Love and Rockets are Back! Atlanta Review

Get the retro concert T-shirts out! Echo & The Bunnymen, The Human League, Gary Numan, Modern English, The Vapors (!), Gang of Four… And so it was that Atlanta turned out for Love & Rockets, on their first tour since 2008.

The trio, including Daniel Ash (vocals, guitar), David J. (vocals, bass) and Kevin Haskins (drums), played an 18-song, hour and 40ish minute show.

Goth-rock, post-punk and psychedelic rock have all been styles attributed to the band, but post-punk probably fits best. There’s a certain Joy Division / New Order feel to their songs, sharing elements of dance and electronic music but with more atmospheric touches. It really begins with Kevin Haskins, laying down the foundation with steady beats and a good groove, sometimes simply and other times exhausting. In the particular mix at The Roxy, the drums held a higher place than on their recordings.

“Haunted When the Minutes Drag” was a highlight, giving a breath to psychedelia, emphasized by a rainbow of colors. “No New Tale to Tell” and “So Alive” appeared mid-set, their two most radio-friendly songs, for the masses anyway. They got the crowd active, dancing where they could and off to the sides, and elevated the crowd participation through the rest of the show, even through the next song, “Deep Deep Down,” which David J. introduced as “such a deep track you need tweezers to get it out.” More people will be paying attention to that one.

If there were some nitpicks, it wasn’t the fault of the band. Other than in the front, the sound was muddled, even at the soundboard. That’s a shame, because there was plenty of sonic separation with this trio. They’ve obviously settled into their set well, playing in great form with some wild solos by Ash.

The main set concluded with “The Flowerpot Man,” which was an extended wild ride. Fans seemed to be in the know as very few left. The first encore included three songs from Express, and “Holiday on the Moon” and the Temptations cover of “Ball of Confusion” would normally see an audience out happily. But… there was the second encore with “Sweet F.A.,” a song released a bit after their main heyday, but a really fine, gentle song to send the crowd home a little less wired. Atlanta traffic needs that any time of the day or night.