marc almond tour 2022 review

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See also (all categories):

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Marc Almond

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Marc Almond

Not quite greatest hits night leaves out a few gems, but has many great moments.

Tonight, Marc Almond, ageless, impish and charismatic as ever, almost sneaks on stage and has a little chat with his superb band. It’s an inauspicious start, explained away by the icon as feeling “all sinusy and nasal”. He needn’t worry – he’s on wonderful form, vocally and in terms of energy levels.

Everyone knows the dualism of Almond’s impressive forty year long career: the glorious, synth-pop sleaze of Soft Cell in the early 80s, and the more radio-friendly crooner hits subsequently, such as his team up with Gene Pitney on Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart or lush baroque pop, a la Stories Of Johnny . But for many fans, it’s the melding of melancholy with said sexiness that’s the key to his ever-lasting appeal. You can’t have the rush after all, without the comedown, and vice versa.

So, tonight takes a little while to ignite, and there are a few notable omissions (it would have been wonderful to hear Saint Judy , Mother Fist and Tears Run Rings to name but a few) but eventually, Almond and the band hit their stride with a gorgeous cover of Pet Shop Boys’ Rent . Soft Cell’s classic Bedsitter builds beautifully, and the Marc And The Mambas’ masochistic love song In My Room provides plenty of drama.

Trashy is the most fun, with Almond exclaiming “jazz!” as the teasing song is pared down to a double bass-led, Stray Cats style slink. The ghost of Bowie elegantly stalks the auditorium too, not once but twice. There’s his version of a version of My Way (originally penned as Even A Fool Learns To Love by Bowie, to music by Claude Francois) and a bouncy, euphoric cover of John, I’m Only Dancing .

The Days Of Pearly Spencer is a crowd favourite, sounding at once high camp and urgent. There’s a lot to enjoy here, undoubtedly. But more of Almond’s own material would have been perfect. Give us a little of your special sauce, Marc. Glasgow can take it.

Chicago Concert Reviews

We’ve got the windy city covered., marc almond spreads four decades of soft cell’s irresistible “tainted love” around house of blues.

Posted by Andy Argyrakis

The project that put English synth pop stars Soft Cell on the international map, “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret,” just turned 40 and vocalist Marc Almond is marking the occasion with an extremely limited run of a mere five dates across the States (originally slated to be with fellow co-founding keyboardist David Ball, who is sitting out due to a fractured vertebrae).

Actually, it’s been at least half that long since the group previously visited Chicago’s Metro, and thankfully the House Of Blues made the cut this round as well with Grammy-winning producer/frequent collaborator Philip Larsen standing in for Ball, attracting fans of practically all ages, who literally flew in from all over America.

Those current cuts intersected with several older ones (“Torch,” “Heat,” “The Art Of Falling Apart”), but no matter the era, everything sounded fresh and fantastic courtesy of the primary singer, his substitute partner, a saxophone/flute player and three background vocalists.

The true test came when revisiting the entire “Cabaret” collection, though Almond and company were already well on the way to passing from the start of “Frustration” and sealed the deal after everyone chanted along to the massive “Tainted Love.”

As it progressed, “Seedy Films,” “Chips On My Shoulder” and “Bedsitter” were amongst the many that were at the forefront of electronic exploration, while simultaneously sewing the earliest seeds of what would eventually become the techno explosion.

For the encore, a reprise of “Tainted Love” was bridged with “Where Did Our Love Go,” as was often customary in the clubs, ending on a truly euphoric note, especially if this winds up being the last time these irresistible tunes ever come to town.

For additional information on Soft Cell, visit SoftCell.co.uk .

Upcoming concert highlights at House Of Blues include Calum Scott (Aug. 31); The Fixx (Sept. 6); Stick To Your Guns (Sept. 8); Grits & Biscuits (Sept. 9); House Of Burlesque (Sept. 10); C-Kan, MC Davo and Dharius (Sept. 11); Pi’erre Bourne (Sept. 16); Emo Night Brooklyn (Sept. 17); Caifanes (Sept. 18); Joyner Lucas (Sept. 19); Omah Lay (Sept. 20); In Flames (Sept. 22); Here Come The Mummies (Sept. 23); Aleman (Sept. 28); Daoi Freyr (Sept. 29) and Mark Hubbard & The Voices (Sept. 30). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com .

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On the 21st anniversary of Soft Cell’s Brighton concert we review Marc Almond’s Sussex gig

MARC ALMOND + ALEX LIPINSKI – DE LA WARR PAVILION, BEXHILL-ON-SEA 24.10.22

It was announced several months ago that Soft Cell ’s Stockport born frontman Peter Mark Sinclair “Marc” Almond, OBE aka Marc Almond was to perform a concert here in Brighton at the Dome Concert Hall on Thursday 15th April 2002. Unfortunately the tour had to be rescheduled and strangely our local concert wasn’t part of the new October 2022 tour schedule! We at Brighton & Hove News weren’t going to let him and his chums get away that lightly, and so we ventured eastwards to the nearest date to Brighton, which turns out to be at the iconic De La Warr Pavilion in sunny Bexhill-on-Sea. This was to be my second visit here in three days, having reviewed The Undertones and Hugh Cornwell here on Saturday (Read the review HERE ).

It’s certainly all go at the moment for Marc Almond as today he has announced that he will be sharing the bill with the The Human League at Dreamland in Margate on Friday 21st July 2023 – tickets on sale HERE from 10am on Friday 28th October.

During the Corona crisis and lockdown Marc Almond (who is 65 years young) performed a series of live online studio concerts which received a fantastic response and worldwide viewing, but he is happy to be back where he really belongs – in a real concert environment seeing his fans face to face.

Marc was able to perform a one off concert in February 2020 at the Festival Hall with co-writer Producer Chris Braide and was joined by guest Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. This was recorded for a future Live album release.

This evening’s performance is date seven of the select nine venue tour, which has already seen Marc entertain fans in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Buxton, York and Glasgow. After tonight, the tour bus will be heading north to Cambridge and the final stop will be Birmingham.

