BY YONG SHU HOONG

AT ITS maiden Singapore gig on Monday, British post-punk band Echo & The Bunnymen played early songs hailing from the 1980s.

And songs like Rescue, The Back Of Love and The Cutter all sounded contemporary and edgy, rather than merely nostalgic.

A hard-working smoke machine, coupled with simple but effective lightings, gave the theatre a smoky bar-like ambience.

There, lead singer Ian McCulloch and guitarist Will Sergeant, along with new members - Nicholas Kilroe (drums), Stephen Mark Brannan (bass), Gordon Goudie (guitar) and Jeremy Wing (keyboards) - often appeared as silhouettes upon the dim stage.

But nothing could obscure McCulloch's clear voice, which held a commanding presence throughout the night.

Whether hollering or snarling, he delivered a greatest-hits repertoire consisting of crowd pleasers like The Killing Moon, Seven Seas and Bring On The Dancing Horses, as well as more recent singles like Stormy Weather and Nothing Lasts Forever.

EDGY: Echo & The Bunnymen's lead singer, Ian McCulloch, served up hits spanning a 31-year career.

Even with two encores, the gig felt brief at 80 minutes, especially for devotees who had waited decades for what they might have hoped would be an epic summation of a 31-year career spanning 11 studio albums so far.

But fans found satisfaction in the many moments of perfection - like an extended rendition of Lips Like Sugar, whose psychedelic splendour should be savoured for a long time to come.

ARTISTE: Echo & The Bunnymen
VENUE: Esplanade Theatre
WHEN: Monday
ATTENDANCE: 1,600

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