Release Athens Festival 2023 - Siouxsie, Echo & The Bunnymen, Ladytron

Two days after my first Release Athens Festival 2023 date it was time for the second. The main attraction was Siouxsie, but I was interested in several of the other bands appearing that night.

First up were In Trance 95. I had caught a glimpse of them when they had supported Alan Wilder's Recoil back in 2010. On top of that, I keep bumping into their singer Alex at various gigs all these years (The first one I remember was Still Corners back in 2013) so I thought that this time I had to see them properly.

Next up were Ladytron. I had deeply regretted not going to see them when they played a gig in Athens many years ago. I wasn't going to miss this chance and I wasn't disappointed. As you have probably guessed by now, I love female fronted synth-pop bands!

As Ladytron were finishing their set, it was time to rush to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the SNF Nostos part of the festival where Interpol were appearing. I have managed to see other guitar bands that were popular in the 10's (like The Editors) so I wanted to catch them as well.

I had originally planned to stay there until the end of their set, because I had already seen Echo & The Bunnymen twice (the first time at Hyde Park in 2009 and the second at Terra Vibe in 2014). But my friend had never seen them before, so we rushed back to Water Square arriving just as their set was beginning. One thing is for sure, they never disappoint.

And finally, it was time for Siouxsie! No longer with The Banshees, she also played Creatures songs and some of her solo ones. And yes, she played all my favourites from the 80's (Israel, Dear Prudence, Happy House, Cities In Dust) and the one from the 90's (Kiss Them For Me). Plus I got the chance of hearing The Passenger in Water Square one more time. (The previous time it was by Iggy Pop)

 

 

 

She did complain about the organizers asking her to come on stage later than originally planned, but what had happened was this: Several people had complained that Interpol were clashing with Echo & The Bunnymen and so they shuffled the set times a little bit although that wasn't part of the deal. The original arrangement was that the headliners at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center (Interpol) would not clash with the headliner at Water Square (Siouxsie). Generally the organizers of Release Festival seem to listen to their customers complaints unlike some others who once bought a field at the edge of nowhere and were constantly forcing us to go there back when they were the only ones bringing in the big names...

SETLISTS:
IN TRANCE 95
01. Shapes In A New Geometry
02. Wave (Are We Alone)
03. No Exceptions
04. 21st C.E.T.
05. Brazilia
06. Desire To Desire
07. The Move

LADYTRON
01. Ghosts
02. City of Angels
03. Deadzone
04. True Mathematics
05. The Animals
06. International Dateline
07. The Island
08. Paper Highways
09. Fighting in Built Up Areas
10. Faces
11. Discotraxx
12. Playgirl
13. Seventeen
14. Ace of Hz
15. Destroy Everything You Touch

INTERPOL
01. Toni
02. Obstacle 1
03. If You Really Love Nothing
04. Narc
05. Length of Love
06. Fables
07. Evil
08. Pioneer to the Falls
09. C'mere
10. Rest My Chemistry
11. Not Even Jail
12. Lights
13. Roland
14. No I in Threesome
15. The New
16. PDA
17. Leif Erikson
18. Slow Hands

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN
01. Going Up
02. All that jazz / Show of Strength
03. Rescue
04. Flowers
05. Bring On the Dancing Horses
06. All My Colours (Zimbo)
07. Seven Seas
08. Nothing Lasts Forever / Walk on the Wild Side
09. Over the Wall
10. Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
11. Never Stop
12. The Killing Moon
13. Lips Like Sugar
14. The Cutter

SIOUXSIE
01. Night Shift
02. Arabian Knights
03. Here Comes That Day
04. Kiss Them for Me
05. Dear Prudence
06. Face to Face
07. Loveless
08. Land's End
09. Cities in Dust
10. But Not Them
11. Sin in My Heart
12. Christine
13. Happy House
14. Into a Swan
Encore:
15. Israel
16. The Passenger
Encore 2:
17. Spellbound