Jezebel’s Consistent Voice Is Strongest on Resurrection Tour

Behind the gloomy imagery and creep-show fashion of gothic rock, most of the musicians are popsters at heart.

Though the Mission UK and Gene Loves Jezebel didn’t attain the same degree of commercial success as the Cure or Siouxsie & the Banshees, they were foremost among the British goth brigade of the mid-’80s, and when the Resurrection Tour, a triple bill featuring the two bands and Alarm frontman Mike Peters, hit the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana on Tuesday, there were surprisingly few goth trappings in evidence, with the music the main focus of the evening.

The Mission UK, founded by former Sisters of Mercy guitarist Wayne Hussey in 1985, has maintained as much of a cult following as the Sisters despite the inconsistency of its material. Elegant anthems such as “Wasteland” and “Severina” were the highlights of Tuesday’s set, though mellower material was unfocused and sometimes verged on mushy.

Consistency was no problem for Gene Loves Jezebel. Fronted by the wry and charismatic Jay Aston, the quintet turned in the strongest performance of the evening. Fueled by unflagging, edgy synergy, selections from the group’s current album, “VII,” played out with all the gritty, melodic verve of signature songs such as “Desire” and “Jealous.” Opener Peters stirred up a quieter, more pensive but equally compelling ambience with his solo set.

Over the years gothic rock has been stretched in some extreme directions, from the shock rock shenanigans of Marilyn Manson to the morbid fixations of death metal. The Resurrection Tour is a pleasant reminder of its roots in wholesome musical values.