In 1986, the Morris brothers (Des, Jim and Mark), from Scotland via Cannock, AKA Balaam And The Angel had just signed a deal with Virgin and put out one of the goth scene’s best albums, The Greatest Story Ever Told. The record was punctuated by a string of fantastic singles, all of which reached the Top 75. Like contemporaries The Mission, they released a clutch of fine singles / EPs on the excellent Chapter 22 label, (rounded up nicely on theSun Family compilation), before moving to a major label.
I saw the band twice that year: at the slightly differing venues of Birmingham Virgin Megastore (with the slightly surreal sight of Richard Branson wandering around!) and then at Birmingham NEC, where they took part in an anti-Apartheid festival alongside the likes of The Pogues, The Icicle Works, Feargal Sharkey and King. Fast forward a mere 38 years and here I am at the wonderful Castle & Falcon venue to witness the re-invigorated brothers (alongside the ‘relatively new’ Karen on keyboards) and nearing the end of their current tour, which as well as celebrating their first new music in 30 years or so, also marks 40 years since their debut EP World Of Light. It’s also for some reason the first time I have seen them since 1986, despite spinning their records regularly in the intervening period!
First up, though, we have local lads, (well, Lichfield is local enough), Fluoxetine, who put in a well-received and well-drilled 30 minute set which brings to mind the dramatic guitar sounds of The Chameleons, or to use a slightly more obscure reference, the lost classic ‘90s band Into Paradise, who may well not even be on the band’s radar. But that is a good thing, trust me. They finish with an epic, ‘The Fallen Rose’, which just has to be the last song on their album when it comes along (next year, maybe?)
The audience waiting for Balaam And The Angel are generally a comforting mixture of people of a certain age (yes ok, my age!) in comforting The Sisters of Mercy and The Cult t-shirts (and Balaam t-shirts, of course), as well as a noticeable smattering of younger fans. Kicking off with ‘Don’t Look Down’ from The Greatest Story Ever Told, it’s instantly obvious that the intervening years have treated the band well – they’ve been in and out of the music scene over the years, but they have a loyal fanbase that’s always still around whenever they take to the stage again. Then it’s time for a taste of Balaam 2024 style – all four tracks from their recent Forces Of Evil EP will be played – starting with ‘Feel The Silence’. It’s the classic Balaam sound with maybe a bit of a harder edge than those Chapter 22 and early Virgin releases. From one of their newest songs, it’s straight to their oldest, the title track of the World Of Light EP, which naturally elicits a great response from the crowd. Guitarist Jim is in his element and is an absolute force of nature, moving around the stage and having the time of his life (he really is a great player too), singer / bassist Mark a more laid back, though upbeat, presence while Des is still a great drummer hammering away reliably at the back.
The one-two of ‘Slow Down’ and the irresistible ‘She Knows’ (both hits in 1986), show the band at their most accessible, and though they can also turn their hands nicely to the more melancholic or downbeat side of the goth spectrum, those singles sound like much bigger hits than they actually were, the keyboards key (pardon the pun) to their sound. The band can really write hook-laden songs that stick in the head after the first listen. Personally, I am absolutely delighted to find them playing the fabulous ‘Two Into One’ (a B-side that I held out little hope of hearing). There’s outings for sparkling singles ‘Light Of The World’ and ‘Day and Night’, and early 45 ‘Love Me’ probably gets the best reaction of the night.
The group’s later albums, where they took a rockier direction, (think The Cult, circa Electric, perhaps) are represented by just a couple of songs, with the emphasis on the early and of course, the very new. After an hour, which seems like ten minutes, the band disappear briefly to return for a two-song encore before saying “goodnight” and then surprising those who had hung around with a seemingly impromptu second encore featuring a euphoric run through early B-side ‘Isabella’s Eyes’. It’s a fitting end to a fantastic set; I hopefully won’t be leaving it another 38 years before catching them again.