Prior to this evening, I hadn’t had the pleasure of a solo Marc Almond concert before, although I did see Soft Cell playing live in Brighton exactly 21 years ago tonight, when Marc and David Ball thrilled loyal fans at the Event II (which back in the day had been the Top Rank Suite). I also again saw them live on 15th November 2021 at Hammersmith Apollo – Review HERE .

The latter was special for me as my partner Jordan Mooney (RIP) had purchased us tickets to that show as part of a special birthday present for me. Jordan and I were also intending to attend the cancelled Brighton Dome show, but cancer had other ideas! So as a celebration, I am here tonight at the De La Warr with Jordan’s sister Sally, who will enjoy it on Jordan’s behalf!

There was this evening a trio of Soft Cell numbers that I had also heard exactly 21 years ago in Brighton. Find out what they were shortly, as we have the matter of tonight’s support artist, left handed guitarist-vocalist Alex Lipinski who hails from Western-super-Mare and entertained the crowds for just over half an hour from 7:30pm to 8:03pm.

Alex also gets about a bit too as we reviewed him on 10th October, when he was supporting The Lemonheads at Chalk in Brighton. Our reviewer that night was Richie Nice and he stated:

“It’s an early start, so I need to get a shift on to catch tonight’s support acts. I’m sorry to say I miss the beginning of the set for singer-songwriter Alex Lipinski, whose stage time is 6:15pm, slightly challenging for anyone coming here from work. The large room is filling slowly as I arrive, though there are still plenty of open spaces. I rather like what I do hear. He has a sweet tone, and his songs are poignant and wistfully reflective. He accompanies himself on guitar, switching between a left-handed Telecaster and an acoustic. The final number, ‘Closing Time’ is particularly impressive, with his voice really soaring. Alex is promoting his recent album, ‘For Everything Under The Sun’, which I’d be interested to check out”.

This evening in the De La Warr Pavilion, Alex performed a half dozen selected numbers to a half full venue, which was quite a lot of folks for a support artist, but I wish punters would take a risk on the support acts, as they will often miss out.

As with his recent support for The Lemonheads, Alex began on electric guitar with ‘Coyote’ which was penned during his North American trip when coming face-to-face with a pack of Coyotes. Clearly he survived as he is here with us this evening. His vocals during this number reminded me of the Gallagher brothers. This opening number was followed by ‘Going Nowhere Fast’, after which he switched to acoustic guitar and mouth organ for ‘When Will I Be Home’. He was back on the electric guitar for ‘Lonesome Train’, but the mouth organ stayed. Penultimate number was ‘Closing Time’ which is the new single from his latest album. He concluded with ‘This Girl’ from his previous platter. The crowd were most appreciative of his performance and that wasn’t the last of him that we would see this evening.

Alex Lipinski setlist: ‘Coyote’ ‘Going Nowhere Fast’ ‘When Will I Be Home’ ‘Lonesome Train’ ‘Closing Time’ ‘This Girl’

alexlipinski.co.uk

After the 22 minute interval, the house lights went down and Marc Almond and his nine-piece band took to the stage at 8:25pm to great applause. This evening they were performing material from his last top 20 album, the critically acclaimed ‘Chaos And A Dancing Star’ which dropped in 2020 just before the Pandemic and lockdown. In addition to this there were many favourites from his extensive catalogue and his biggest hits. There were in total no less than 24 tunes on offer.

The instruments on stage tonight were electric and acoustic guitars, drums, percussion and vibraphone, piano, mellotron and two keyboards, double-bass and bass guitar, cello, violin and tambourine.

They opened with ‘I’m The Light’ which is a Blue Cheer cover from back in 1971 from the album ‘Oh! Pleasant Hope’. The sound in the venue was crisp and clear and the acoustics were good, no doubt a result of the venue’s ceiling. Marc however was sounding rather raspy. He informed us that he was suffering from a sinus infection, but the longer the concert went on, the better his voice became!

The first cut from the ‘Chaos And A Dancing Star’ album was up next, in the form of ‘Black Sunrise’. Later on we would get one another tune from it, that being ‘Hollywood Forever’. Selection three was the title track of Marc’s 1988 ‘The Stars We Are’ LP, which was followed by ‘Bitter Sweet’ from the same album. Song five was ‘Under Your Wing’ and song six was ‘Moonbathe Skin’, both of which are from the 2001 ‘Stranger Things’ album and both co-written with Marc by Neal X (of Sigue Sigue Sputnik fame) who is in the lineup this evening.

The ten musicians were joined on stage by support artist Alex Lipinski (on backing vocals and acoustic guitar) for a first outing on the tour for a rendition of ‘Kiki Of Montparnasse’, who was a famous French model and cabaret singer who lived 1901-1953. The song was penned by Leo O’Kelly for Tír na nÓg who are an Irish folk band formed in Dublin, Ireland, in 1969 by Leo and Sonny Condell. Tír na nÓg (“Land of Youth”) is one of the names for the Celtic Otherworld. After this song Alex vacated the stage and Marc and his chums continued with ‘A Golden Light’ which will be released this Friday (28th October) on the six tune ‘The Things We Lost’ extended EP/mini album of “lost and forgotten material”. The Sky Blue 10″ Vinyl Edition is limited to a mere 2000 copies – Grab your copy HERE .

After the aforementioned ‘Hollywood Forever’ came the first of the Soft Cell offerings, this one being a reworking of ‘Light Sleepers’ from this May’s critically acclaimed ‘Happiness Not Included’ album. ‘Trashy’ was next. It’s a 1969 single by Rodney Marvin McKuen who was an American poet, singer-songwriter, and actor and was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. This saw Neal X continually finger snapping to the beat and Phil Bloomberg of The Polecats fame on double-bass

The only Marc And Mambas recorded track this evening was ‘In My Room’ from their 1983 album ‘Torment And Toreros’. This number featured the trio of just Marc and The McCarricks duo of Kimberlee McCarrick on violin and Martin McCarrick (of This Mortal Coil fame) on Cello. This number is a reworking of the Walker Brothers song arranged for cello and violin by Martin McCarrick. This achieved the biggest applause thus far! Marc’s autobiographical tune ‘Sandboy’ from his 2010 ‘Varieté’ album was up next. ‘Little Dreamer’, a Jobriath cover followed. The original can be found on his ‘As The River Flows’ album from 2014.

