San Francisco’s Romeo Void may have only put out three albums, but their influence has been felt decades later in bands as disparate as Morphine, Viagra Boys, and Sweeping Promises. Their live output has been just as scarce, with only one official show recording, Live from Mabuhay Gardens, finally released just three years ago. The label behind that release, Liberation Hall, has now issued Live ’81–’85 as part of its Record Store Day offerings.
The 17-track collection, recorded across five years at shows in Michigan, upstate New York, London, and Berlin, is an even more expansive set. The sound quality is decent (though not pristine), but it suits a band that was never about polish or perfection. Their unique mix of post-punk—with saxophone—and singer Deborah Iyall’s vocals, veering from cool, controlled phrasing to a feral snarl in an instant, comes through clearly.
This set draws from all three of the band’s studio albums – It’s a Condition (1981), Benefactor (1982), and Instincts (1984). Despite their obvious influence, the band was never as huge as some of their peers, but their two biggest songs, “Never Say Never” (a college radio staple throughout the early ’80s) and “A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing),” are both represented brilliantly here, alongside other highlights like “White Sweater” and “Just Too Easy.”
The album, also available on CD and streaming, comes as a deluxe double-LP package pressed on black vinyl.
