The Sisters of Mercy proved beyond any shadow of doubt that they are still at the forefront of the Gothic music scene, with a breathtaking and flawless performance at a packed Rock City, that will likely linger in the memory of the those there for a long time to come...
The Sisters of Mercy chose to play not one but two shows at Rock City, the second one selling sold out, demonstrating beyond question the enduring popularity of the band. There have been many changes of personnel since the band was first formed in Leeds in 1980 at the height of the post punk music explosion, with co founder Andrew Eldritch being the sole survivor of the original line up, along with his creation, the iconic drum machine, Doktor Avalanche. However, the present lineup is as good as ever with guitarists Ben Christou and former L’Esprit D’Air guitarist Kai injecting a certain powerful and youthful energy into the band, along with the drum machine’s current multi-talented operator, Chris Catalyst.
The Sisters had definitely made a justifiably wise decision in choosing Manchester based trio The Empty Page as their support, who hit the stage running bang on time at 7.15pm as advertised. Named after The Sonic Youth song of the same name, The Empty Page are a three piece outfit who say that they play “songs for the end of the world” in a style of their own making, as they put it, “Dystopian post-punk for anxious hearts.” The band incorporate several genres in their music with punk, grunge and alt rock included, along with hints of industrial and heavy gothic bass rhythms, all melded together in a fascinating mix.
Their set lasted for just half an hour but was jammed packed with high-energy numbers from their recent album Imploding, all driven along with Steve’s relentless drumming. Vocalist/bassist Kel Page sang with real meaning and passion, addressing many of the issues facing us all today, with a wide vocal range that at times was not unlike Garbage’s Shirley Manson or possibly even Siouxsie Sioux. Guitarist Giz, demonstrated his axe playing to great effect, with his foot on monitors, guitar low slung goth style, as well as held aloft with lots of feedback and pedal, much to the approval of the crowd. Stand out songs were I’m A White Hot Blade, Big Nasty Palpitations and When The Cloud Explodes.
(The Empty Page are well worth seeing if you get the chance. They have two future dates in Nottingham this Autumn, at Billy Bootleggers on 15 October and as support to Republica at Rescue Rooms on 26 November.)
Rock City was pretty much full to capacity, with some exquisitely dressed fans sprinkled amongst the crowd as The Sisters of Mercy, fresh from gigs the previous week in Istanbul and Athens, emerged from the dressing room, with the dry ice machine pumping copious of fog onstage, creating an eerie, mesmerizing backdrop to the set.
Eldridge presented himself through this misty curtain in true gothic style, a stooping skeletal Uber Gothic figure reminiscent of Nosferatu, attended by a beautiful looking elfin figure in the form of guitarist Kai, ethereally elegant and otherworldly, with long straight drop dead gorgeous black hair.
The others took their up their respective positions behind this murky dry ice backdrop: guitarist Ben Christou to stage right and Chris Catalyst driving Doktor Avalanche, providing The Sisters’ trade mark gothic bass rhythms at the back.
The set lasted a spellbinding hour and a half, during which time the dry ice machine tirelessly ensured that the foggy backdrop never cleared, with the band silhouetted against the clouds by the spotlights. The crowd sang along word perfect to many of band’s well-loved songs: those who were fortunate enough to grab a place at the front, their outstretched arms reaching towards the stage, many with gesticulating hands punching air from the first number, which was a new slower version of the title track of their debut album, First And Last And Always. This was followed by Don’t Drive On Ice, a recent unreleased song that has been heard only at the band’s live gigs. In fact, the band played several such recent unreleased songs during the evening, including On the Beach, Eyes of Caligula and When I’m On Fire.
The performance noticeably went up a notch by the time Doctor Jeep/Detonation Boulevard was played, the crowd responding enthusiastically, their bodies inexorably pressing forwards to get just that little bit closer to the band.
The setlist in Nottingham was broadly the same as the Istanbul and Athens show with just minor differences, and it was obvious that the band have honed their performances to a high degree with the band bonding together in fine style. Eldridge was superb throughout the performance, weaving in and out of the musicians, sometimes bending low, his signature sombre vocals sounding as menacing as ever with a strange mesmerising beauty.
The whole event was wonderfully managed as the performance progressed with stunning lighting effects to accompany the songs, with the more well known numbers predictably attracting an increased reaction. Kai’s performance was a joy to behold throughout; leaping in the air and twirling around like a mischievous sprite on some of the numbers, along with Ben adopting some classic guitarist’s postures, artist and instrument in harmonious union, his bequiffed head completing this aesthetic apparition wonderfully.
The band also featured a couple of songs that had originally been recorded by The Sisterhood, which was a project started by Andrew Eldritch at the time of a split in the band. The first of these was Giving Ground, originally released in 1986 from the Gift album, with its slow tempo and brooding lyrics giving rise to a real darkwave atmosphere.
The almost inevitable encore was enacted in spectacular style after Temple of Love - always a strong favourite with fans - was played, setting everyone at Rock City alight with renewed energy and exultation. Then the band left the stage to much applause; everyone knew there was more to come, it was an inescapable fact; the band always finish with This Corrosion and that hadn’t yet been played. After an indeterminable period of time had passed, the dry ice machines restarted, signalling the band’s imminent return to play three more numbers, starting with a live debut of the second of The Sisterhood’s covers this evening with another track from the Gift album: Colours
The Sisters certainly saved the best till last, and there was more to come before the end, with Lucretia My Reflection and the pretty much predictable This Corrosion ensuring that this performance definitely went down in the faithfuls memory as amongst the best. It is probably true to say without any accusations of hyperbole, that the legend that is The Sisters of Mercy, would pretty much live up to their reputation as leaders of their genre in fine style, and, as they were billed to appear at Rock City the following night as well, would quite likely do the same again.
The Sisters of Mercy performed at Rock City on 18 and 19 September 2026.
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