Hurts in Zurich - 22 February 2016

Switzerland loves Mancunian band Hurts: three albums in, their newest record Surrender is at number one, and they sell out concerts in minutes.

Why the love? Their music, for one, harks back to the 80s, to youth, to rose-tinted simpler times, to an era when synth was king. Their sound is unapologetically pop and unashamedly grandiose.

For another, keyboarder and guitarist Adam Anderson and singer Theo Hutchcraft are easy on the eyes, leading many an audience member to reach for the smelling salts.

The love affair between band and country continued with a sold-out show in Zurich, and it was a delight to see how much Hutchcraft and Anderson enjoyed themselves on stage. Supported by a three-piece band, two backing singers and the most enthusiastic sound man I've ever seen, Hurts hurtled through choice cuts from their three albums.

The concert was a mixed bag, however. For me personally, Surrender doesn't hit the heights of the previous albums, although Weight Of The World has an appealing groove and the funkadelic Lights takes a refreshing detour from Hurts' prototypical sound. And although I really want to like dance track Nothing Will Be Bigger Than Us, it sounds too generic, too calculated.

During the show, the current songs did slot seamlessly into the older material, though: a mix of synth-pop, rock and balladeering, with Hutchcraft's voice on point and clear as a bell. 2010 B-side Affair showcased the singer's falsetto, and Stay, from the same year, retained its status as a perennial fan favorite. As ever, Wonderful Life and Better Than Love were the highlights of the concert, eliciting mass sing-alongs and arms-in-the-air euphoria.

- Anna Wirz

Setlist:

Surrender

Some Kind Of Heaven

Miracle

Why

Somebody To Die For

Weight Of The World

Blood, Tears & Gold

Evelyn

Illuminated

Affair

Rolling Stone

Lights

Sunday

Sandman

Wonderful Life

Better Than Love

Wings

Nothing Will Be Bigger Than Us

Stay

More photos on Flickr.