Now here’s an interesting choice fact fans…..Next up was ‘Even A Fool Learns To Love’ which amazingly is based on ‘My Way’ which was popularised around the world in 1969 by Frank Sinatra and latterly by Sid Vicious in Julien Temple’s mockumentary ‘The Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Swindle’ . The original music was a French song titled ‘Comme d’habitude’ ( ‘As Usual’ ) which was composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François. The English lyrics to ‘My Way’ were written by Paul Anka and are unrelated to the original French song. However it turns out that the words of ‘Even A Fool Learns To Love’ which was sung by Marc this evening (accompanied solely by Martin Watkins on piano and latterly with Hugh Wilkinson on vibraphone) were penned by none other than David Bowie! There’s a fascinating read on this HERE . The De La Warr audience absolutely loved this one, and I have to salute Marc for not actually singing any of the ‘My Way’ lyrics in error!

From David Bowie we ventured across to the Pet Shop Boys next, as the decet first performed their take on ‘Rent’ from the duo’s 1987 ‘Actually’ album, which was followed by their uplifting recent 2022 successful collaboration single ‘Purple Zone’, which notably contains a Soft Cell rendition of the X-Ray Spex classic ‘The Day The World Turned Day-Glo’. Keeping on the Soft Cell side, the band offloaded their acoustic take of the classic 1981 hit single ‘Bedsitter’, which is found on the excellent debut album ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’.

One of my choice cuts from the night was ‘You Have’ which is located on Marc’s ‘Vermin In Ermine’ début solo studio album from 1984. Astonishingly, this had passed me by, but I very much liked it as did the crowd, who were now getting more and more enthusiastic. Things were taken to an even higher plateau with the arrival of two cuts produced by Trevor Horn from Marc’s 1991 ‘Tenement Symphony’ album, in the form of David McWilliams’ ‘The Days Of Pearly Spencer’ and Jacques Brel’s ‘Jacky’, the latter being my favourite tune from the whole performance. After ‘Jacky’ concluded, all of the audience got up from their seats and gave the musicians a long standing ovation. Blimey, has this become ‘The Last Night Of The Proms’ or what?

They were then due to go off stage for an encore, but as Marc conveyed, the audience knew it wasn’t the end of the set and so did the band, so there wasn’t any point of going through the rigmarole of going off and coming back on again. Here here! Thus the “encore” began with the crowd still standing and the band’s rendition of the David Bowie classic ‘John, I’m Only Dancing’ which included Alex Lipinski on guitar and backing vocals.

The set concluded with two numbers I had seen performed live by Soft Cell exactly 21 years ago tonight in Brighton at the Event II, those being ‘Tainted Love’ and ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’. The third Soft Cell song I had witnessed 21 years ago was ‘Bedsitter’, which was played earlier on in the set. If you were wondering what the whole set was 21 years ago, then it is listed at the foot of this review.

I thought it was a nice touch when Marc pushed out backing singers Bryan Chambers, Louise Marshall and Simon King one by one to near the front of the stage in order for each to sing a few lines of ‘Tainted Love’ and so be in the limelight and for the crowd to recognise their efforts. Throughout the set Marc also had introduced all of the other musicians at certain times and he was clearly having a ball this evening as were the punters, who gave out deafening cheers and whoops at the conclusion of the performance at 10:16pm.

It had been a most memorable experience this evening, in every sense of the word, and both myself and Jordan’s sister, Sally, thoroughly enjoyed watching Marc and his band playing live inside such a wonderful building.

Marc Almond’s band: Marc Almond – lead vocals, tambourine Neal X – electric and acoustics guitars, backing vocals, finger clicks Hugh Wilkinson – drums, percussion, vibraphone Martin Watkins – piano, mellotron, keyboards Phil ‘Polecat’ Bloomberg – double-bass, bass guitar Martin McCarrick – cello Kimberlee McCarrick – violin Bryan Chambers – backing vocals Simon King – backing vocals Louise Marshall – backing vocals Alex Lipinski – backing vocals, guitar (as guest)

Marc Almond setlist: ‘I’m The Light’ (Blue Cheer cover from their 1971 ‘Oh! Pleasant Hope’ album) ‘Black Sunrise’ (from Marc’s 2020 ‘Chaos And A Dancing Star’ album) ‘The Stars We Are’ (from Marc’s 1988 ‘The Stars We Are’ album) ‘Bitter Sweet’ (from Marc’s 1988 ‘The Stars We Are’ album) ‘Under Your Wing’ (from Marc’s 2001 ‘Stranger Things’ album) ‘Moonbathe Skin’ (from Marc’s 2001 ‘Stranger Things’ album) ‘Kiki Of Montparnasse’ (Tír na nÓg cover) ‘A Golden Light’ (from Marc’s imminent 2022 ‘The Things We Lost’ extended EP) ‘Hollywood Forever’ (from Marc’s 2020 ‘Chaos And A Dancing Star’ album) ‘Light Sleepers’ (Soft Cell song from 2022 ‘Happiness Not Included’ album) ‘Trashy’ (Rod McKuen cover from his 1969 ‘Trashy’ single) ‘In My Room’ (Walker Brothers song recorded in 1983 by Marc And Mambas on ‘Torment And Toreros’ album) ‘Sandboy’ (from Marc’s 2010 ‘Varieté’ album) ‘Little Dreamer’ (Jobriath cover from his 2014 ‘As The River Flows’ album) ‘Even A Fool Learns To Love’ (David Bowie unreleased 1968 cover) ‘Rent’ (Pet Shop Boys cover from their 1987 ‘Actually’ album) ‘Purple Zone’ (from Soft Cell & Pet Shop Boys 2022 ‘Purple Zone’ single) ‘Bedsitter’ (Soft Cell song from 1981 ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ album) ‘You Have’ (from Marc’s 1984 ‘Vermin In Ermine’ album) ‘The Days Of Pearly Spencer’ (David McWilliams cover found on Marc’s 1991 ‘Tenement Symphony’ album) ‘Jacky’ (Jacques Brel cover found on Marc’s 1991 ‘Tenement Symphony’ album) (encore) ‘John, I’m Only Dancing’ (David Bowie cover of his 1972 ‘John, I’m Only Dancing’ single) ‘Tainted Love’ (Gloria Jones cover found on Soft Cell’s 1981 ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ album) ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’ (Soft Cell song from 1981 ‘ Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ album)

www.marcalmond.co.uk

Soft Cell setlist for their performance in Brighton at the Event II on 24th October 2001 is listed below. I recall the concert rather well as I was right at the front standing in front of the left hand speakers with my mate that had especially travelled down from Nottingham to witness the gig. The most enjoyable song that night was ‘Somebody, Somewhere, Sometime’ , 21 years on and I still remember that! It was a terrific performance!

