WATCH: 40 years ago major new wave band played Mississauga

It was 40 years tonight that a British band riding the crest of the popularity of new wave music landed in Mississauga.

While the name Echo and the Bunnymen would bring snickers from those who grew up with the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, for fans of modern rock, the band were leading lights for a new generation looking to break away from the classic rock that dominated radio stations and concert halls.

Performing in what was called Arrow Hall at the International Centre in Malton on Aug. 23, 1984, the Bunnymen were at the peak of their popularity. Although they never recorded chart-topping hits, their music was brooding and intense yet fresh and exciting, and, along with Talkng Heads, Psychedelic Furs, Depeche Mode and the Smiths ushered in a genre that fit somewhere between punk and power pop with some dance thrown in.

As a venue, the International Centre was cavernous, soulless and the atmosphere was no better than a giant warehouse. Acoustics were an afterthought as the sound bounced and fell flat off the cement walls and the amenities were such that many held it in and went searching for a secluded spot in the parking lot after the show.

Still, it was an event. Away from the typical venues of downtown, the Internation Centre provided a show right in the backyard of those who lived in Mississauga and Brampton. You didn’t have to trek into Toronto and worry about missing the last bus home. For that, those responsible for bringing the band here need to be saluted.

As Echo and the Bunnymen were one of the first musical acts to appear at Arrow Hall, soon New Order landed landed followed by the Cure, Pixies, Radiohead and later Foo Fighters, Daft Punk, Slipknot, Korn and even Ozzy Osborne.

Videos

These days, Arrow Hall remains largely silent as a concert venue, but 40 years later Echo and the Bunnymen can still be found on tour. They played in Toronto in May.

Lucky for fans, radio station CFNY broadcast the 1985 show live and bootleg recordings exist. More importantly, somebody filmed the concert…all 90 minutes. It’s grainy, maybe under-exposed, and shot from a static angle. But it’s beautiful. Enjoy.