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The Human League came into being in 1977. The group was united in their quest to create avant-garde, fresh, electronic music that relied on the technology of their day. The group began to gain traction and popularity after they hired a Director of Visuals and began including video clips and extreme lighting within their sets. The sheer entertainment value coupled with the fresh sounds of singles such as “Being Boiled” won the group the beginnings of their following, but this fan base grew exponentially with the release of “Don’t You Want Me”.
The Human League are considered to have started the second wave British Invasion of the United States after their breakthrough single “Don’t You Want Me” went to number one in the US and multiple countries around the world. The song and the band inspired multiple new wave artists and exploded the electronic, avant-garde music scene.
The band has released nine studio albums since 1979. Five were top 20 hits in the UK and two were top 40 hits in the US. The band’s most successful album was 1981’s “Dare” which hit the number one spot in the UK, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada and peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was this album that contained the platinum selling single “Don’t You Want Me” as well as “Open Your Heart” and “Love Action (I Believe In Love)”.
Having sold more than 20 million records world wide, the band has certainly been influential on individuals and bands worldwide. Bands such as Moby and the Pet Shop Boys as well as Little Boots all attribute their sound and style to The Human League. The Human League has toured extensively across the globe and in 2007 they toured with a performance of the set list from their hit album “Dare”. Fans were so excited for this special performance that the band managed to sell out nearly every date. One thing’s for certain, when it comes to any live performance from The Human League: they’ve still got it!
Born in Southport, Lancashire in 1957, Marc Almond moved around the north of England regularly before settling in Horsforth, a suburb of Leeds. Discovering British radio icon John Peel as a child, Almond developed an appreciation for the stage music “Hair” soundtrack, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, and Marc Bolan. During his time studying Performance Art at Leeds Polytechnic, the singer and performer met fellow student David Ball, with whom he subsequently formed Soft Cell in 1979.
In 1980 the pair signed to Some Bizarre Label and achieved great success with the singles “Tainted Love”, “Bedsitter”, “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye”, “Torch”, “What!”, and “Memorabilia”. Securing nine Top 40 singles and four Top 20 albums, Soft Cell ultimately disbanded in 1984, however reunited in 2001 to release the album “Cruelty Without Beauty”.
As a solo artist Almond has released a prodigious amount of music, which largely retain the art-aesthetic of Soft Cell releases however align more closely to pop. Almond’s debut solo album arrived in 1984 entitled “Vermin in Ermine”, and earned a string of esteemed reviews. Two albums on Virgin Records followed, “Stories of Johnny” in 1985 and, “Mother Fist and Her Five Daughters” in 1987.
Following a string of albums on Parlophone and Some Bizarre Label, Almond achieved his greatest solo success to date with his 1991 album “Tenement Symphony”. Two more albums on Some Bizarre Label followed before the singer-songwriter signed with Blue Star Music and released the records “Open All Night”, “Stranger Things”, and “Heart on Snow”. Maintaining his momentum well into the second decade of the new millennium, Almond went on to release the albums “Varieté”, “Feasting with Panthers”, “The Tyburn Tree (Dark London)”, “The Dancing Marquis”, “Ten Plagues - A Song Cycle”, and “The Velvet Trail”.
The Human League started out as an experimental electronic band obsessed with science fiction and the prophetic dystopian novels of JG Ballard. Despite their extreme eccentricity and tendencies to defy conventions they ended up as a huge pop success. They deserved every bit of it. They were a group that created demand; not one which acted as a means to fill it. They anticipated the future of pop music and expressed it to its fullest potential.
The Human League entered into the mainstream, but approached it in a completely unorthodox manner. If they were to play the game of becoming pop sensations they were going to do it their way. If you go to one of their shows you will not see a stage with guitarists, bass players and drummers, but rather one filled with synths, dancers and a wildly idiosyncratic singer (that of course being Philip Oakley). Well maybe you will find a drummer at the performance (i.e. Rob Barton); however he will not be playing an acoustic set. The instrumentation of the Human League is all electronic and they do not intend to abandon that trait.
But times have changed and the band has gone in different directions. Founding member Ian Craig Marsh went on to form the equally reputable synth-pop group Heaven 17 and every other member left except Oakey and the two extraordinary vocalist (Joanne Catherall and Susan Sulleey). The Human League is still keeping at it and are releasing consistently good material.
New tracks such as the club thumping "Night People" are heavily rotated in their setlist and you better believe that they will play the timeless single "Don't You Want Me". The stage presence of the band is formal but characteristically off-kilter and the light designs are state of the art. Their sets often include abstract videos that really compliment the futuristic tone of the band. The Human League have not only proven themselves as artists whose material can stand the test of time, but have shown that they can adapt with and influence current trends in music.
wjmcc
Was a great nite the support act was fantastic awell marc at he's best again seen him 3 times in the last 12 month hopefully a 40th tour next year aswell
christopher-lamerton
Really enjoyed this gig. Great venue great performance. The mixture of old and new material was about right and I will definitely be following the new music with interest. Keep up the great work
craig-pamphilon
I saw Claire and the band at The Trades in Hebden Bridge and I was absolutely blown away to hear Claire's still sweet voice despite the passing decades. I am not a self trumpet blower but I am a very discerning listener and gig attendee - Claire had a very young apprentice by her side I later found out was called Rosie McClure, Claire bringing Rosie on board was a master stroke - Even I didn't think Claire would be able to hit those very high notes that she could way back in the 80's - as I listened intently from my perch at the back, I could hear this beautiful undertone shadowing Claire's voice, what wasn't obvious to most I expect was Claire tailing off for the final second or two for those larynx wreckers and the slack was seamless, taken up by this new to me and very beautiful young singer ... I have to admire Claire and everyone involved with the whole production, bringing a very young singer into the fold and I am sure mentoring her can do nothing only add fuel to what appears to be a very promising outlook in her own right.
Claire is still a very funny and very Glaswegian girl, I laughed my head off, especially when she accidentally launched the microphone and it hit a fella at the front, nothing malicious at all obviously and a laugh was had all round, but Claire's down to earth and very real life take on life in general is so great to hear ...
I loved the graphics on the merch as well , the art and the name of the band above is priceless as it is an image being altered hence .... I love the name Altered Images and despite the very sad but very real subject matter in the song - 'I could be happy', I smile every time the name Altered Images pops into my head or I listen to the music ...
(I often wondered how many people singing along to I could be happy were actually aware that it was a very poignant song about domestic abuse and the struggle faced by many poor isolated and controlled women in a similar living hell)
But ... to end this review on a high note for a very very good band - it's a FIVE star review for Altered Images and I cannot wait to see them again at the Brudenell in Leeds in September (2022)
Thank's for the memories and nostalgia trip as well as a great night out ...
finn67
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