On this day, 2 Feb 1983, Liverpool post punk new wave band Echo and the Bunnymen played Cardiff’s Top Rank on the UK leg of their Porcupine tour.
Formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freitas joined as the band's drummer.
Their mainstream success in the UK came in 1983, when they scored a UK Top 10 hit with "The Cutter", and the album which the song came from, Porcupine, hit number 2 in the UK. Ocean Rain (1984), continued the band's UK chart success with its lead single "The Killing Moon" entering into the top ten.
In the 1982 book Liverpool Explodes!, Will Sergeant explained the origin of the band's name:
“We had this mate who kept suggesting all these names like The Daz Men or Glisserol and the Fan Extractors. Echo and the Bunnymen was one of them. I thought it was just as stupid as the rest.”
Setlist
Going Up
With a Hip
Gods Will Be Gods
All My Colours (Zimbo)
Rescue
The Back of Love
My White Devil
Crocodiles
Porcupine
All That Jazz
The Cutter
Heads Will Roll
No Dark Things
Heaven Up Here
Over the Wall
Do It Clean
