Soft Cell delighted to be back together and back on the road
They’ve sold more than 10 million records worldwide and their 1981 hit, Tainted Love, has become an icon. Soft Cell’s Marc Almond and Dave Ball were totemic figures during the late 1970s and early 1980s as they enjoyed a platinum-selling debut album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.
Tainted Love was a number one while Torch, Say Hello Wave Goodbye, What and Bedsitter also became top four records. The duo split in 1984, though reformed in 2001 to tour and release a new album before reuniting again in 2018. And now they’re back again. Soft Cell will play a handful of dates this November, at which their classic album will be performed in full.
The nearest performance to the West Midlands is at Manchester's O2 Apollo on November 12, but Marc Almond says he hasn't forgotten our region – he'll be at Birmingham's Symphony Hall for a solo date on April 7 next year as part of his own European tour postponed from last year. He also appeared at Shrewsbury's Let's Rock 80s festival at the Quarry in August, an event he described as a fantastic return to live performance in front of an audience.
Almond and Ball are both looking forward to the autumn shows.
Almond says: “We plan to do two sets in the evening. The first set will be greatest hits, some album and fan favourites as well as previewing some new songs live for the first time. The second set will be Non Stop Erotic Cabaret in its entirety and in track order with accompanying visuals and a few extras at the end. It’ll be a full-on and exciting show.”
There’s been a quantum leap since their early days on the road in the 1980s. Whole generations have grown up enthralled to their music, which has inspired artists as diverse as David Gray and Nine Inch Nails. They acknowledge the differences in staging live shows now, more than 40 years on from earlier gigs.
Almond says: “We have better technology available now and a richer catalogue of songs that have a history and an audience that has grown with the catalogue. We’re able to explore the visual side a lot more and have more experience as musicians and performers.”
Ball adds: “The main difference in the 21st Century is the technology. All our visuals, lights and sequenced synths & drum machines are run live from offstage computers as opposed to the old Kodak projectors & Revox reel to reel tape machines we used to use on stage.
