Echo And The Bunnymen | Live on the Tube | 16 December 1983

This video is a newly restored version of Echo And The Bunnymen’s appearance on the ‘80’s British music TV show, The Tube. The songs performed are: • Nocturnal Me • Ocean Rain • Thorn of Crowns • The Killing Moon The show was broadcast live on this day, 16th of December 1983. NB. The Killing Moon was not part of the original broadcast. The band continued to play after the credits, and The Killing Moon was then later broadcast separately in January 1984, when The Killing Moon was released as a single. • Ever the contrarians, The Bunnymen played only unreleased material on their 1983 Tube appearance, ignoring their album Porcupine from earlier that year, and most recent single, Never Stop. Instead they played four new songs, which would appear on their forthcoming album, Ocean Rain released almost 6 months later, in May 1984. The Killing Moon had been one of the songs aired earlier in the year on a John Peel Session, on the 6th of June. Nocturnal Me and Ocean Rain had been featured on a more recent Peel Session, a couple of months prior to The Tube appearance, the 12th of September. Fans had also heard the new songs live on the 23rd of October at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre shows, in Stratford. 1982 had been a year with little output from the Bunnymen – only one single – The Back of Love in May, and almost no gigs excepting the July / August tour. Whereas 1983 saw the band in apparent hyper-productive mode, starting the year with The Cutter single, and Porcupine album released in January and February respectively, and plenty of live shows and appearances in support. Some fans and critics had felt that Porcupine was a poor retread of the dark and austere majesty of 1981’s Heaven Up Here album. But by midway through 1983, the band had reinvented it's sound, unveiling a new upbeat and acoustic orientation, first evidenced on a John Peel show session, broadcast on the 6th of June. It was also evident that lyrically the Bunnymen were onto a seafaring theme in their new songs; with tales of Seven Seas, tidal waves and Ocean Rains. The following month, the band played the two now legendary Royal Albert Hall shows, easily the most prestigious gigs of their career at that point. It was an exciting period to be a Bunnymen fan; a second Peel Session on the 19th of September confirmed that the Bunnymen ship was indeed set assail on an exciting and unexpected new course. The sensational Royal Shakespeare Theatre gigs, and then this Tube appearance were further evidence for the hungry young Bunny ears and eyes. It was clear that the Bunnymen were now back at the top of their game, and a given that they were on the cusp of much greater commercial success. • The Tube was an early Channel 4 weekly music television programme that was broadcast live from Tyne Tees Television studios in Newcastle. It ran for five series, from 5 November 1982 to 26 April 1987. • This video was pieced together from several sources, and run through various editing processes to improve both sound and vision. Hope you dig it! • Credits Video and Audio Source: Echo And The Bunnymen • Live on The Tube • 16 December 1983 Musicians: Ian McCulloch • vocals, guitar Will Sergeant • lead guitar Les Pattinson • bass Pete de Freitas • drums And an unknown cellist • Always more videos to follow, so please keep your electric eye on me babe! I don't own the rights, and I never monetize. Just a fan making videos for other fans. Please Share, Like, Comment, Subscribe Facebook.com/TheNachoVideos YouTube.com/nachomarcho Vimeo.com/NachosProductions nachomarcho@gmail.com #EchoAndTheBunnymen #OceanRain #NocturnalMe #ThornOfCrowns #TheKillingMoon #TheTube #1983