Soft Cell setlist Event II, Brighton 24.10.01: ‘Memorabilia’ ‘Monoculture’ ‘Heat’ ‘Divided Soul’ ‘Last Chance’ ‘Youth’ ‘God Shaped Hole’ ‘The Best Way To Kill’ ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ ‘Somebody, Somewhere, Sometime’ ‘Torch’ ‘Bedsitter’ ‘Tainted Love’ / ‘Where Did Our Love Go’ ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’ (encore) ‘Martin’ ‘Sex Dwarf’

Loved reading, but fyi Alex lipinski is from Weston-super-Mare, not Western as you wrote it. Thanks, a fellow Westonian.

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• Marc Almond Announces His Rescheduled Tour Dates For October 2022

MARC ALMOND announces his rescheduled tour dates for October 2022

Marc Almond is delighted to announce his rescheduled tour dates for October 2022, adding extra dates in Liverpool, Buxton, York and Cambridge. Marc added, “the fans have been so understanding and patient through the endless rescheduling due to the pandemic, but now we have confirmed these dates, I can’t wait to get back on stage”.

All the original dates are the same venues, with the exception of the London Roundhouse show, which is being moved to the London Palladium. All tickets bought from the Roundhouse will be refunded. Tickets bought on Ticketmaster will be automatically transferred to the Palladium show.

Marc will be singing songs from his last top 20 solo album, ‘Chaos and a Dancing Star’, released in March 2020, plus many favourites from his extensive catalogue and his biggest hits. Marc always has surprises up his sleeve.

His last album ‘Chaos and a Dancing Star’ was released to critical acclaim just before the Pandemic and lockdown. Marc was able to perform a one-off concert in February 2020 at the Festival Hall with co-writer Producer Chris Braide, joined by guest Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. Not only will this be the first outing of his recent solo album, but Soft Cell have also released a UK chart top 10 album, “Happiness Not Included”, including the much-celebrated No.1 single featuring the Pet Shop Boys “Purple Zone”.

Marc Almond’s lauded career, spanning over four decades, has seen him receive an Ivor Novello Inspiration Award in 2013, a Brit Award, as well as an OBE in the 2018 New Year Honours for his services to arts and culture.

Having sold over 35 million records worldwide, Marc Almond has enjoyed both critical and commercial success, realising decades of chart dominance. Marc has had International singles and albums chart success with Soft Cell and as a solo Artist covering four decades as well as two number-one singles. Tainted Love is one of the biggest-selling singles worldwide and has influenced and inspired a generation of artists and musicians.

Tickets for the rescheduled dates (Manchester, Glasgow, Bexhill and Birmingham) are on sale now and available from Ticketmaster .

The new dates in Liverpool, Buxton, York, and Cambridge, as well as the London date, are on-sale now. All tickets for the rescheduled shows remain valid except for the London show unless purchased on Ticketmaster .

Tour Dates: 16 October London Palladium – * VENUE CHANGE 17 October Liverpool Philharmonic Hall – *NEW SHOW 18 October Manchester Bridgewater Hall 20 October Buxton Opera House – *NEW SHOW 21 October York Barbican – *NEW SHOW 22 October Glasgow Royal Concert Hall 24 October Bexhill De La Warr Pavillion 25 October Cambridge Corn Exchange – *NEW SHOW 26 October Birmingham Symphony Hall

• Chaos and a Dancing Star
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Marc Almond concert - The Bridgewater Hall

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Marc Almond concert

Marc Almond concert. First time we have been to the Bridgewater Hall, really enjoyed it. Nice venue. Easy to find in Manchester

An amazing night.. give it a try... all night dancing to the classics...they are soooo amazing professional artists.

All the communication and staff were perfect, without any glitches or room for improvement. Professional job all round. Tim Peake's My Journey to Space was extraordinary.

Comfortable seats but could do with a little more leg room. Great sound system & lighting. We saw The Mavericks in concert. Fantastic show full of energy & upbeat music. Staff very helpful & pleasant. Lifts to all floors & everywhere clean. Can recommend.

I went here to see a specific artist. I went to collect my ticket for the show during the day, and was told what I was allowed to bring in to the Hall. On arriving at the Hall in the evening there was security outside checking bags, and then someone would check your ticket. There was plenty of toilets. The hall itself was big. The sounding was not the best. If an artist I wanted to see was here in the future I would go.

I’m obviously in a minority but I’ve been to this venue a number of times and I just think it doesn't work as a performance space. The stage is useless, one event I attended was Swan Lake, from my seat in the stalls all I could see of the ballet dancers was from the knees up as the orchestra were in the way. You need a torch and a magnifying glass and prior knowledge to see the seat numbers so people are always in the wrong seats. Seats are uncomfortable and not very spacious and my bmi is 24. Useless balconies and doors everywhere just a terrible, terrible venue (in my opinion)

Marc Almond announces rescheduled 2022 UK solo tour dates

Marc Almond is finally set to hit the UK stage with his solo tour this October. 

Having been delayed multiple times, most recently this spring, due to Covid, the Soft Cell star has added extra dates in Liverpool, Buxton, York and Cambridge.

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He says: “The fans have been so understanding and patient through the endless rescheduling due to the pandemic but now we have confirmed these dates I can’t wait to get back on stage”.

