UPDATE: This show has sold out.
Photo courtesy Big Hassle Media
In the glory days of MTV and “alternative rock,” Violent Femmes and Echo & the Bunnymen were as different as two bands in the same record store bin could be. The Femmes, led by singer-songwriter Gordon Gano, were a spunky Milwaukee trio fusing folk and punk (“Blister in the Sun,” “Gone Daddy Gone”) with a decidedly smart-ass American edge, while the Bunnymen, from Liverpool, pursued a cool brand of neo-psychedelic English post-punk — all dry ice and spiked hair — with brooding songs such as “Killing Moon” and “Bring on the Dancing Horses.” Unlikely tour partners, the two groups are still fronted by founding members and capable of providing time-capsule thrills in their own distinct styles.
The Violent Femmes and Echo & the Bunnymen come together at The National on July 23. 8 p.m.
$47 to $57. 708 E. Broad St.
804-612-1900 or thenationalva.com
