I never got to see The Psychedelic Furs during their ’80s days — when “Love My Way,” “Pretty In Pink,” “Heartbreak Beat,” “Heaven” and “The Ghost In You” were MTV and chart hits — but I was lucky enough to catch them when they played the li’l ol’ Iron Horse in 2012 to a standing-room-only crowd. I was on my feet among fans dancing on chairs. Being in the presence of a band with that much rock-star charisma and energy in an intimate club made for an exuberant and unforgettable night.
Now the Furs are coming back to town to play a stage more their size — the Calvin in Northampton — on Friday at 8 p.m. The special opening act is Bash & Pop, led by Tommy Stinson (The Replacements, Guns N’ Roses).
If you’ve only ever known the band’s hits, their repertoire is full of just-as-great hook-filled songs with moody vibes — the pounding “Only You And I” was a highlight last time they played in town, as was “India,” a mesmerizing, mostly two-chord song that chugs along fiercely like a Velvet Underground workout. The rocking “Mr. Jones” has a chorus that ends with the line “I don’t wanna dance,” but that’s exactly what the song makes you do.
Vocalist Richard Butler fronts the band with upbeat charm and his unmistakeable voice (a little David Bowie drama, some John Lydon punk sneer), joined by brother Tim on bass, Rich Good on guitar, Mars Williams on saxophone, Amanda Kramer on keys and Paul Garisto on drums. Go see ’em! Recommended.
Singer/songwriter Chris Pureka (at left) put out a long-awaited new album last year, “Back In the Ring,” and she’ll appear at The Iron Horse in Northampton on Friday at 7 p.m. Brooke Annibale opens.
J. Geils frontman/vocalist, onetime Boston radio deejay and lifetime soul man Peter Wolf (at right)is on tour for his latest album, “A Cure for Loneliness,” and he plays the Academy of Music in Northampton tonight, Friday at 8 p.m.
Sun Parade, the long-running local project from Chris Jennings and Jeff Lewis, has a brand-new vibe, lineup and album — “Shuggy Mtn Breakdown,” out today — and they celebrate its release with a “dance floor show” (seating only around the perimeter) at the Parlor Room in Northampton on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Strange Loops opens.
Singer/songwriter activist Billy Bragg made a big impression when he appeared on MTV in the mid-’80s, belting it out while walking around with an electric guitar plugged into speakers carried on his back — a one-man folk music force (or, as a UK writer quipped, “a busker from outer space”). In the decades since, he has collaborated with Wilco, Natalie Merchant, Joe Henry and others, still a symbol of political awareness, wit and heart. Bragg plays the Calvin on Saturday at 8 p.m.
It’s a fantastic double-bill of local legends with Ray Mason Band (Silvertone-powered quirky energetic rock, with special guest Dave Hayes on bass) and The Claudia Malibu (catchy indie-rock from the universe of Captain Luke Cavagnac) at Whiskerz Pub in Easthampton on Saturday at 9 p.m.
The Mike Baggetta Trio (featuring western MA native Baggetta on guitar and compositions, Jerome Harris on bass guitar and Billy Mintz on drums) plays the Music and Dance Building Recital Hall at Hampshire College in Amherst on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. It’s the latest show in this season’s Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares concert series.
Colin Hay, who took MTV and ’80s radio by storm as the frontman and creative force behind Men At Work, has a brand-new record, “Fierce Mercy” (be sure to listen to his recent interview on the excellent podcast “Sodajerker On Songwriting”). Hay returns to the Valley for a show at the Academy of Music on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
The Bobs are a San Francisco-based a cappella band that’s been touring since the early-’80s, They’ve made regular Northampton stops for decades, putting their own oddball stamp on songs like Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” and Leonard Cohen’s “Bird On a Wire” as well as offering up their own odd tunes about bumper stickers, laundry, spontaneous human combustion, you name it. Their farewell tour brings them back to The Iron Horse on Monday at 7 p.m.