Marc's 2022 UK tour has now been fully rescheduled and the full list of dates and venues is as below. Tickets go on pre-sale tomorrow, 26 May, and general sale on 27 May. Ticket links will be shown on the Live page of the website as soon as available. https://t.co/jRqDaGk9xc pic.twitter.com/JS4vYsGwXq — Marc Almond (@MarcAlmond) May 25, 2022

All the original dates are the same venues, with the exception of the London Roundhouse show, which is being moved to the London Palladium. 

Tickets bought from the Roundhouse will be refunded, while tickets bought on Ticketmaster will be automatically transferred to the Palladium show.

Marc will be singing songs from his last Top 20 solo album, ‘Chaos and a Dancing Star’, released in March 2020, plus favourites from his extensive catalogue and his biggest hits. 

The full list of tour dates is as follows:

October 16 – The Palladium, London October 17 – Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool October 18 – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester October 20 – Opera House, Buxton October 21 – Barbican, York October 22 – Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow October 24 – De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill October 25 – Corn Exchange, Cambridge October 26 – Symphony Hall, Birmingham

It comes after Soft Cell returned to the Top 10 in May with their first album in 20 years, ‘*Happiness Not Included’, featuring the hit Pet Shop Boys collaboration Purple Zone .

In a  review of the album , Retro Pop said ‘*Happiness Not Included’ “boasts 12 fabulously Soft Cell numbers, laced with Marc Almond’s lyrical wit and underpinned by standout instrumentation from Dave Ball.”

‘*Happiness Not Included’ is  available now . 

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Founder and editor of RETROPOP. Self-proclaimed pop aficionado. Like to make my life look super cool and exciting online, but usually found at home, with my dogs, sipping wine and listening to Nicki French!

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Marc Almond review — Soho’s enfant terrible becomes a West End trouper

Challenge yourself with today’s puzzles.

★★★★☆ Had he not become Britain’s foremost chronicler of Soho sleaze, Marc Almond could have had a far more respectable career as a torch singer. As one half of the electronic duo Soft Cell, Almond came up with such self-explanatory depictions of furtive transgression as Seedy Films and Sex Dwarf , also capturing the lonelier side of the bright lights and big city with Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye .

In this florid, accomplished solo show, in which he was backed by three singers and seven musicians, Almond left behind the shock value. He’s 65, after all, even if he doesn’t look much different from the black-clad elfin figure who jumped about on Top of the Pops all those years ago. Instead he revealed

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Soft Cell’s Marc Almond is Prepared to Say Good-bye

Marc Almond of Soft Cell has an apt metaphor for life at his age. He likens it to the bars that measure the power left on a mobile phone. “I’ve got about one bar left,” he says. “And I don’t have a charger.”

“I’m 65!” he adds with a blunt laugh. “There’s not a lot to look forward to, as opposed to what there is to look back on. Everything I write at this point is a retrospective.”

But there’s an irony at play. The way Almond has processed the past in his latest music has both reenergized his career and unearthed a wealth of experience that speaks eloquently to the present. This week, he and his musical partner in Soft Cell, Dave Ball, will release the first album under their storied brand in two decades. Wryly titled Happiness Not Included , Soft Cell’s new set mirrors the mix of darkly sardonic lyrics and electro-minimalist music that made their 1981 debut album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret , a louche classic. A concept album, Cabaret captured the frustrations and dreams that fuel the excesses of nightlife, highlighted by the global smash “Tainted Love.” The single, released at the very start of the AIDS crisis, later became a sad anthem, expressing the complicated feelings gay men had about sex in that fraught era.

That was hardly the only prescient move by the group. Soft Cell was the first of the ’80s synth-pop duos , releasing music before Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, and Eurythmics . And, though Almond wasn’t open about his sexuality during that benighted time, he kicked off the conga line of gay stars who came to dominate British pop in the 1980s, cracking the charts before Boy George in Culture Club, Andy Bell in Erasure, George Michael in Wham!, as well as the guys in Bronski Beat, Pet Shop Boys, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. In the years since, Almond has been furiously busy, releasing no fewer than 25 solo albums that have made him a significant star in the U.K. and a cult draw in the U.S.

The road to the Soft Cell reunion dates back to 2018, when the pair staged a sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena advertised as their final concert. Two years later, they wound up touring Britain again with a show that re-created Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret in its entirety. The same show will come to America in August.

In a far-ranging Zoom talk from London, Almond animatedly spoke about the new album’s themes of age and memory — elaborated in songs that sweetly reference Marc Bolan and Andy Warhol — the radical shift in society’s views of sexuality over the last 40 years, and his evolving attitude toward mortality.

Of course, it’s a pop star’s prerogative to “retire” and then “un-retire,” but why did you and Dave finally decide to record new Soft Cell music in the wake of that O2 show? BMG, where I’m signed as a solo artist, asked, “Would you be interested in doing a Soft Cell album?” Because Soft Cell is a bigger name than Marc Almond. And I thought, It all depends on what music Dave is going to give me. If he gives me music that inspires ideas for a theme, I’ll go with it. And, of course, Dave had been writing songs for years. When I heard it, I could see myself writing lyrics for it. So, the album was on.

The theme you came up with centers on the sad and stirring realizations that come with age. The album begins and ends with songs that contrast what you thought the future would be like when you were a kid in the ’60s and what it turned out to be. Why was that subject on your mind? The first Soft Cell song that Dave and I recorded together was in Dave’s bedroom in art college called “Science Fiction Stories.” It went, “Science-fiction stories told us our future.” When I was growing up as a child we had this view of a utopian future. We would all look great and have nice shiny clothes and ride on monorails and electricity would never fail. Looking at what the future turned out to be, it’s more like those [’70s sci-fi films] Soylent Green or Logan’s Run . It’s darker — dystopian, even.

The withering title of the album, Happiness Not Included , highlights that theme. It uses the language of consumer products in a morbidly funny way. Soft Cell songs, in general, have a humorous touch, and we’ve always written about being part of a consumer society. We were very influenced by films like THX 1138 , where they said, “Buy our product” in subliminal voices. We love that film!

