The Psychedelic Furs

New wave icons The Psychedelic Furs built a career on mysterious pop songs guided by the world-weary and unmistakable vocals of Richard Butler plus an always-evolving sound that started off as stark post-punk then took detours into synth pop, dance rock, and mainstream alternative. Along the way, they released a classic album that fused the energy of punk with the brightness of new wave (1981’s Talk Talk Talk) and a string of singles highlighted by “Love My Way,” “Heaven,” and “Heartbreak Beat” that proved popular and influential. Their classic song “Pretty in Pink” became the inspiration for the film of the same name and others showed up regularly in movies and TV shows. Though the band ran aground in the early ’90s, they returned a decade later to launch a successful career as a live act, and with their 2020 album Made of Rain, proved they could still deliver epic and meaningful records.

One of the most successful Australian bands of the post-punk era and beyond, The Church pay explicit homage to psychedelia and 1960s folk-rock while adding in elements of prog rock, art rock, and jangle pop; in the process coming up with their own unique and enduring sound. Their 1981 debut, Of Skins and Heart, brought them to the public’s attention with the jangly hit “The Unguarded Moment.” Yet more evocative albums followed, including 1982’s The Blurred Crusade, 1983’s Seance, and 1985’s Heyday, which found them balancing their hooky melodies with synthy goth textures and layered orchestrations. However, it was 1988’s Starfish and the shimmering “Under the Milky Way” that garnered them global recognition, reaching number 11 in Australia and peaking at 41 on the Billboard 200. It was followed by 1990’s Gold Afternoon Fix, 1992’s Priest=Aura, and 1994’s Sometime Anywhere, all of which hit the Australian Top 30. With lead singer, songwriter, and bassist Steve Kilbey at the helm, the Church have retained cult status, recording atmospherically expansive, prog-infused albums like 2003’s Forget Yourself, 2009’s Untitled #23, and 2014’s Further/Deeper, as well as the companion concept works 2023’s The Hypnogogue and 2024’s Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars, all marked by Kilbey’s varied interests in psychedelia, literature, art, and mysticism.

Initially known as The Sisterhood, The Mission UK was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams after leaving The Sisters of Mercy, soon adding drummer Mick Brown (Red Lorry Yellow Lorry) and guitarist Simon Hinkler (Artery and Pulp). Aside from Hussey, the line-up has changed several times during the years and the band has been on hiatus twice. The band’s catalogue consists of ten main albums, including God’s Own Medicine, Children, Carved in Sand and Masque, with several complementing albums, compilations and other miscellaneous releases also in existence.