Review Scene: The Mission – Max Watts House of Music, 13th November 2016

The Mission was on a Mission. With celebration on their minds Simon Hinkler (guitar), Wayne Hussey (Vocals), Craig Adams (Bass), and Mike Kelly (drums), entered into the spirit of the evening with little fanfare but a commitment to entertaining and paying homage to their thirty year band anniversary, Hinkler’s birthday and the release of L.P. Another Fall From Grace.

It’s difficult to imagine that these four ever fell from grace. With the exception of Kelly who is the youngster in the group, the three older gentlemen looked sedate and sensible. This just goes to show that you should never judge a book by its cover, as it’s well known that there was an office pool at Melody Maker staking which of the guys would be the first to meet their maker. Fortunately for us, none have yet gone to the big band room in the sky.

So maybe The Mission isn’t entirely made up of priestly types, but (to say something truly cringe-worthy) there is a pedigree to worship found in the band’s list of present and past members. When you take this into account, you can understand why Hussey and co. sound so good. Hussey and Adams were both members of The Sisters Of Mercy. Adams also played for a time with The Cult. Hinkler did some yards with Pulp, and so goes The Mission’s stable of stars.

To choose a highlight is almost impossible, as the punters clearly loved, and sang along with, each tune in the nineteen song set. The band began with ‘Beyond the Pale’, worked its way through the likes of ‘Severina’ and ‘Wasteland’ and finished with two encores. It seemed that Hussey’s cold-affected voice was at its best in those songs that typified the deep notes of traditional gothic rock. ‘Swoon’ and ‘Naked and Savage’ took us back to a time when the men wore more pan stick than the women and the only colour was black.

Time is a relative thing, and very quickly the dark things drifted back out onto the night, and The Mission’s roadies packed away as the band members headed off to catch some sleep before a few well-earned days seeing the sights of Melbourne. We hope they loved our city enough to return soon.