That ironic embrace of consumerism dovetails with the work of Andy Warhol, whom you wrote about meeting back in 1982 in the new song “Polaroid.” What was that meeting like? In my years at art college, I idolized Warhol. I made little Super 8 films that were influenced by him. But when we met him, it was in the third version of the Factory. It was very corporate. We met him with a view to being on the TV show he was doing at the time. I remember babbling on because I was just so excited. He said, “What have you been doing?” and I said, “I went to see Sylvester, a disco act I really like.” And he just said “yeah” and “great” and “oh, gee.” It went on like that for half an hour. I came away from it and said to Dave, “What was that strange meeting? It was not how I imagined it would be at all.” I wanted silver paper on the walls and the Velvet Underground playing in the corner and Joe Dallesandro and Candy Darling walking around. But those days had long gone.

Have you seen The Warhol Diaries ? It presents an entirely different, and far more vulnerable, view of him from the oblique persona he chose to show the world.  It’s one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. There was a lot of sadness in it, which made me think about him in a new way. It also goes beneath all the commerce — the way he would hustle celebrities to buy his portraits — to show he was a really great artist who spanned three decades of Americana and New York and whose work said so much about everything in that time. And I crop up in episode three. I was watching it and then this voice starts talking about how people can be so unkind and I thought, That sounds like me, and, boom, there I am on Andy’s TV show!

In the new songs, you make further references to your past with multiple allusions to Marc Bolan. You loved his music so much that you changed the spelling of your first name to honor him. And, of course, “Tainted Love” was first recorded by Gloria Jones, who later became Bolan’s girlfriend. Why was he seminal for you? When Marc Bolan first appeared on TV in 1971 it was on Top of the Pops , which I watched on my black-and-white TV. This person appeared with glitter on his face who was very effeminate and was playing guitar in this very sexual way. For people like me, it was opening a door into something else. People credit Bowie with that, but it was really Marc who opened the door for him. Bowie was a multifaceted artist, but Marc Bolan was a star ! He was like Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard . He would say in interviews how fantastic and brilliant and amazing he was. There was a sense that this was all a strange delusion. But he was fantastic! And he made a string of the most beautiful pop records of all time.

All of the allusions on the new album to pop culture’s past pegs you to a certain time. That, combined with your honesty about aging in the lyrics, makes the album a kind of generational snapshot. Was that your intention? That’s what I’d like to think this is: a snapshot of a time.

The generational resonance of the new songs echoes the special resonance “Tainted Love” had for gay men in in the ’80s. But you recorded the song before AIDS was generally known. How did you feel once the song came to have that connection? It was very odd because the first time I came to New York was at the end of 1981. “Tainted Love” had been a hit in Britain, and immediately we were catapulted to New York to record an album very quickly. We’d never been to New York, and one of the first things I heard on the radio coming in was a news report that six or seven people have died of a mysterious disease. It’s a kind of “gay cancer.” That was my introduction to New York. That same night I went into Times Square and I was what we call “steamed” — a group of young guys would come around you and put their hands in your pockets and take things. That same night, I went to what was left of Studio 54 and I was dancing and somebody gave me a pill and I was out of my mind. I sat on the pavement at the end of the night and cried because it was all so overwhelming and emotional. “Tainted Love” later took on different meanings. I don’t want to say it’s a record about AIDS, but it was very apt, and so it became a soundtrack for that time.

In terms of gay pop stars, you hold a pivotal place. You were the first of the gay men who came to rule British pop music in that decade. But none of you were out at that time. How did that feel? I felt afraid, to be honest. All I was told was “you can’t let anybody know because if you do, it will ruin your whole career.” I would do very coy things when they would ask, “What are you?”, I would say, “Well, I could be and I could not be.” The whole smoke-and-mirrors thing. And we had this blurry thing in Soft Cell because Dave is not gay. The only person who was really honest from the word go was Jimmy Somerville [in Bronski Beat]. He had the hit “Small Town Boy,” which was quite influenced, I think, by “Fun City,” a very early Soft Cell song.

Given that repressive environment, it’s ironic to note that so many pop stars at the time were, in fact, gay.  A lot of us came up in the ’70s. We grew up with glam rock and disco and punk, which was very intersexual. Those three elements fed into early-’80s music. But when AIDS came along, it wiped out all the mentors. All of those people who had so much to pass on to other people — like choreographers, filmmakers, designers, and musicians — died. Afterwards, the whole landscape changed, in Britain anyway. It became Brit-pop, which was very lad-y and masculine. The ’90s swept away the gay culture that came from the ’70s.

Of course, now just the opposite is true. Today, pop stars can express whatever sexuality and identity they want. Coming from a time when that was far from true, did you ever think things would change so radically? It wasn’t a total surprise to me. We grew up with what was called “unisex” in the ’70s and then the glam-rock thing, so it was evolving.

Memories of this time bond you with groups like the Pet Shop Boys. For the new album, you’ve finally recorded a song that features them, “Purple Zone.” It’s a synth-pop harmonic convergence! It’s the U.K.’s most influential electronic duo meets the U.K.’s most successful electronic duo!

Did you know Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe well before? Neil did some interviews with me in the very early days when he was a journalist. And they’ve always said that Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret was one of the albums that made them want to start an electro duo. But we were ships in the night. I was actually nervous to meet Neil because he’s so clever and intellectual. I thought, Oh, he’s going to think I’m really stupid . But they came to see our shows just before Christmas and they loved it. That’s the last I thought of it until I was on holiday and my manager played something for me on the computer. I said, “This sounds like our song ‘Purple Zone’ but someone remixed it and now it sounds like the Pet Shop Boys.” Then Neil’s voice came in singing the second verse. It was a fantastic gift because I didn’t know they were going to do [that remix]. It was a total surprise.

