A Happier Brood : Bauhaus pioneered the Goth-rock scene, but band members say they’re so much more than ghouls.

Bauhaus is back, darker and bigger--and happier--than ever.

With brooding, unsettling slabs of sound, the quartet ushered in the Goth-rock underground that formed in England around 1979. Edgy and experimental, Bauhaus was a key source of inspiration for a number of gloomy bands to follow, including Nine Inch Nails, Sisters of Mercy, the Cult and, yes, Marilyn Manson.

Bauhaus, however, never developed beyond a cult following. By the time it disbanded in 1983, none of its five albums had charted in Billboard’s Top 100.

Yet when the band reunited to play the Hollywood Palladium two months ago--its first appearance in 15 years--tickets for the two scheduled dates sold out in 15 minutes. A third show was added, and it too was a sellout. Bauhaus, which also found receptive audiences in 13 other cities, including New York, San Francisco and Chicago--even Las Vegas--returns to Southern California to play UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center on Friday night.

So why is the band such a hot domestic property these days? Contacted by phone at a tour stop in Orlando, Fla., lead singer Peter Murphy sounded anything but surprised by the group’s newfound popularity.

“It’s thrilling, but it’s also something I expected,” he said matter-of-factly. “The sellouts are a confirmation of my confidence in the band. . . . It validates our decision to reunite. Once we started rehearsing, we knew we were alive and kicking. We were able to resume where we left off, which, I think, is saying something.”

Actually, it’s saying a lot, considering the group’s acrimonious breakup. In 1982, Murphy contracted viral pneumonia as the group was set to record its final album, “Burning From the Inside.”

The three other band members--guitarist Daniel Ash, bassist David J and drummer Kevin Haskins, who have continued on as Love & Rockets since 1986--decided to start the project without him. Only four songs wound up being collaborations by the full band.

For years, Murphy, 41, refused even to consider a Bauhaus reunion. Finally, he relented.

“I won’t deny that the money is good, but the timing just feels right,” said Murphy, who has released five solo albums since the dissolution of Bauhaus. “The Goth scene today is very relevant. . . . It’s become very fashionable.

“This is an ideal time for us to dispel a few myths and reclaim our reputation,” he said, “[and] to demonstrate to people--particularly those that have never seen us--that there is more to Bauhaus than this ghoulish image. I believe there’s a broad range of qualities in our music that often gets overlooked.”

That range encompasses hypnotic, minimalist rock (“She’s in Parties,” “Spirit”) and grand epics (“Silent Hedges,” “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”), funk (“Kick in the Eye”) and punk (“St. Vitus’ Dance”).

Bauhaus has released a new career-spanning compilation, “Crackle,” but without new material in tow, Bauhaus is faced with the challenge of making the old sound new.

“I think we’re playing the songs that our fans want to hear,” Murphy said, “and even though the music’s from the past, it does feel very contemporary.

“I mean, we were already into the whole electronica thing, and look where it’s gone.”

Still, Murphy--who has lived as a Muslim in Turkey since 1990--is quick to distance himself from elements of the Goth scene he sees as “negative and destructive.”

“Sure, we put on a dark, mysterious show, but it is a show,” insisted Murphy, who typically sports a Dracula cape onstage when the band plays “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.”

“The satanic rituals . . . this fascination with the occult and devil-worshiping that’s been going on . . . that’s not what we’re about,” he said.

Whether Bauhaus will record any new material--or even continue as a semi-permanent entity--isn’t clear. All parties are simultaneously immersed in other projects: Love & Rockets has an album titled “Lift” due next month, while Murphy just finished recording a five-song EP, “Roll Call.”

For now, Murphy says, the foursome is content simply to enjoy its long-awaited resurrection.

“We were wary early on of waking up some sleeping dogs,” he said, alluding to the conflicts that broke up the band. “We wondered whether it would be a repetition of these personal, emotional pitfalls that we found ourselves in during our last year together. So, sure, we had those very same concerns.

“But there’s been a much deeper level of understanding--and bonding--this time around . . . one that’s proved to be really constructive. There seems to be a better appreciation of what we’ve got in our hands. Plus, on a musical level, there’s always been this immediacy about our work . . . and that still exists.”

Bauhaus plays Friday at UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center, West Peltason Drive and Mesa Road. 8 p.m. $26. (949) 824-5000.