Echo & The Bunnymen set for Birmingham concert

Following a fair few breaks-ups, make-ups and a string of line-up shuffles, Echo & The Bunnymen are back on form.

There was a time – back in the 80s – that Echo & The Bunnymen were the darlings of the British rock scene.

Liverpudlians Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant and Les Pattinson – along with a drum machine called Echo, later replaced by Pete de Freitas – consistently scored top 20 chart hits and the group were widely critically acclaimed, even winning the recognition of legendary Radio One DJ John Peel.

"There was a lot of rubbish around in the 80s, like Howard Jones, Kajagoogoo and all that, and it's always seen as some Boy George/Culture Club era, where everyone walked round with stupid hair, make up on and weird colours everywhere," says guitarist Sergeant.

"But for me, the early 80s was a great time. There was like a cool, underground, following with A Certain Ratio, Joy Division, The Cure, and there was good stuff coming from America.

"People seem to forget all the cooler bands around, and we were a part of that even if we were known as the miserable band that wore long raincoats."

So where did the now-iconic, but rather unusual, band name come from?

"We had a gig coming up but I don't think we had a solid name at the time, and a friend of ours kept coming up with really funny ones," says vocalist McCulloch. "We thought Echo & The Bunnymen was just as stupid as the others, but it was the most memorable, I thought, and it was great for the time.

"I said yeah, that's the one. And still, after all these years, people know it."

The group has suffered several splits over the years, finally completely splitting in 1993 before McCulloch, Sergeant and Pattinson reformed in 1997.

Although Pattinson then left the band for a second time, the other two have continued touring and producing material as Echo & The Bunnymen, including 2009's The Fountain.

"I suppose Will and I just know how brilliant we are together. Like, we're very close but also not at the same time – we don't necessarily hang out everyday," McCulloch adds.

"But there's just this feeling we both have, this sense of purpose. Echo & The Bunnymen means so much to so many people and we feel lucky and fulfilled as artists. We can express ourselves together, it's no use trying to make it work with anyone else."

Last year, the band completed a hugley successful tour playing their first two albums Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here, and are now in the midst of a tour to celebrate 1984's Ocean Rain.

They play Birmingham's Symphony Hall on Sunday (September 25, 2011). Tickets range from £22.50 to £28.50, available from www.thsh.co.uk

Charlotte Cross