Call it the summer of the 80s in SLC.

Salt Lake audiences, by the end of the summer, will have seen shows by The Cure, Howard Jones and OMD, Blondie, Culture Club, Tears For Fears, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Def Leopard, REO Speedwagon, and Heart—and more. And last night, at The Complex, The Church and Psychedelic Furs joined the party, to much less fanfare than the others.

The bands, admittedly, don’t have much more in common than the decade they rose to prominence, but that didn’t stop the crowd—a mix of middle aged folks attempting to recapture their youth and young goths who were born a few decades too late—from showing up in surprisingly large numbers to see them. Creating a crowded, hot and miserable experience on the floor of the larger of the two rooms at The Complex, which is hands-down the worst indoor venue in Salt Lake.

The floors are flat, the room is narrow and the security, which always seems like overkill, took away the pens I had in my purse—along with what was clearly a reporters notebook, despite my protests and all in the name of safety. God knows what a pudgy 36-year old mother of two and music writer could do with a Sharpie if left to her own devices. In any case, if you find this review light on detail, blame security, not me.

The Church opened the set with a fairly short playlist of nine songs, a surprising move since they, unlike the Furs, have released some new music since the Reagan administration. Lead singer Steve Kilbey set the mood for the rest of the band by standing still practically the entire set with a seemingly clear disregard for the audience, who, unlike me, seemed to know the words to plenty of songs that were not “Under The Milky Way,” the bands biggest hit and one hell of a song.

What the Psychedelic Furs lack in catalog they made up for in stage presence. Lead singer Richard Butler’s gravelly voice may have lost some of its power, but the integrity was still there as he bounced around the stage, playing off other band members—the best of which may have been sax player Mars Williams, whose cool-guy sunglasses and sax solos really made the entire show an homage to the 80s that couldn’t have been more obvious if they’d brought out Tom Cruise in his tighty-whiteys and a Save Ferris tee-shirt holding a Care Bear. (Note to band: Hey, guys, that might be a million dollar idea—please credit me if that comes together.)

The highlight of the evening, definitely came at the end of the show, when the Furs were joined on stage for “Pretty In Pink,” during the encore by Ronnie Vannucci of The Killers, a modern band for whom the Furs influence is obvious. And maybe that’s what makes all of these 80s bands still relevant, if it’s true that there’s nothing new under the sun and we’re just making the same music over and over again, last night proved that we could be doing much worse than pulling from these two bands for inspiration.

But last night also served as a reminder that it’s been a while since The Killers have played here. What’s up with that, Ronnie?

This evening (Sunday) sees blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr. pitching up at Red Butte Garden for a sold-out show to support his latest album The Story of Sonny Boy Slim.

Clark certainly has some chops as a blues guitarist, honing his skills in the clubs of Austin with established players like Jimmie Vaughan (brother of Stevie Ray) and showing that he could hold his own at Eric Clapton’s Crossroad guitar festival; no mean feat.

But the smooth-voiced Clark is not your garden variety blues player. Clark has made it clear in his work that he wants to show you, that from hip hop to country—blues music is at the root of any contemporary musical genre you care to mention. Clark has also been active in celebrations of black musical innovation, performing at events such as Essence Fest, the BET Awards and Afropunk Festival.

Clarke has established an excellent reputation for being a terrific live act, and Sunday evening promises to be a compelling show.

Doors at 6 p.m. Show starts at 7, the opening act is self-styled rock-n-roll throwbacks the Weekenders.’

Muscle Shoals has always been a hotbed for music—thanks to FAME Records and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, both of which attracted artists like The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Staples Singers, Otis Redding and Paul Simon, who traveled to Alabama just to get a little of that “Muscle Shoals Sound.”

But save for local studio musicians who helped create that trademark sound, and favorite son Sam Phillips, who went on to create the famed Sun Records in Memphis and subsequently effectively creating Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, Muscle Shoals wasn’t producing a lot of home-grown talent.

That is no longer the case.

In recent years there has been a steady stream of talent coming out of the area. Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell, Anderson East, Secret Sisters and the now defunct The Civil Wars. And though The Civil Wars are no more, half of the duo, John Paul White, will hit The State Room on Sunday night.

A little background: Born in Muscle Shoals, but raised in Loretto, Tennessee, White already had a solo career when he teamed up with Joy Williams at a song writing workshop in Nashville in 2010. The pair won a few Grammys, but split in 2014. In 2015, White paired up to record the song “Kyrie” with Emmylou Harris and has a new album, Beulah, slated to come out in mid-August.

Beulah was recorded at FAME Records, and in the single that has been released there is still a hint of The Civil Wars Southern-folk but the overall feel is grittier and bluesier. In other words—it’s pure Muscle Shoals.

John Paul White plays the State Room on Sunday July 31 at 9 p.m.. Tickets are still available.