The Castle, Bolkow, Poland14th July 2024
The Mission at Castle Party Festival 2024
Real cherry on the cake - the cult Alternative and Aothic Rock band closed the 30th anniversary of Castle Party in a unique style. Led for years by Wayne Hussey (ex-SISTERS OF MERCY), THE MISSION gave a mind-blowing concert.
THE MISSION was formed in 1986 when Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams left THE SISTERS OF MERCY. They started modestly, touring as support for THE CULT. They didn’t have to wait long for success - the first two singles for the independent label reached the first place on the British alternative music charts, with the first of them ‘Serpent’s Kiss’ becoming the best-selling single of 1986 on the independent scene. Over the next eight years, the band released another six albums, including ‘Children’ (1988), co-produced by John Paul Jones of LED ZEPPELIN. The total number of the band’s albums sold exceeded four million. https://themissionukband.com / https://www.facebook.com/themissionuk
Music & Performance
Watching the Gothic Rock veterans at the castle and hearing Hussey’s excellent vocals, you understand why the band has built a reputation as one of the best live bands in the world, leading in numerous statistics. They started strong - with ‘Wasteland’ filling the night air, from THE MISSION’s debut LP ‘God’s Own Medicine’ (1986), filled with anxiety and stability, despair and happiness, loneliness and hope. After a while, more classics came. “Hands across the ocean, reaching out for you, across the waves, across the water, reaching out for you…” - the familiar chords reverberated through the crowd. And when the melancholic melody of ‘Butterfly On A Wheel’ filled the air, I was transported to a realm where every note was a brushstroke on my soul. It is worth recalling that singles with these titles in the years 1986 - 1995 were among the top 13 of the 40 singles on the British charts. And no wonder, huge musical imagination, rich arrangement, skilful creation of atmosphere, conceptualism, poetics, analogies to mysticism and God - that’s the unique mixture that THE MISSION is appreciated for.
The night was in full swing after the stormy days. With ‘Swoon’ from the later, well-received ‘Neverland’ (1995) featured lit lighters - a perfect song for a nighttime moody castle scenery. During ‘Kingdom Come’ and ‘Deliverance’ I woke up from my reverie to tear up my throat a bit. I also listened to new song ‘Kindness Is A Weapon’ with pleasure and curiosity, an energetic, positive song with Hussey’s electric guitar solo. This definitely was the great culmination of the 30th edition of Castle Party. THE MISSION’s performance was not just a concert. They painted a vivid portrait of their musical legacy, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of all who bore witness. I also had the impression that over the years the band had gained many fans in the country (they first appeared in Poland in 1994, recently they gave gigs in Warsaw).
Setlist
01. Wasteland
02. Beyond the Pale
03. Hands Across the Ocean
04. Swoon
05. Garden of Delight
06. Kindness in a Weapon
07. Severina
08. Like a Child Again
09. Afterglow
10. Butterfly on a Wheel
11. Kingdom Come
12. Deliverance
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13. Wake (RSV)
14. Met-Amor-Phosis
15. Never Let Me Down Again (Depeche Mode cover)
16. Tower of Strength
Rating
Music: 10
Performance: 10
Sound: 9
Light: 10
Total: 9.8 / 10
All Pictures by Magda Zubrycka
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