The Psychedelic Furs

While most know the Psychedelic Furs for the kicky new-wave romp "Pretty in Pink," the origins of the English band are rooted in darker icons like David Bowie and the Velvet Underground. But at the Furs' Boston show earlier this year, there were few traces of this moodiness — namely, a funereal rendition of "Sister Europe," John Ashton's brooding guitar jags and the sunglasses sported by brothers Tim and Richard Butler. In fact, old-school fans might be surprised by how much the show felt like an over-the-top Vegas revue. Richard Butler's exaggerated vocals took the slurring enunciation popularized by the Fall's Mark E. Smith to extremes, as he pranced around the stage like that crazy aunt in everyone's family who always drinks too much at Christmas — all the while shaking hands with audience members and doing calisthenics like an aerobics instructor hopped up on Red Bull.