There’s another interesting connection between you and the Pet Shop Boys: You’re both huge in Russia. You lived in Moscow for a few years and you even recorded a solo album of Soviet-era love songs. Interestingly, the cover of your new album is a picture of an abandoned amusement park in Ukraine, an image that now seems especially haunting. Given your knowledge of the region, did you see the current war coming? When I lived there, it seemed like a totally different place. It seemed like the blossoming of a country. It was emerging out of chaos. Everybody knew that Putin was not a very nice person, to put it mildly. But there were so many factions of warlords and gangsters that people thought, He’s the one monster who will keep all the other monsters in check . He was this kind of benevolent dictator. The thing about Putin is that he’ll be a friend to whoever is useful to him. The church poured loads of money into the Kremlin, so we got the cutting down of LGBTQ rights. It’s funny because I never experienced homophobia in Moscow or St. Petersburg. Even going on television when I did my first concert there and saying, “This is for all the people of Russia. This is for gay people and people of all sexualities,” never once did I get any homophobia. In England, I do a lot of the time. In America, too. There was a lot of hopefulness in Russia back at that time. I speak to my friends now and they have to be very careful what they say so that it doesn’t get them into trouble. People now are just in despair. It’s scary and heartbreaking. There’s no happy ending for anybody in this.

Your album ends in a way that could also seem unhappy, but in an individual, rather than a societal, way. “New Eden” is about entering the last act in life. It’s about thinking, Where is my place in the world? All of the things I loved, and all of the things that I know, are disappearing. All the friends you had slowly go one by one, your family goes, your favorite restaurants close and all those things that meant so much to you as a child are all gone. So suddenly, you find yourself in a place where you don’t belong. The world belongs to other people. But I try to think of it in a more hopeful way. This is what nature does to you. It prepares you for saying good-bye to the world. We are always preparing ourselves to say good-bye.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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GIG REVIEW: Marc Almond

Welcome to UK Music Reviews » GIG REVIEW: Marc Almond

Marc Almond performing at The Royal Concert Hall Nottingham on Monday 6th May 2019

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

It is refreshing when an artist embarks upon a tour without the added pressure of having to promote their latest album, but Marc Almond did just that at the Royal Concert Hall last night.

Telling the audience that he was taking advantage before “his knees gave out”, he began his set with Charles Aznavour’s I Have Lived. And because he can indulge himself in his set list, he took the audience on an excursion through the music that made him and by those departed artists whose work he cherishes.

Dressed sombrely in black, he went straight into a Scott Walker tribute, The Big Hurt and later Big Louise. There were other tributes such as the powerful Billy Fury’s I’m Lost Without You, The Yardbirds’ Still I’m Sad and of course the fans absolutely loved his covers of David Bowie’s Starman and John, I’m Only Dancing.

With a voice that was never technically perfect, he has long since found a way of delivering his songs in his distinct animated manner. He was backed throughout by a very talented six piece band who allowed him to shine with a fantastic rendition of Charles Aznavour’s What Makes A Man A Man, which Almond delivered on a darkened stage beneath a smoky white spotlight backed by just a piano, acting out each line of the poignant piece, which was followed by Lou Reed’s Caroline Says which he performed with just a cello and violin.

Jacques Brel’s Amsterdam and Jacky were given the Almond treatment, whilst a rousing rendition of Mary Hopkin’s Those Were The Days had the appreciative audience clapping and singing along. But it was his own hits which were left until the end that saw Almond’s passion rise, which included a lovely slowed down Bedsitter, a great Days Of Pearly Spencer, a terrific A Lover Spurned before he closed with a delightful My Hand Over My Heart.

Not leaving the stage for an encore, he brought the whole audience to their feet with Tainted Love and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye which he dedicated to his Soft Cell band mate, Dave Bell who turned 60 this week.

Almond is consistently outstanding when it comes to performing live, and even after all of these years he still has the ability to deliver songs with such emotion and energy that at 61 he must be the envy of many an artist.

INTERVIEW: Marc Almond

GIG REVIEW: Flashback To The 80’s at Clumber Park

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Marc Almond In Concert: Chaos and the Hits + Alex Lipinski

Monday 24 october 2022 tickets £28.50, £33.50, £43.50, £61.50.

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This is an archived event and all information contained on this page was correct at time of publishing

Marc Almond will be singing songs from his last top 20 album, ‘Chaos and a Dancing Star’, plus many favourites from his extensive catalogue and his biggest hits.

During the Corona crisis and lockdown Marc performed a series of live online studio concerts which received a fantastic response and worldwide viewing, but he will be happy to be back where he really belongs – in a real concert environment seeing his fans face to face.

His last album ‘Chaos and a Dancing Star’ was released to critical acclaim just before the Pandemic and lockdown. Marc was able to perform a one off concert in February 2020 at the Festival Hall with co-writer Producer Chris Braide, joined by guest Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. This was recorded for a future Live album release.

Beginning in Guildford, Marc Almond in Concert, will call at Bexhill, Brighton, the London Roundhouse, Glasgow, Perth, Manchester, Leeds, Southend, Birmingham, before finishing up at the Buxton Opera House.

Gig Timings:

6pm Building opens

6.45pm Auditorium doors

7.30pm Alex Lipinski

8pm Changeover

8.20pm Marc Almond

All timings are approximate and subject to change

Marc Almond’s lauded career, spanning over four decades, has seen him receive an Ivor Novello Inspiration Award in 2013, as well as an OBE in the 2018 New Year Honours for his services to arts and culture.

All ages. U14s must be in seats and accompanied by an adult 18+.

NO FLASH/RECORDING.

MUSIC’S NOT DEAD Bexhill’s independent record store  Music’s Not Dead  will be open before the show and until the start of the main act.

We are part of #1066MusicCity

The De La Warr Pavilion is not the promoter of this event.

This is the new date for Marc Almond, rescheduled from 13 April 2021 & 31 March 2022

Your tickets for this event remain valid for the new date and you do not need to contact the Box Office.

Ticket holders have been contacted directly by email.

If you cannot attend on the new date, please click here for information and FAQ’s.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Read everything you need to know about reschedules and FAQs here.

DLWP is a charity and live gigs and their audiences generate income for us which has now stopped. We need your support more than ever. Click here   to find out how you can help us.

Please note that Booking Fees apply on the following transactions:

Online : Tickets booked online are subject to booking fees when purchased through our website. E-tickets for print at at home are emailed instantly on the account you have registered with DLWP and are free of charge. They can also be downloaded from our website within My Account.

Telephone : £3.50 per transaction + £2 postage or free collection at the Box Office.

