Blacklist Union

There’s certainly nothing new about Puccini’s Madama Butterfly providing inspiration for contemporary popular music. Malcolm McLaren famously gave the aria “Un bel dì vedremo” an electronic, distinctly ’80s makeover. Blacklist Union’s take, however, is a completely different kettle of fish.

For starters, this isn’t an operatic interpretation, but a love paean from frontman Tony West to Femme Fatale vocalist Lorraine Lewis. Musically, it’s a world away from grand opera, opening with stabbing guitar parts that immediately recall the guitar that kicks in after the dreamy introduction to Sonic Youth’s 'Teenage Riot'. From there, the track quickly transforms into a full-blooded Hard Rock anthem, with Foo Fighters’ 'One by One' era dynamics providing a useful reference point, while West’s Hard-Rock-edged falsetto soars above the pounding instrumentation.

The result is a suitably dramatic declaration of love that takes the title and inspiration of Puccini’s opera and gives them a decidedly Modern Rock makeover.

Blacklist Union bring their high-energy live show to the UK this September as part of their European tour with Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale. 'Madame Butterfly' should make for an interesting addition to the set.

Ivan De Mello