Review by Julie Richards
Photos by Ted Wells
It’s a fact that anyone who was old enough to be coherent in 1986 has some great memory that includes a Bangles song, probably “Manic Monday,” “Eternal Flame” or “Walk Like An Egyptian.”
It’s perhaps a lesser-known fact that the famous 80s jangle-pop group is still making records, having just released an album called Sweetheart Of The Sun, the Bangles’ first studio release since 2003.
The 2011 iteration of the Bangles actually bears a good deal of resemblance to the 1986 version. For one thing, Susanna Hoffs’ voice still carries precisely the same kind of cute, girlish charm it did back then. And the music is still very much pop-oriented — mostly bright and happy, other times wistfully sentimental, but always upbeat, with major chords and strong bass lines.
If there’s been any change in their sound, it seems they’ve relaxed the pace overall. You could say they’ve spread out a bit, becoming more of a straight-up rock band, even adding a little bit of country twang when the occasion strikes.
For their show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, drummer Debbi Peterson sat on a platform well above the level of the stage, presiding over her sister Vicki and Hoffs, tossing their hair seductively and swaying as they played. The Bangles brought with them an impressive stage presence and a big, guitar-heavy sound to match.
They opened up with the first track from Sweetheart, “Anna Lee,” a loose, sunny song with great harmonies and lyrics about, you guessed it, love and romance. It only took them four songs to get to “Manic Monday,” which naturally drew applause from the otherwise only mildly enthused crowd, before playing “I’ll Never Be Through With You.”
Later, the band thanked all of their fans for 30 years of support, before dropping “Eternal Flame.” It was one of the key moments of the show, as Hoffs’ sweet, imploring voice made the Egyptian Room. The Bangles continued to trot out songs from their new album before closing the nearly 90 minute set with, you guessed it, “Walk Like an Egyptian.”
