Ian McCulloch once called “The Killing Moon” the greatest song ever written. Plenty of listeners agree. Echo & the Bunnymen made dark, sweeping, cinematic guitar music in Liverpool, and more than four decades on it still sounds like nothing else.
Liverpool, 1978
Echo & the Bunnymen formed in Liverpool in 1978: Ian McCulloch on vocals, Will Sergeant on guitar, Les Pattinson on bass and Pete de Freitas on drums. They came out of the city’s busy late-’70s scene and got noticed fast for their atmospheric shows. The debut, Crocodiles (1980), had driving rhythms, melodic guitar and inward-looking songs: “Rescue”, “Villiers Terrace”, “Pictures on My Wall”.
Heaven Up Here and Porcupine
Heaven Up Here (1981) and Porcupine (1983) went darker and wider, with “A Promise”, “The Cutter” and “Back of Love”. Critics loved them, and they made the Bunnymen leaders of British post-punk.
Ocean Rain, the one with the strings
Ocean Rain (1984) is the record most critics call their best. Sweeping orchestral arrangements meet alternative rock on “The Killing Moon”, “Silver”, “Seven Seas” and the title track. “The Killing Moon” has since turned up in films, TV and soundtracks without number, and it’s a cornerstone of classic new wave radio.
Lips Like Sugar and the MTV years
Echo & the Bunnymen (1987) brought “Lips Like Sugar”, which found them a much bigger audience. “Bring on the Dancing Horses”, “Bedbugs and Ballyhoo” and their cover of the Doors’ “People Are Strange” for The Lost Boys soundtrack kept them on MTV and alternative radio.
Is Echo & the Bunnymen new wave?
Yes. Echo & the Bunnymen are a Liverpool post-punk band who became one of new wave’s defining guitar acts. “The Killing Moon” and “Lips Like Sugar” are new wave radio staples, and their atmospheric sound fed straight into alternative rock.
Loss, reunion and new records
Lineup changes followed, and drummer Pete de Freitas died in 1989. The band reunited in the late ’90s and kept recording: Evergreen (1997), What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? (1999), Flowers (2001), Meteorites (2014) and The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon (2018). Coldplay, the Killers, Interpol and Editors have all named them as an influence.
The essential Echo & the Bunnymen songs
“Rescue” · “Villiers Terrace” · “Pictures on My Wall” · “A Promise” · “The Back of Love” · “The Cutter” · “Never Stop” · “The Killing Moon” · “Silver” · “Seven Seas” · “Ocean Rain” · “Bring on the Dancing Horses” · “Lips Like Sugar” · “Bedbugs and Ballyhoo”
The essential albums
Crocodiles (1980) · Heaven Up Here (1981) · Porcupine (1983) · Ocean Rain (1984) · Echo & the Bunnymen (1987) · Evergreen (1997)
New to the Bunnymen? Start here
Ocean Rain, the whole thing, ideally on a rainy evening. Then Crocodiles for the younger, hungrier band. If you only have five minutes, “The Killing Moon” will tell you everything.
Like Echo & the Bunnymen? Try these next
- The Cure: gothic and alternative pioneers with the same moody pull
- The Psychedelic Furs: raw post-punk with unforgettable melodies
- The Church: dreamy, guitar-driven Australian rock
- Simple Minds: atmospheric Scottish anthems
- U2: early post-punk heroes with the same wide-open sound
- Talk Talk: from synth-pop to art rock
- The Chameleons: shimmering guitars and emotional songwriting
- The Smiths: Manchester poetry and melodic guitar
- Siouxsie and the Banshees: dark, inventive post-punk
- Joy Division: where so much of this sound started
- New Order: post-punk taken to the dance floor
- David Bowie: a big influence on the Bunnymen’s ambition and theatre
Hear Echo & the Bunnymen on New Wave Radio
Request “The Killing Moon” late at night. That’s when it works best.
Official links: bunnymen.com · Facebook · Instagram · YouTube
