[…continued from last post]

The opener was a DJ set by Paul Vaine; another familiar face this night as he was the DJ at Visage’s Old Wave nights in the 80s and 90s when my Wednesday nights were all locked up with that entry point to nightclubbing for me. Ironically, he never played the group Visage in the club that took their name from them, but I’ll give him credit. The only time I ever heard Billy MacKenzie in a club was the night that he spun Billy’s gorgeous cover of “Heart Of Glass” at the time of release. As I had not heard Associates yet [I know, I know!] I was stuck by the elegant cover but never knew who it was until I got the “Popera” CD two years later. At eight o’clock the lights and music dimmed as the pre show tape of the “Say When” 12″ only B-side, “Big Bird,” hit the speakers as the Lene Lovich Band walked onstage.

Jude Rawlins had been Lene Lovich’s guitarist and music director from 2012 when she renewed her performing career, until 2019, when he moved to Iowa to make a film. As such, when Lene was prepping for a big North American tour, Mr. Rawlins was in a great position to build a band ready to tour in America. Bypassing the work visa issues that were an impediment to the UK band crossing the Atlantic. The only current member of the Lene Lovich Band who was able to travel here was drummer Morgan King, though he would be singing and playing percussion. Otherwise we had Diana Weishaar on synths and BVs, Beth Spaniel on bass, and Celestino Ramirez on drums. Having been in Des Moines, Iowa for several years, Jude had no problem finding the right talent in the region to fill the roles. They all brought their top game to the task as I’d seen clearly in Charlotte the previous week, though I’d see them from a much better perspective in the third row this evening!

As with the last show, the opener was “Savages II” as Ms. Lovich joined her band onstage for the rousing new arrangement of the classic tune. Her stage garb was every inch the mysterioso Roccoco image that is hers alone. With her head still wrapped she sang the first number looking like a desert dweller and still singing with the lively verve and spark which were her marks of distinction then and now. Being very close to the action, I could appreciate that all of the music we heard was alive. Ms. Weisharr had Roland Juno DS along with a Sequential Take 5, giving her good flexibility for her rack.

Being this close to the stage, I could better appreciate all of the intention of movement and gestures that Ms. Lovich puts into her singing. Quite frankly, she’s like a New Wave Kabuki artist! She’s definitely the most expressive singer I’ve ever seen, investing every song with as much meaning as she can deliver. As with the short set, “Blue Hotel” her magical single from her 1982 opus, “No Man’s Land.” It was a thrill hearing her sing the deep vocal hook in the song’s intro. Any other artist of the time would have used samples for that vibe but that’s not how Lene rocks. She didn’t stretch her range for nothing. Ms. Weishaar played the majestic synths on this track supremely well as they rose into the stratosphere.

Another song from “No Man’s Land” followed in the jaunty “Maria,” which had been a single in Australia, Spain, and Italy. Watching Lene throw herself into the song with gestures as broad as she could make them really transferred the energy to the audience. Making all of the other singers in the world seem penurious in comparison. For the next song, Lene stepped up to the mic and teased the audience with the distinctive simian chatterings of what could only be “Monkey Talk;” a deep cut from my favorite of her albums, “Flex.” Then Ms. Spaniel took center stage with the bass line as Ms. Weishaar leaned into the organ patch for the almost ska-like number. The thrill of hearing Lene articulate every trill and screech was a reminder of her unique place in the firmament of singers. She was someone who never shied away from eccentricity if it could heighten the impact of the song. And Morgan King’s cowbell helped to corral the song into its actually-pure-ska climax.

Then her biggest American hit was on offer as “New Toy” delivered its Pop payload. I can remember buying the import 7″ single in the summer of 1981 and now it was being performed live in front of me and close enough to touch. Once can never discount the small miracles that fate serves us. Next a slow, descending pick scrape from Mr. Rawlins led us into the sonic cul-de-sac that was the smoky, noir environs of “Writing On The Wall,” from the classic “Stateless” album. The minor key organ and slinky hi-hats set the stage for Lene to pick up her saxophone and add the mystery sauce that made this song into the cinematic tour-de-force that it’s always been. Mr. King’s deep backing vocals capably took the song over the top. I was deep in the zone with a foundational artist and then it happened.

For the next song, the eBow intro from Jude alerted me that against all expectations my absolute favorite Lene Lovich song was next as the guitar’s drone became the miasma of dread that heralded the exquisite “Bird Song” in the performance. Every hair on my neck and arms stood up in anticipation and as Lene began her still high pitched trilling I couldn’t help weeping at the beauty of the emotions on display. It was awe inspiring as the entire band added their backing vocals to the mix. One could almost miss the subtle Reggae feel that Mr. Ramirez was injecting into the rhythms in the verses. Lene capped off the song with a real sense of hysteria that left the album version in the shade.

Next: …We Get Lucky