In Person : There are currently no charges for booking tickets in person.

There is a £2 charge to post tickets.

We strongly recommend ticket buyers to take out Ticket Protection insurance with Secure My Booking available when you book your tickets at check out.

Please note that we are only able to post tickets within the UK. If you live overseas please select box office collection or print at home tickets. Tickets purchased for post will be sent 10 – 14 days before the show date.

Full terms and conditions can be found here .

Book online: Pre-show dining can be booked online as an add-on when purchasing tickets for selected events. You will be purchasing a ticket to guarantee your meal before the show. Please note you must be a ticket holder to the show to book pre-show dining.

Already booked your tickets? If you’ve already booked tickets for a show and would like to add dining, please contact Box Office: [email protected]

On the night: If you have pre-booked please come to the bar to order from the gig menu and sit at one of the reserved tables.

Please be aware that we operate no re-entry for gigs. This means that once you have entered the building, you cannot go out and re-enter. This policy is in line with other major music venues across the UK and put in place on police advice. No re-entry is clearly signposted as you come through security on the front door. There is a fenced-off area on the terrace for people who go out to smoke or vape.

There are plenty of welcoming and good value B&Bs & boutique hotels in Bexhill. The De La Warr Pavilion regularly uses the following:

• Seapray Rooms
• The Driftwood
• The Cooden Beach Hotel
• Coast B & B
• Buenos Aires
• De La Warr View (Holiday Flat)
• By Rail Direct trains go from London Victoria, Brighton and Ashford to Bexhill. There are also trains from London Charing Cross, changing at St. Leonards Warrior Square and from London Bridge or Charing Cross going to Battle. Battle is only a short taxi journey away (15 mins approx). Visit www.nationalrail.co.uk  for up-to-date train travel information.
• Taxis Town Taxis:  01424 211 511 Parkhurst Taxis:  01424 733 456
• By Car If driving from the London area: Take the M25, then A21 to Hastings. Turn off at John‘s Cross and follow the signs to Bexhill. OR Take the A22 to Eastbourne, go across the Bishop roundabout to the A271 and follow the signs to Bexhill and the seafront. The De La Warr Pavilion is on the Marina. From the Brighton area: Follow the A27 out of Brighton until you arrive in Bexhill On Sea.
• Parking Please be aware the Rother District car park outside the De La Warr Pavilion operates paid parking until 7pm. After this time parking is free.

Within the limits of this Grade One listed building, the De La Warr Pavilion strives to be fully accessible with a range of facilities to support your visit.

Assistance Dogs are permitted into the building.

Please contact the Box Office on [email protected] to arrange a visit.

Facilities for disabled visitors

• Ramped access at the front of the building
• A low counter at the Box Office and  Information Desk
• Disabled toilets on two floors
• A lift to all floors
• Accessible galleries on both floors
• An accessible Café
• Spaces for wheelchairs in the auditorium for seated events
• Ramped access in the auditorium for events during the day
• Ramped access into the Studio
• Two travel wheelchairs are available for use at the De La Warr Pavilion. To reserve, please call our box office and information desk on (01424) 229111 or ask a member of staff on arrival. The chairs are provided on a first come, first served basis and are intended for use inside the Pavilion. Please contact us for more information.

Facilities for blind or visually-impaired

• Large print season brochures

Facilities for the hard-of-hearing

• An T-Switch induction loop in some areas of the auditorium (please indicate when booking as this facility is not available on the balcony)
• British Sign Language interpretation tours of the building and exhibitions are available on request.

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Marc Almond Concert Setlists & Tour Dates

Chaos and the hits. tour, marc almond, marc almond at empress ballroom, blackpool, england.

• Adored and Explored
• Brilliant Creatures
• My Hand Over My Heart
• A Lover Spurned
• Northern Lights
• A Kind of Love
• Tears Run Rings
• How Can I Be Sure
• Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart
• The Days of Pearly Spencer
• Edit setlist songs
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Marc Almond at Union Chapel, London, England

Marc almond at o2 shepherd's bush empire, london, england, marc almond at rewind festival england 2023.

• Tainted Love
• Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

Marc Almond at Let's Rock Norwich 2023

• Slow Burn Love

Marc Almond at Kubix Festival 2023

Marc almond at dreamland margate, margate, england, marc almond at sign of the times 2023.

• Children of the Revolution

Marc Almond at I migliori anni 2023

Marc almond at christmas theater, athens, greece.

• I'm the Light
• Black Sunrise
• The Stars We Are
• Bitter Sweet
• Burn Bright
• Under Your Wing
• Mother Fist
• Hollywood Forever
• Golden Light

More from this Artist

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Most played songs

• Say Hello, Wave Goodbye ( 198 )
• Tainted Love ( 146 )
• Tears Run Rings ( 141 )
• Jacky ( 139 )
• Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart ( 127 )

More Marc Almond statistics

The Creatures The Immaculate Consumptive Marc and the Mambas

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Artists covered

[traditional] The Action John Addison Alice Cooper The Animals Charles Aznavour Burt Bacharach Bobby “Blue” Bland Blue Cheer Colin Blunstone Marc Bolan David Bowie Jacques Brel Brotherhood of Man Chris de Burgh Chris Clark The Nat King Cole Trio Bobby Darin dBA Sandy Denny Bo Diddley Marlene Dietrich The Doors Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity Cass Elliot The Everly Brothers Ted Fiorito & His Orchestra Miss Toni Fisher Billy Fury Marvin Gaye Graham Gouldman Peter Hammill The Herd Mildred J. Hill & Patty Hill The Honeycombs The Impressions Mahalia Jackson Jethro Tull Jobriath Gloria Jones Bert Kaempfert Kalmár Pál Jerome Kern Kathy Kirby The Leaves Abe Lyman’s California Orchestra Madonna Johnny Mandel Marc and the Mambas Melinda Marx

Showing only 50 most recent

View artists covered statistics

Gigs seen live by

845 people have seen Marc Almond live.

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Marc Almond on the web

Music links.

• Marc Almond Lyrics (de)
• Official Homepage

Tour Update

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A Live Treasury of Song: 1992-2008

Marc almond.

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