Siouxsie & the Banshees

((Wiltern Theater; 2,344 seats; $ 22.50 top))

Promoted by Goldenvoice. Reviewed April 14, 1995. Veteran alternative mood-swingers Siouxsie & the Banshees have been creating their unique brand of emotion-laden gothic rock for the better part of two decades now, and at the second of two sold-out nights Friday at the Wiltern, the resilient band entertained with a surprising sense of accomplishment and relevance.

Band: Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin, Budgie, Martin McCarrick, Jon Klein.

Filling many of the holes in the previous evening's program, the crafty band's leader, Siouxsie Sioux, led the group through a balanced, sharply diverse and generous set. Songs from Siouxsie & the Banshees' new Geffen album "The Rapture" (which, as usual, is a big hit on college radio), and choice cuts from the group's extensive catalog were given passionate, fresh consideration by the players.

Highlights included the throbbing industrial mood of "Stargazer" and the hip "O Baby," both from the new album, and 1986 dance romp "Cities in Dust."

The gathered fans, some of rock's most loyal, turned out in all manner of horror movie-inspired outfits and makeup, creating a charged retro vibe in this grand hall that was certainly honored by the headliners effort.

Opening act Spiritualized, featuring former Spacemen 3 brainiac Jason Pierce, borrowed from a past rock movement, '70s-style guitar rock, turning it through sheer repetition and volume into a hypnotic, though occasionally numb, wall of curious noise.

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