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Peter Murphy performs at Respectable Street in West Palm Beach. (Allen Eyestone / The Post) | 
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It seemed impossible that at 51, Peter Murphy‘s face is slightly lined but still starkly beautiful, his darkly passionate drone of a voice still unchanged after almost 30 years. But glowing under a blue light in the dark of Respectable Street Cafe Wednesday night, it was, indeed true.
And I couldn’t help but think — well, you know, vampires never age, do they?
Murphy, the so-called Grandfather of Goth, is not actually a vampire — as far as I know — but his close association with the undead (the vamp-related tendencies of his former band Bauhaus and appearance in the classic bloodsucker tale The Hunger), as well as the black-and-black attire of most of the audience, made him seem like an older, slightly less self-serious Edward Cullen.
With that sparkly Twilight heartthrob in mind, I smiled a little during his delicious cover of John Lennon’s Instant Karma, whenever Murphy got to the sing-along chorus “Well, we all shine on.” The sentiment seemed a little unexpectedly upbeat for a Peter Murphy show, but the crowd seemed to love it. The singer himself was chatty and gracious, although the audio mix made it a little hard to hear what he was actually chatting about.
What was easier to hear — the sensuously torturous lyrics of Cuts You Up, whose opening strains met with a roar of approval from the 30- and 40-somethings packed in tight clear back to the bar. (I must note that I, having been to more than a few packed shows at Respectables, that this was maybe the most polite and unpushy of all of them. Maybe it was the mellowness of the music, or the fact that the audience members are mostly too old to worry about shoving people because they were so happy to be out on a school night).
Murphy mixed in old and new songs — again, the mix made it hard to hear the words sometimes, but I think I heard Seven Veils. What I mostly heard was a consistent, competent show by a guy who’s been doing this so long, he could probably deliver a good show in his sleep. But it was clear, even with limited sightline (I had to hoist myself up on the bar to see Murphy’s gaunt features over the crowd), that he wasn’t phoning it in — fully engaged and basking in the glow of the audience’s approval and the music. And if his skin did, like Edward’s, seem to sparkle a little, it was probably because of that, and not because he’s actually a vampire.
Probably.
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review FAIL!
When will music journalists realize that Peter Murphy has had quite a lot of diversity in his career and shed the gothic trappings when Bauhaus disbanded in 1983? Mr. Murphy is more Peter Gabriel than Iggy Pop and how more ungoth can you get by wearing a feather boa around your neck during a performance?
I’m not meaning to split hairs, but the reference to the movie Twilight was nauseatingly predictable and I thought that references to vampires died out when the Batcave closed its doors. He just covered John Lennon’s “Instant Karma” for god sakes! Are we going to start referring to Lennon as the great-Grandfather of goth now?
What is my point? Well, potential fans of Peter Murphy would be better served by music critics would pay more attention to his music than his persona, because unlike many other washed-up artists, Peter Murphy still has a lot of life left in him.
Where to even begin? “Grandfather of Goth” o_O
Oh my God.
Seriously?
::facepalm::
Floyd-
Amen. You should be writing these reviews. Your comment is far more articulate. Somebody get this man a pen and have him write the reviews.
Leslie-
It is clear you showed up to gaze at the crowd and not listen to the music. Better luck on your future reviews. Remember, it is about the music, not the people listening to it.
Fail-
You nailed it.
Though I agree that “Twilight” had nothing to do with the evening, I was so pleased to see that someone else noticed how polite the crowd was. I have long since stopped going to general admission shows because I hate being crushed, pushed around, stepped on, etc. I was actually ushered forward by several taller people at last night’s show so I could see better. Here’s to manners, regardless of the event!
Musically, I for one, love how Peter Murphy has evolved over time. Artistic growth is healthy, and it would have been slightly pathetic if he was still trying to maintain his Bauhaus persona at this stage of the game.
I thought it was strange, though, that nothing was mentioned in regards to Murphy’s upcoming album release (the purpose of this tour is to showcase new tracks an some unusual covers- including Instant Karma and the Bowie cover he closed with to raging applause). Was any prep done before arriving at the door?
I’m sorry the review didn’t live up to your expectations. I am glad you enjoyed the show.But I really enjoyed the show, which I mentioned. And I thought “Instant Karma” was great – I did mention that in the review.
Anyhow, great night.