Bauhaus performs at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco on May 22, 2022. Karen Goldman/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — Making their first Bay Area appearance since 2006, Bauhaus electrified audiences during their two-night stint at The Masonic in San Francisco. The band is currently in the midst of a short tour following their performance at the eyeliner-heavy Cruel World Festival in Pasadena with Devo, Morrissey, The Psychedelic Furs and many others.

The proto-goth quartet’s rock and roll theatrics were a stark spectacle on the first night, with Yul Brenner-esque frontman Peter Murphy stalking the edges of the stage while Daniel Ash, wearing a bedazzled coat over a pirate shirt, conjured razor sharp sheets of sound from his metallic guitar. Rhythm section brothers, drummer Kevin Haskins and bassist David J provided some counterpoint by mostly staying still as they chugged away at the massive grooves.

Crowd favorites included the new-wave dub of “She’s in Parties,” the acoustic funk of “The Passion of Lovers,” and of course the band’s signature lament, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” On Saturday night the band concluded with a trio of supercharged covers: Iggy Pop’s “Sister Midnight,” T. Rex’s “Telegram Sam,” and David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust.”

The setlist remained the same on the second night (yes, we covered both shows; no, it wasn’t planned). Click an image to start the slideshow. Read our review of the first show of the two-show stand in San Francisco.

— David Gill

Follow photographer Karen Goldman at Twitter.com/Xposure120 and Instagram.com/XposureArts.