Tag: Blancmange (Page 15 of 16)

The Very Best Of BLANCMANGE

16 July 2012 /

Back in 2008, reissue label Edsel licensed BLANCMANGE’s three albums ‘Happy Families’, ‘Mange Tout’ and ‘Believe You Me’ from Warners.

Although it was great to have these long players available on CD for the first time since their original release with turned up sound and bonus tracks, they were notable for their errors and omissions plus some unsympathetic liner notes by Alan Robinson.

For example, ‘Happy Families’ was missing the original album version of ‘Waves’ along with the notable B-sides ‘I Would’ and ‘Running Thin’ due to contractual issues with the BBC! Meanwhile ‘Mange Tout’ was missing the album cut of ABBA cover ‘The Day Before You Came’. There was also the much discussed absence of the 12 inch version of ‘What’s Your Problem?’ from the extra tracks on ‘Believe You Me’.

However, BLANCMANGE got off lightly compared with Edsel’s ALTERED IMAGES reissues which featured mixes of songs duplicated across their three albums despite being labelled otherwise, tracks mastered off flexi-discs, more muted sleeve notes from the same writer (who clearly disliked Claire Grogan & Co) and in the sad case of ‘Bite’, half of the album consisting of entirely the wrong versions! Thankfully, some of those missing tracks by The Maiden Aunts of Techno have surfaced on ‘The Very Best Of BLANCMANGE’, a timely new 2CD collection compiled by Music Club Deluxe with input from Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe themselves.

Music Club Deluxe, an arm of Edsel’s parent group Demon, have made a concerted effort to work with Warners to source masters and negotiate around any contractual issues with the BBC to plug the essential gaps in BLANCMANGE’s digital catalogue.

Photo by Deb Danahay

While all the singles like ‘God’s Kitchen’, ‘Feel Me’ ‘Living On The Ceiling’, ‘Blind Vision’, ‘Don’t Tell Me’ and ‘That’s Love That it Is’ are included, it is the rarities and selected album highlights (including most of ‘Happy Families’ and songs such as ‘Murder’ and ‘All Things Are Nice’) which make this collection.

The original version of ‘Sad Day’ from the ‘Some Bizzare Album’ is all present and correct. In 1981, this futurist showcase launched the careers of DEPECHE MODE, SOFT CELL, THE THE and B-MOVIE as well as that of BLANCMANGE. Here, Neil Arthur’s twangy guitar is augmented by a Minipops rhythm box and Stephen Luscombe’s Wasp synth bass reminiscent of ENO’s ‘The Fat Lady Of Limbourg’. Very different from the more familiar Oldfield-ish album version, ‘Sad Day’ was the start that eventually led to prestigious support slots with DEPECHE MODE, GRACE JONES and JAPAN as well as a deal with London Records.

Also from those fledgling years are the superb Peel Session tracks ‘Running Thin’ and ‘I Would’ which later cropped up on the flip of ‘Living On The Ceiling’. Both are stark and almost minimal but ‘I Would’ with its clattering rhythms is menacing while ‘Running Thin’ is more resigned in tone. Interestingly in retrospect, they hint at 2011’s ‘Blanc Burn’ album more than anything that featured on the original London LPs.

And as if to make the link, new track ‘Making Aeroplanes’, an outtake from the ‘Blanc Burn’ sessions follows this vintage pair on CD1. One notable inclusion on CD2 of ‘The Very Best Of BLANCMANGE’ is the album version of ‘Waves’. Without the strings, it is like SCOTT WALKER fronting OMD with the sombre detuned brass line allowed to breathe at the song’s conclusion. For those that want it, the single mix with the orchestra is there but this earlier version IS much better and strangely more emotive. Sometimes, less can mean more.

But best of all as far as the rarities go is ‘Hello Darling’ by Stephen Luscombe side-project BLUE WORLD which first appeared as a BLANCMANGE credited track in 1986 on Record Mirror’s free cassette ‘Spools Gold’. Available on CD for the first time, it is an early mash-up where Bollywood meets Giorgio Moroder.

The track is based around a sample of Indian comedian Kishore Kumar from a film called ‘Darling Darling’ which Luscombe saw as a teenager growing up in Southall. It ended up as part of the soundtrack for a BBC documentary ‘The Legend of Leigh Bowery’ about the fashion icon who designed the costumes for BLANCMANGE’s 1984 tour and despite being recorded nearly 30 years ago, it sounds amazingly contemporary.

Although the 12 inch version of ‘What’s Your Problem?’ and single mix of ‘I Can See It’ are still missing, thanks to the masters being lost within Warner Music’s vaults, ‘The Very Best Of BLANCMANGE’ is an essential artefact for the duo’s many fans. A lot of the important material tracing the quirky duo’s history is now thankfully restored, albeit not quite in its rightful place. But thanks to the efforts of Music Club Deluxe, Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe, this collection is an informed start to at least softening past mistakes made by others.

