Eyes Wide Shut Recordings, released 30/03/2009.

 

One man (well, actually there’s four of them).....

 

....in a world gone to bollocks (well, not exactly gone to bollocks, but rather one that’s moved on from the world that 80s/90s gothy, anthemic rock band The Mission used to inhabit)....

 

....one man (four men!), sorry, four men, come together to produce a defining statement (well, not exactly a defining statement, that’s probably the fairly successful albums they produced at the time rather than this nostalgic, hit-wielding, live love-in of a final farewell show at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire, although they admittedly do sound like they’re still in pretty fine rock fettle)....

 

....that will set the record straight for all time (well, probably not actually, let’s be honest, they made some pretty good, hook-friendly, turn-of-the-decade, goth rock that was worthy of lead singer Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams’ status as former members of Sisters of Mercy but I’m not sure too many new fans are gonna come running now that we have some rather more interesting things for company)....

 

.....give back to those that gave them, er, songs (well, there’s a few covers on here, a version of Neil Young’s “Like A Hurricane” and Aerosmith’s “Dream On”, although their version of the latter does manage to remove most of the drama from the song and I’m afraid Wayne Hussey is no Steve Tyler).....

 

....and be loads better than Razorlight (yep, that’s fair enough).

 

Starring....Iggy Pop (well, they do a cover of “1969” as well)....Janice Long (the two disc edition has an interview of Wayne Hussey by Long, his old friend from the Liverpool days)....and Kathy Burke (may not actually star Kathy Burke)........The Mission present......

 

     Live & Last – you don’t have to be a lifelong      

                    fan to buy it, but it helps.

(Contains brief nudity).

 

Posted In Album Reviews, Mar 29 2009. Words - Martin