bat out of hell

If, goth-wise, Siouxsie ruled 2023 and The Cure did the same in 2024, then 2025 looks set to be the year of Peter Murphy. The Bauhaus frontman and goth O.G. is back with a career- best solo album, recorded with Killing Joke’s Youth in Spain and featuring guest appearances from Boy George and Trent Reznor. But will the Silver Sufist grab a golden opportunity, or will he, dogged by personal issues, clutch defeat from the jaws of victory once more? One thing’s for certain: he'll do it his way. “Forty years on, I don’t chase trends,” he advises Jeremy Allen.

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The Gothfather is back to claim his crown of thorns. It’s been nine long years since Peter Murphy released his last solo album, Lion, and in that time the genre he is best associated with has not only returned but also made itself at home, presenting Murphy with the perfect opportunity to launch himself, bat-like, into the public consciousness again. Siouxsie Sioux played a slew of shows in 2023 and The Cure’s Songs Of A Lost World was just recently up for a BRIT (it was beaten off by Brat). Has there ever been a better time to welcome the return of Bauhaus’ gloomy, theatrical frontman?

The news just gets better as we learn that Murphy has defied all sorts of odds to make his 11th and arguably best solo album to date. From the opening swagger and pulsating rhythm track of Swoon, Silver Shade is imbued with a defiant, dark energy, propelled throughout by Murphy’s powerful, unmistakable baritone. Recorded with Youth in Cadiz, it also features guest appearances from Trent Reznor, Boy George and Danny Carey from Tool. The hope is that Silver Shade will signal a new phase in his artistic trajectory but, with Peter Murphy, there are always caveats. The singer has been dogged by health issues — disclosed and undisclosed — that previously thwarted his return.

There has, too, been behaviour leading to accusations that he can be his own worst enemy.

Recent positives include a spectacular Bauhaus tour across North American in 2022, at least until several shows had to be cancelled so that Murphy could check himself into rehab. He’s circumspect regarding where that leaves him and his legendary post-punk band.