This crowd loves furs' way

ST. PETERSBURG - You'd never know from lead singer Richard Butler's detached, monotone vocals on record that he's such a dynamic stage presence. But the Psychedelic Furs frontman is exactly that as 650 fans of the British band, which formed back in 1977, were reminded Tuesday at Jannus Landing.

Best known stateside for Pretty In Pink, the song that inspired the title of the 1980s John Hughes iconic teen flick, the band churned out other old favorites such as Heaven and Highwire Days as Butler, dapper in a dark suit and shades, perpetually moved his lithe body and grinned.

With brother Tim Butler on bass beside him - and a gaggle of new musicians filling in the other spots - Butler kicked off the night with the 1982 song Love My Way. That moody dance gem, all pummelling beats and dreamy synths, topped off by Butler's distinctive, croaky croon, is a call for a new kind of romance, one that's free spirited, but rich nonetheless.

Butler moved his body in a serpentine fashion, then went into frenetic leg kicks. Critics once compared the band to 1960s art rockers the Velvet Underground. A Velvet Underground you can dance to, perhaps. David Bowie is a smarter comparison. Butler's sentimental delivery on the tender ballad The Ghost In You calls to mind Bowie's love songs on albums such as "Heroes" and the uneasiness behind them. Is this guy really letting down his guard, the listener wonders? Is this sincerity a put on?

"Don't you go, it makes no sense," Butler pleads in the middle of the song, detailing time's effect on a relationship. Several women in the crowd held their arms up as they swayed to the tune's gentle beat. Is the song a chronicle of love's endurance? Or its demise?

The song ends lyrically as it begins:

A man in my shoes runs alight

and all the papers lie tonight

Falling over you is the news of the day

Who knows if the repeating lyric is truthful or the ghost of feelings past? The brilliant Butler toyed with the idea by changing his liquid, serpentine arm movements into rigid, clock-like motions toward the song's end.

Opener Soulfound, a band from Clearwater, did its mightiest to rev up the crowd with a fiercely energetic set of original rock. Fronted by dynamic Ivan Pena on bass and vocals, the quartet worked the stage better than most musicians in the big leagues, and the crowd responded as such.

Gina Vivinetto can be reached at 727 893-8565 or gina@sptimes.com

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