As for Music Club Deluxe’s colleagues in the next office at Edsel… do a bit of research and ask! Attention to detail doesn’t hurt! There are plenty of people out there who are willing to give their time for the music they love, simply because they care!

‘The Very Best Of BLANCMANGE’ is released by Music Club on 23rd July 2012

http://www.blancmange.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/BlancmangeMusic

https://twitter.com/_blancmange_

Text by Chi Ming Lai
16th July 2012

NEIL ARTHUR Interview

16 March 2012 /

BLANCMANGE made their welcome return in 2011 after a recorded absence of nearly 25 years with the album ‘Blanc Burn’.

Featuring inventive and quirky tunes such as ‘Drive Me’, ‘I’m Having A Coffee’, ‘The Western’ and ‘Starf*cker’, the collection showed that the creative dynamic which influenced acts such as FAITHLESS, LA ROUX and HOT CHIP was as vital as ever.

A well received Spring tour plus other prestigious summer dates such as Coventry’s Godiva Festival with HEAVEN 17 and MIRRORS showed that audiences still had a taste for BLANCMANGE. However due to illness, Stephen Luscombe was unfortunately unable to join his erstwhile partner Neil Arthur for those live dates. Despite always looking forward, BLANCMANGE have been crossing paths with their past on several occasions since their comeback.

Godiva Festival saw Neil Arthur meeting up with HEAVEN 17’s Martyn Ware, who produced the demos which got them signed to London Records. Meanwhile, Friday 4th May 2012 will see BLANCMANGE headline a special weekend celebrating the legacy of DEPECHE MODE and the Basildon electronic music scene.

BLANCMANGE supported DEPECHE MODE on their early tours and became close friends particularly with Vince Clarke. Of course, BLANCMANGE themselves had their own imperial phase with hit singles such as ‘Living On The Ceiling’, ‘Blind Vision’, ‘Don’t Tell Me’ and the ABBA cover ‘The Day Before You Came’… so that’s where Vince Clarke got the idea for ERASURE’s ‘Abba-Esque’ EP from!!!

With a new tour for May just announced, Neil Arthur got a trifle excited and spoke about BLANCMANGE’s future plans.

Photo by Deb Danahay

How did you become involved in playing a DEPECHE MODE fan event in Basildon?

I know organiser Deb Danahay from years ago when she was with Vince Clarke.

Me and Stephen were good mates with Vince, the other DEPECHE MODE lads and their partners at that time during 1981-82.

Deb got in touch and said she was seeing us in Brighton. We’d chatted a few times over the phone and Facebook but we ended up meeting and had a really good chat after the show. It was just fantastic; we’ve kept in touch since then.

How was it touring with DEPECHE MODE back in the day?

We did two tours with them. When we toured with DEPECHE MODE the first time, I hadn’t long left college and I was working so I took time off work to do that. We weren’t signed at that time. On the second tour, we knew Vince was leaving but everybody was keeping it quiet. After Vince left and Alan Wilder joined, we then did Jersey and Guernsey on the 10th and 12th April 1982 with them. We had a swimming competition after the last gig!

I bumped into Alan a few months ago at Sinners Festival in Belgium when RECOIL and BLANCMANGE were playing. We walked out of our dressing rooms and both of us gave out some ‘manly’ screams and went “BLOODY HELL”!

We obviously knew we might bump into each other but not opposite dressing rooms… it’s a huge event! Bloody brilliant, me and Alan with KARL BARTOS next to us!! “Eh, who’s been in that toilet?”… the high life of electronic music! *laughs*

Photo by Deb Danahay

What are your key memories of those DM support tours?

It was all in black and white then! My biggest memory is never winning a game of chess with Andy Fletcher! And the amount of cuddly toys they used to get given! That was phenomenal! *laughs*

A very funny thing happened…

When we done those two dates in the Channel Islands with sell out audiences, we were at the entrance to the airport and there were a load of teenagers there with autograph books. DEPECHE MODE walked straight through and the teenagers didn’t bat an eyelid…they were dressed as DEPECHE MODE, they weren’t in disguise! Me and Stephen walked past, nobody battered an eyelid. My girlfriend walked past and they mobbed her! *laughs*

Those kids were Swiss tourists and they knew there were these bands there but they couldn’t figure out who and she looked the most glamourous. So she had to sign all the autographs! There were many funny moments and good times.

You and Stephen spent quite a lot of time with Vince Clarke when he was doing YAZOO. So what was this unreleased track BLANCMANGE did with YAZOO like?

