The 69 Eyes

Live at The Regent Theatre

Los Angeles, CA

May 1st, 2019

Review and photos by Travis Baumann

The Helsinki Vampires known as The 69 Eyes return to Los Angeles after a decade's absence. Calling all the dark followers of Goth 'n Roll out on this night, the venue was packed to the rafters.

Hitting their thirtieth year anniversary also sees the soon to be released twelfth studio album, "West End" and a limited-date bout across the Unites States.

The 69 Eyes weave a narrow path between glam rock of old and gothic classics, channeling bands such as Sisters of Mercy and Type O Negative as well as a bit of Elvis and Danzig, entrenched with a bit of '80's Sunset Strip silliness.

The resulting concoction goes down smooth but with a haunting, romantic undertone that signifies their standout favorites.

Focused around the dynamic presence of lead singer, Jyrki 69 the band surrounding him include long-time vampiric thralls Bazie on lead guitar, Timo Timo on rhythm guitar, Archzie on bass guitar, and Jussie 69 on drums.

They kicked off the set with "Devils", a raucous rocker to get the crowd moving. Jyrki's deep voice bringing the women to the front of the crowd, swooning as he occasionally handed out dark roses to the ladies that caught his eye.

They wove an epic spell, traveling all over their three decade legacy. "Don't Turn Your Back on Fear" moving to "Perfect Skin" followed by "Betty Blue" and then "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams".

Jyrki gyrated and moved for the crowd as he sang, looking like he hasn't aged a bit in thirty years. "Earth Girls Are Easy" lead to one of my personal favorites of the evening, "The Chair" from the amazing "Blessed Be" album released at the turn of the millennium.

"Wings & Hearts" flowed into another classic hit with "Dance D'Amour" culminating in the oldest track they would perform this evening, the title song from 1999's "Wasting the Dawn".

The massive set list was far from over, they went from new to old and back and forth. "Dolce Vita" paired with the phenomenal "Brandon Lee" to another of my all time favorites, "Feel Berlin" and concluding the main set with the anthemic "Never Say Die".

The band retreated from the stage only to be resoundly called back by the excited audience within minutes. A hefty encore began with the perfectly executed "Framed in Blood", which had me singing it for days to come after the concert ended.

The mandatory classic "Gothic Girl" had the crowd going wild. Ace Van Johnson and Taime Down of Faster Pussycat fame joined the band for a cover of Zodiac Mindwarp's "Prime Mover", before The 69 Eyes brought the house down with the epitome of Goth 'n Roll: "Lost Boys".

It was an amazing showcase of The 69 Eyes to date. Eighteen songs, all of them instant classics upon their release, gave the Los Angeles audience everything they were looking for from the Helsinki Vampires.

Having had a sneak audio peek at the new album, "West End" due out on Friday the 13th in September (which is also a full moon for those keeping track), I can tell you it maintains their legacy in full. From the first track "Two Horns Up" to the finale "Hell Has No Mercy", The 69 Eyes are still alive and as they say, the band that never dies.

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