Words: Darren Grayer. Photos: Rhona Murphy.
Formed in 1977, The Human League’s influence on electro-synth pop music can still be felt nearly 50 years on. After an initial experimental phase, the original line up split acrimoniously in late 1980 and remaining members Phil Oakey and Philip Adrian Wright found themselves under pressure from their Virgin record label. At that point two young backing vocalists, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley were recruited. The rest is history.
The band became one of the biggest selling artists of the early 80s with a string of hit singles that became floor fillers at just about every school disco going, and as the latest headline act at Southampton’s Summer Sessions, Guildhall Square is well and truly taken over by a crowd among whom will be many enthusiastically hoping to relive those seemingly more carefree days of their youth.
Another band who enjoyed a run of success in that period were Blancmange, who kick proceedings off. These days it’s just Neil Arthur, having parted ways with his writing partner Stephen Luscombe back in 2011. He is joined onstage by a solitary keyboard player and first up is a somewhat stripped-down version of The Day Before You Came, a song borrowed from Abba that gave Blancmange a hit in 1984. Arthurs has a little chuckle while singing and we learn afterwards he was very close to forgetting the words.
Things liven up a bit from there on in with a string of dance floor filling singles taken from the first two albums including Blind Vision, Feel Me, Living On The Ceiling and Don’t Tell Me. The quality of those songs drew praise back in the day from the likes of Can and Captain Beefheart, which is quite some testimonial.
So, a fine start to the evening continues as ex Thompson Twin, Tom Bailey takes to the stage with his band to run through another string of hits, that provided himself, and original members Alanah Curry and Joe Leeway with regular appearances on Top Of The Pops in the mid-80s.
The nine-song set includes Love On Your Side, You Take Me Up, We Are Detective, Lay Your Hands On Me, King For A Day, Doctor, Doctor and Hold Me Now. Just for good measure they throw in a cover of Talking Heads Psycho Killer. All lapped up by the audience, who are now in buoyant mood and looking forward to tonight’s headline act.
As the sun starts to set over Guildhall Square, the Human League’s drummer and two keyboard players take to the stage and begin to play the intro to the band’s breakthrough 1981 single The Sound Of The Crowd. Phil Oakey, Jo Catherall and Susan Sulley are met with rapturous applause as they join their fellow band members.
That’s immediately followed by Mirror Man, which gave the band a huge hit, reaching number 2 in the charts in 1982. Oakey then draws breath to say how glad he is to be back in Southampton, a place he has performed in every now and then since 1978.
Heart Like A Wheel and Open Your Heart are followed by Louise, a song that tells the story of a chance meeting of two old lovers, and perhaps a small glimmer of reconciliation. A mellow tale that provides one of, if not the standout track from 1984s Hysteria album.
The set continues and sees Phil Oakey disappear briefly for his first change of attire. Draped in a long black leather jacket, which sets a darker tone for one of the bands heavier songs, The Lebanon, ladened with spiky guitar riff.
Susan Anne Sulley takes a moment to thank the crowd for the years of support the band have received, before breaking into One Man In My Heart, one of the few songs by the band which features very little of Phil Oakey’s vocals. It also gives him the chance for another change of clothes!
I note just how many people around me know every word to these songs, testament to the band’s enduring popularity, and let’s face it, it’s a great way to spend a Thursday evening.
Tell Me When, the opening track from 1995’s Octopus album is followed by another of those huge 80s hits, Fascination, before the three vocalists leave the stage, then the band start playing the intro to Don’t You Want Me. The crowd have already sung one verse and the chorus before the three of them return and that kicks off the mother of all singalongs that can probably be heard at the other end of Shirley High Street. A fitting end as the group leave the stage with Oakey thanking the Southampton crowd.
Of course, that’s not entirely it, with a highly appreciative audience shouting out for more, the absence is very short lived, with drummer and keyboardists joined by Oakey for a rousing encore that starts with the quite wonderful Being Boiled. Released in 1978, it stands up there with the very best debut singles, and influenced a huge number of artists, with its dark, atmospheric sound.
The evening ends with Together In Electric Dreams, a song written by Phil Oakey and legendary electronic composer Gorgio Moroder in 1984. Another massive hit single that seemed to be constantly on the radio back then and still sounds fabulous 40 years on.
So after 15 songs and several costume changes, a packed and very happy Guildhall Square audience starts to make its way home, safe in the knowledge that Phil Oakey still has that wonderfully rich voice intact, and along with Joanne and Susan, an obvious energy and enthusiasm to keep playing these songs that mean so much to many.
- In Common is not for profit. We rely on donations from readers to keep the site running. Could you help to support us for as little as 25p a week? Please help us to carry on offering independent grass roots media. Visit: https://www.patreon.com/incommonsoton