It was awful!! That’s why it didn’t come out I suppose! *laughs*

Me, Stephen, Vince and Alison got together in Blackwing Studios and we started but never finished a version of ‘It Takes Two’…it was abandoned, we basically ended up laughing so much we couldn’t do it! With hindsight, it might have been a good idea to persevere and sort it out but we had a good laugh. I’ve got a copy in the studio but nobody will ever hear it as far as I’m concerned! *laughs*

The difference between my voice and Alison’s voice… Alison’s a singer; I was forced into a position to sing! I didn’t have to do it but one of us had to sing and I was just better at it than Stephen was! *laughs*

How is Stephen at the moment if I may ask?

I saw him the other week. He’s not well; it’s very difficult for him. He’s got to be very careful about activity. But he’s in great spirits and that’s a good thing, we have a good laugh. It’s obviously frustrating from his point of view. He knows BLANCMANGE is in very capable hands… with the other two even if it’s not with me. But he’s very happy for me to be getting on with it *laughs*

I’m sure we’ll do more stuff together; I know everyone wishes him well.

What about THE ASSEMBLY track it is rumoured you did?

We went in the studio and had a pfaff around with stuff… we started something, but it didn’t work out and just moved on. We were busy with our stuff at the time. What I do remember from that time is cracking those Extra Strong Mints in the dark to see if they let any light out!! Me and Vince in a cupboard, cracking mints! You’ve gotta try it! *laughs*

How did you feel about the reaction from fans and press to BLANCMANGE’s return and ‘Blanc Burn’ in particular?

I was very pleased with the way it was received… compared to reviews I can recall from years ago, the reaction has been very positive and that’s lovely. Having said that, when it came out, I didn’t read a review; it’s only recently that I’ve done that. At the time, I thought it was more important to get on with the work. Reviews are great if they’re good but after all these years, you just get on with it. We’ve made plenty of mistakes in public and just carried on…if people decide it’s a mistake, that’s their prerogative. If it’s something that people really like, they can have their opinion on it and I go “thank you every much indeed”.

The other thing is, we’re not with a big record company, it was only licensed and the whole thing was recorded in our studios and mixed at a friend’s place. It wasn’t done how like the old albums were put together…that’s what I thought was the interesting thing because the end product probably appears from the outside to be very similar. The actual process was very different. There were some excellent reviews, some good ones and I’ve read a few that don’t get it but that’s fine.

In terms of how the audience have reacted to us, it was humbling. I hadn’t been on a big stage for a long time and I didn’t know what it was going to be like. At Glasgow, it was like stepping into a void. But as soon as I put my foot on the stage, I knew exactly where I was and I knew what I wanted to do…things kind of trigger and come back. And it was made easier by the most partisan crowd I could just imagine. It was fantastic and meeting people afterwards, that was the humbling bit. It was absolutely brilliant hearing their stories and inspirational things I found out from people. Great!

I saw you at Koko and it has to be said you’ve aged much more gracefully compared with some of your contemporaries, what’s your secret?

It’s very kind of you to say so… how close did you get? *laughs*

Everything in moderation and some of it never in moderation! I love running and football, I play football regularly. I enjoy swimming too, my whole family was into that at a competitive level. It put me in good stead!

I’ve actually been out cycling today with my old mate David Rhodes who used to play with us, JAPAN and Peter Gabriel! We did a great run though the Cotswolds. I don’t know, he’s older than me and he was beating me on every hill! And we weren’t racing either!!

You were doing a few of the old Tai Chi moves on stage…

I’ve been doing Origami as well, I can fold a piece of paper in half just like that! I’m a black belt in Origami! *laughs*

Pandit Dinesh must have the largest ever exotic percussion collection ever seen at a pop concert?

He’s a great man, great friend…sometimes he says he’s going to start off on one instrument and goes onto another one! He’s full of surprises and some of the songs were twice as long as they should have been! *laughs*

Your daughter and son came to some of the shows, what did they make of it all?

Obviously, they didn’t know dad did that…“oh, you get a bit intense up there don’t you dad?!” Better out than in! They told me they were proud… I’d like to think they were honest! *laughs*

Of course, my better half, who signed the autographs I mentioned earlier, had seen it all before!

You haven’t done ‘The Day Before You Came’ at any of these shows, was there any particular reason for that?

No, it was just that there were a lot of songs to do and I was really keen to do a mixture of new and old. I mean, we didn’t do ‘That’s Love, That Is’, ‘Lose Your Love’ or ‘What’s Your Problem?’. I just made a decision… funnily enough ‘The Day Before You Came’ may well appear and ‘Lose Your Love’ too, but I’m also keen on doing new stuff and moving it forward! I’m very interested in the future.

I do understand that we have some kind of a legacy and I realise people who do come to see us would expect to hear those old songs. We enjoy doing songs like ‘Feel Me’ and sneaking in ‘Running Thin’. It was great fun doing old stuff like that with the new ones.

So what’s the background of new track ‘Come On Now’?

