Siouxsie
Sioux
Troxy, London - 6 September 2023
"A
cultural icon, a pioneer, a warrior queen, the Mother to thousands
of Goth women everywhere"
The return
of Siouxsie Sioux to the stage after a decade-long hiatus, and her
first tour in 15 years, has been quite the buzz, and announcements
of more shows, more festivals past the first performance at Cruel
World have had people very excited indeed. Online, clips circulate
as the number of appearances grows, prompting questions and
discussions in which a multitude of differing opinions are thrown
into the ring. I always avoid watching or engaging with this sort
of thing too much before seeing a show, as I prefer to walk in
with an objective blank slate.
Tickets for
the first London show on September 7th sell out immediately, so
she gifts us with another for the night before. The venue is
Troxy, a beautiful Art Deco gem in Limehouse. This choice makes
perfect aesthetic (and historical) sense and is thoughtfully
reflected in the merch for the night, with a numbered edition
silver and black poster and event specific t-shirts. The British
weather decides to give us one last intense blast of summer, and
arriving at Troxy is like walking into a sauna... because it being
an Art Deco gem means no air conditioning. Despite
the rising temperatures, the falling hair and melting makeup, the
sold-out crowd is in a great mood and the excitement in the air is
palpable - we are all there to witness the Queen of Goth, after
all.
My guest and
I take our seats in one of the venue's upper-level booths. I'm
initially a bit annoyed - we have very tall people in the booth in
front of us. My annoyance turns to disbelief as my guest's seat
literally falls apart (again, another quirk of it being an Art
Deco gem, I suppose - though at £73 a seat you'd think the venue
would make sure they're in functioning order). After frantic
discussions with an usher, we are guided to another booth - this
one reserved for the artist's guests and a far better view.
Looking back at my old seat, I see that Spizz is sitting opposite
where we were meant to be, and he's lit up like a Christmas tree
with a string of multicoloured lights. His accoutrements are
always entertaining, but I don't want anything to break my focus.
So it's all for the best.
Stage time
is set for 20:45, and in the run-up an unexpected brass band with
sparkly (and minimally) outfitted flappers appears for a short
burst, paying homage to the venue's past. There is another
20-minute wait with the original RKO logo to keep us company. I'm
anxiously tapping my foot in the slow-as-anything bar queue,
hoping the desperate need for a simple bottle of water won't cause
me to miss the start (although the queue by the open door leading
to the smoking area which provides a breezy respite from the
heat). It's been 25 years since I've seen her, and I'll be furious
to miss her walk on. Finally, my water comes, and I run back to my
booth seat - just in time to have a sip before she and the band
take the stage, to the strains of Carnival of the Animals.
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They're silhouetted behind a screen, mysteriously lit in dark blue. The first notes of Night Shift ring out and as her voice joins the song, the screen lifts… and there she is, resplendent in an ice-blue Pam Hogg playsuit and trainers. Her once black hair now streaked in silvers and greys, but trademark makeup perfectly in place… and the crowd goes wild! After the lighting and thunder crack impact of Night Shift, she takes us through a selection of Banshees and Creatures/Mantaray tracks, accompanied by simple but effective visuals, and punctuated with facts ("King Kong opened here 90 years ago!") and banter ("Bloody festivals and their short sets!"), showing that her sharp wit, charisma, and commanding personality have not diminished in the slightest.
The band are
in good form, though sometimes a bit jangly and a bit too eager,
cutting her off while speaking by launching into second track Arabian
Knights (prompting a singsong shriek of "bastard!")
and a few other spots as well, which is a shame as we want to hear
every word she has to say. Obviously, the presence of Steven
Severin and Budgie is very much missed, but some of the players
have been with her since the Mantaray album, and overall, they do
the songs justice.
Do I get to
hear every track I wished for? No. But given the immense back
catalogue, there is a great selection of Banshees heavy hitters: Night
Shift, Arabian Knights, Land’s End, Cities In Dust, Christine,
and Happy House, with Siouxsie picking up a guitar for the
rather excellent Sin In My Heart. She touches on the
lighter side with Dear Prudence, gracefully spinning on
the "...around, round, round", and bounces right through Kiss
Them For Me. She stalks the stage, flicking her mic cord on
Here Comes That Day. She's laughing, having a brilliant
time, and so is the crowd. She's also having cups of tea brought
to her by a stagehand which, given the temperature and her
exertions, is pretty impressive.
On starting
her first encore, she remarks "This heat is insane..it’s the
hottest!". Given the oven (albeit a beautiful one) we are
all baking in, 92 Degrees would have been a fitting nod
and wink to our shared experience. She instead gives us Peek-A-Boo
and The Passenger. Then comes out for encore two, which
is Hong Kong Garden, sending the crowd into a state of
ecstasy.
The raging
online arguments I saw in the lead up to the show all focused on
criticism of her existing vocal range. Does she sound exactly like
she did on the albums? No. It is ridiculous to expect that. The
voice and the body change with time, and what we all have
committed to memory with our years of listening to our favourite
songs, ad infinitum, is never going to be what we now experience
live. And you know what? That's cool.
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She could
have buried herself in backing singers, effects and whatnot, she
could have just phoned it in - but that wouldn't be very Siouxsie,
now would it? Instead, she brings us something really special: the
reality of her, as an artist, doing her thing, right now. Honest,
defiant, unflinching, and genuinely herself… and she is having a
great time doing it. She leaps, she bounces, she sways, she has
fun, gives us everything she has with style, grace, humour, a
knowing look, no compromise and no bullshit: Here I am, and if you
don't like it, you know where the exit is. She's doing what she
wants, it's up to you to decide if you want to accept it - and
that's how she's always rolled.
The arrival
of Siouxsie in 1976 was like an explosion, and those shock waves
have clearly continued their expansion. For me, as a young girl
growing up in the 1980s American Midwest, she was an inspiration,
doing things on her terms, not giving a damn what anyone thought.
She was, and continues to be, a force to be reckoned with. She
showed me that I didn’t have to conform to the mainstream and that
I too could be a strong individual, I too could manoeuvre through
a predominantly male world, and that there was more for women to
sing and be about than boys and good times. She was instrumental
in the punk and post-punk scene; afterwards reshaping and
refining, but always staying true to herself, always moving
forward on her terms. Her legacy and influence continue to ripple
outward - as evidenced by all the young people at her show, some
looking like they could have stepped out of the 100 Club 47 years
ago.
That she
speaks so strongly to multiple generations shows she is more than
just a singer - she’s a cultural icon, a pioneer, a warrior queen,
the Mother to thousands of Goth women everywhere, and the love her
fans have for her cannot be compromised or underestimated. London
was the end of the tour, for now there are no more shows
announced. Hopefully, we will see her again and perhaps this taste
will give her inspiration for more to come.
So, for all
the naysayers out there, she's still Siouxsie - and she's
definitely still got it. 8/10
Setlist: Night
Shift, Arabian Knights, Here Comes That Day, Kiss Them For Me,
Dear Prudence, Face To Face, Loveless, Land’s End, Cities In
Dust, But Not Them, Sin In My Heart, Christine, Happy House,
Into A Swan Encore: Peek-A-Boo, The Passenger Encore
2: Hong Kong Garden
Review +
Photos: E. Gabriel Edvy
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