Event Pick: The Psychedelic Furs and Black English at the National

Friday, May 22

Bovine America had no idea who the Psychedelic Furs were before John Hughes’ movie, “Pretty in Pink” from 1986, which was named after the single from the band’s 1981 sophomore release, “Talk, Talk, Talk.” Like Molly Ringwald’s character in the coming-of-age meditation on high-school romance, the group lived outside co-star Andrew McCarthy’s well-to-do world of Lionel Richie, Mr. Mister and Huey Lewis and the News radio saturations. Defined by its thick, post-pop-punk esthetic and lead vocalist Richard Butler’s gravel voice, the Psychedelic Furs have aged considerably better than the corporate-mandated chart-toppers of the early ’80s. The English group was never literal in its offerings — new-waved Dylan-isms didn’t preen vacuously for our attention. The Psychedelic Furs bring their criminally underappreciated pop masterpieces to the National on Friday, May 22. Modern new wavers Black English from Los Angeles open. Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is $20-$25. thenationalva.com.

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