THE Sisters Of Mercy, who played the POD's Red Box last Friday Night, never got much of attention from the media when they were roaming rock's graveyard back in the 1980s, but that's probably because everybody from The Mission to The Cure were purveying the same dark vision of pop, and the only form of ritual sacrifice in evidence was a touch of lyrical self mutilation.

The Sisters' gig was originally booked for the Point, but was moved to the smaller Red Box evidently there's not the same demand for Old Grave anymore.

There was enough of a turnout, however, to fill the new venue, and the crowd looked like extras from The Crow as they lurched around the Red Box in all their blackclad glory.

The band onstage weren't half as interesting looking, and as singer Andrew Eldritch led his denizens of darkness through such classic Sisters anthems as Desolation Boulevard, Dominion, Temple of Love and This Corrosion, you could derive more entertainment from watching the reaction of the fans to each familiar old ropey song.