also stream Ninth in full below the jump via the good people at Nettwerk Music.

The set last night consisted of five new songs off of Ninth as well as a few other classics like "A Strange Kind of Love," which Murphy threw in the lyrics to Bauhaus's "Bela Lugosi's Dead" much to the crowd's appreciation. It was kind of weird seeing (and hearing) Murphy in such a brightly lit setting, not to mention it began at 6pm so it was still very bright outside. Also, because he didn't bring a rhythm section to this performance, there seemed to be a few things off about the band's sound (a couple songs were stopped more than once due to sound and arrangement issues). But the songs were still great, and though it was not the greatest performance I've ever seen, I expect tonight's show (with full band) to be much more exciting.

Stream Ninth below, and check out a full set of photos from the J&R performance well as Murphy's remaining tour dates. We'll be back with photos from the Delancey show ASAP...

This Week's Nostalgia (6/6-6/12)

Last week was a bit of a slow one for us, and while there's a few pretty huge ones this week, the summer concert season will really pick up the week after that. But here's what's in store for us this week:

Paul Simon @ Webster Hall - Monday, June 6th

One of my earliest concert experiences was seeing Paul Simon for free in Central Park in 1991 with my family, so Simon will always hold a special place in my heart. It's pretty awesome that he decided to do a "club" tour of sorts, playing much smaller venues than he generally would, so this show at Webster Hall should be pretty special. Even if it's absolutely impossible to get into. Tickets for the show is will call only, so don't get suckered into buying a pair of tickets on eBay or even craigslist unless the person plans on meeting you at the venue and walking you in. So basically, to the 1,200 people who got tickets, have fun!

The Melvins @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
performing Lysol, Eggnog & Houdini - Monday, June 6th
performing Bullhead & Stoner Witch - Tuesday, June 7th

Playing albums in full is the latest trend for long-running and reunited bands, and something I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, you know exactly what you're going to get, and if they're playing one of your favorite albums then it's sure to be fun. On the other hand, you know exactly what you're going to get, and aside from an encore of hits, there is really no element of surprise. For fans of the long-running sludge metal band the Melvins, it probably doesn't matter either way, these shows are sure to be pretty crazy. Tickets for both shows are sold out, but as with most MHOW shows they should have tickets at the door, so get there early and hope for the best.

Peter Murphy @ J&R Music World - Tuesday, June 7th

Though Bauhaus did reunite back in 2005, they also had a pretty bad breakup again in 2009, so your only chance to see Peter Murphy live will probably be on his solo tours. The former frontman of the iconic goth-rock band will be doing an in-store performance in support of his upcoming solo album Ninth, which will be released the same day. Murphy will also be signing autographs, and the first 150 people in the store will receive a free poster. Sounds awesome. Get there early... you know how much those Wall Street types love goth music.




The Toasters @ Rocks Off Cruise - Sunday, June 12th

The Toasters are easily one of the longest running, and most important ska bands of the New York City scene. Having been around in one form or another since 1981 (pretty sure Rob "Bucket" Hingley is the only original member), they have pretty wrote the book on the third wave of ska, so it's pretty great to see they are still playing shows thirty years later. I saw Built to Spill do one of these cruise shows, and they're extremely intimate and fun to see--so if you're a fan of the Toasters, do your best to make it to this. Also note, there are no refunds if you miss the boat, and it's cash bar only. Very important if you wanna drink during this (which you will). Tickets are still on sale. Skank it up!

Be sure to check out this week's Magic Sundae Radio podcast. That's it for this week. If there are any other shows coming up this week you feel particularly nostalgic about, let us know in the comments below...

Listen to the new single from Peter Murphy

If you went through a goth phase in high school, then you probably own a Bauhaus record or two. I didn’t go through a goth phase, but I still like Bauhaus quite a bit. Six years since his last single, Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy has a new album coming out entitled Ninth that will be released June 7th. You can listen to lead single “I Spit Roses” here courtesy of Murphy’s label Nettwerk Music. Enjoy!