Train - Calling All Angels
I need a sign, to that blonde girl from Bleecker Street, Red Lion Sat 12:34 we had a moment...
Out to LA
Radiohead - High and Dry
💙 For That Someone Who'll Know It's for Them “I'm not putting their name here because they'll know exactly who they are when they hear it!!!
Michelle
Foo Fighters - Times Like These
🖤 For Anyone Having a Rough Week “To anybody who's had one of those weeks where nothing seems to go right...
Echo & the Bunnymen made some of the most dramatic, atmospheric records of the post-punk era. Formed in Liverpool in 1978, singer Ian McCulloch and guitarist Will Sergeant built a sound of swirling guitars and moody grandeur that peaked with Ocean Rain and “The Killing Moon”. They are a post-punk and new wave band, with neo-psychedelic influences.
| Formed | 1978, Liverpool, England |
| Classic lineup | Ian McCulloch (vocals), Will Sergeant (guitar), Les Pattinson (bass), Pete de Freitas (drums) |
| Genres | Post-punk, new wave, neo-psychedelia, alternative rock |
| Label | Korova |
| Best-known album | Ocean Rain (1984) |
Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant and Les Pattinson started the band in Liverpool in 1978, at first using a drum machine. Drummer Pete de Freitas joined for the debut album, Crocodiles, released in 1980.
The Bunnymen combine Sergeant’s chiming, psychedelic guitar with McCulloch’s brooding, theatrical voice. On Ocean Rain they added sweeping strings, giving songs like “The Killing Moon” their cinematic feel.
McCulloch and Sergeant are the band’s constant core. McCulloch left in 1988, and Pete de Freitas died in a motorcycle accident in 1989. The two reunited the band in the late 1990s and have kept recording and touring.
Echo & the Bunnymen were one of the defining bands of British post-punk, alongside Joy Division and The Cure. “The Killing Moon” found a new generation of fans through the 2001 film Donnie Darko, and the band’s influence runs through later acts such as Interpol.
Dark, guitar-driven early records, with “Rescue” and “A Promise”.
Featuring “The Cutter” and “The Back of Love”.
Their string-laden masterpiece, with “The Killing Moon”, “Seven Seas” and “Silver”.
The self-titled album, with “Lips Like Sugar”.
Albums made after the band reunited. The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon (2018) re-recorded classic songs with strings.
These Echo & the Bunnymen songs are on our charts and lists:
Joy Division, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Smiths, Interpol and The Teardrop Explodes.
Echo & the Bunnymen are a post-punk and new wave band, with neo-psychedelic influences.
Liverpool, England. The band formed there in 1978.
“The Killing Moon” (1984), from Ocean Rain.
Ocean Rain (1984) is their most celebrated album.
Ian McCulloch, who leads the band with guitarist Will Sergeant.
Echo & the Bunnymen are a cornerstone of our post-punk programming. Catch it on The Modern Rock Radio Show, check the radio show schedule, or press play on the live stream. Want a specific song? Send a request or dedication.
About this article: Written and fact-checked by The Alternative One editorial team. Last reviewed November 4, 2026. Read our editorial standards or tell us about a correction.
From modern rock and indie rock to post-punk, grunge, shoegaze, synth-pop, electronic rock, and sounds that refuse to fit neatly into any category, we're searching beyond the mainstream for fresh music with something different to say.
closeWe are “The Alternative One!” – your go-to modern rock radio station streaming the best in grunge, modern rock and underground tracks from the 1990s to today, on air since 2022! Modern alternative rock combines rock, grunge, Alt pop, and electronic elements to deliver a unique, catchy, and introspective sound. #modernrockradio #alternativerock #grunge