‘Come On Now’ was done in the same period as ‘Blanc Burn’, but what we did first was to see how we would get on because me and Stephen hadn’t worked together for a long time. What was nice was that we had both been doing music during that time for films, TV and adverts. Funnily enough, the roles had changed because I do a massive amount of programming… that’s what I do but years ago, it was a different thing with synthesizers and sequencers. We ended up with a load of songs and of course, some went on the album, some didn’t. Whether this stuff will ever come out, I don’t know because we don’t have to release it. There’s a bizarre version of a CHIC song that might surface… we don’t often do covers but when we do! *laughs*

The version of ‘Come On Now’ that is now was one of the last tracks we mixed but it was one of the first songs we recorded together… I’d written this basic song with these lyrics and we started mucking around with it. We just decided not to put it on the album.

You are very much into the future, so how are you resisting offers to do things like Rewind Festival and Here & Now?

If people want to do that, then it’s fine. BLANCMANGE have been asked and I’ve even been asked on my own… I don’t really want to do it, it’s not my bag! You have a band playing in the background who you don’t know, and you go on and sing your hit… it’s not me! Last year, we did Godiva Festival with MIRRORS and HEAVEN 17. I’ve got a lot of time for MIRRORS… they look great, I love the sound and the way they do it. And then after us were HEAVEN 17.

So it was really nice that there were electronic acts all together but one was a new band, two of them weren’t. I thought it was a fantastic idea. Do they do that at Rewind? I don’t think so. And when we came back, most of the set was new songs! If you didn’t know us, you’d have been thinking “what are these old gits doing up there playing new songs?” It was really good fun, and nice meeting Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory again, I hadn’t seen them for a while.

When we were doing festivals before, you’d go on stage, come off and Rory Gallagher would go on. It’s a bit different now and there’s a load of them!

Any DEPECHE MODE or YAZOO themed tribute planned?

You’ve just given me a great idea! I went round to Vince’s years ago, he got out one of those holographic records and we tried it with the headphones on. With me, it was like having your haircut with a swarm of bees round your head! Maybe I’ll recreate that moment *laughs*

We’re looking forward to it but we’ve got a heck of a drive! I said to Deb “yeah, we can sort it out with the agent” etc… and then I looked at our tour schedule, we’ve got Newcastle-Glasgow-BASILDON!!! You’re asking me if I’ll do a tribute? You’ll be lucky if I’m standing up… I might have to sit down doing the whole bloody set!! I think that night, I’ll play keyboards and you can hear somebody else singing! *laughs*

What next for BLANCMANGE and yourself?

We’re thinking of putting out an EP, perhaps on a USB stick, but also we may do a limited edition of our first EP ‘Irene & Mavis’ which is not around anymore. We’ve had it digitised. We’ve got festivals coming up. We had some really good times at Sinners in Belgium last year. That was good fun, they really looked after us so I’m looking forward to all that. There’s talk of us going out to America.

I know we’ve talked about this retro thing but I think in the Autumn, we’re looking at doing a classic album in its entirety which might be ‘Happy Families’. They’re looking at doing a short tour of that and I think it would be good fun to do. I quite fancy doing ‘Mange Tout’ to be honest, but I have a feeling we’ll probably do the first one and see where it goes. We’ll certainly take that to Germany as well.

I’ve got a side project I’m working on with FFINCE & ODDGER. I was talking to the lads from KOMPUTER about doing something. I’m also looking at having a chat with CAGE & AVIARY who I love. You got to get their new album Migration, there’s some great dubby and four-to-the floor stuff going on there. I was speaking to John Luongo who we did ‘Blind Vision’ and the second album with the other day, he wants me to go and see him in America.

I’m sure they’ll be another BLANCMANGE album but I’d quite like to do some remixes. A really interesting thing happened, I came across a tape from 1980 and it’s got songs that nobody’s ever heard. The only one that ever came out was the original ‘Sad Day’ which went on the ‘Some Bizarre Album’. They’re recordings on a 4-track. We’ve had that digitised, it’s on the computer and it might get some attention.

There’s things like ‘I Would’ and the original versions of ‘Waves’, ‘I Can’t Explain’ and ‘I’ve Seen The Word’ minus a verse!! It’s got a verse missing while there’s no histrionics on ‘Waves’! There’s a bit of ‘Waves’ that I’ve always had difficulty with. I remember somebody said “why don’t you do that bit, you don’t sing it like you used to?” and I said “I don’t have to, it’s my bloody song!”… I said to Stephen the other day that I wished we’d never written it! *laughs*

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Neil Arthur

Special thanks to Stuart Kirkham at 9PR and Deb Danahay

BLANCMANGE’s 2012 tour includes:

Newcastle O2 Academy (2nd May), Glasgow ABC (3rd May), Blackburn Darwen Library Theatre (9th May), Liverpool O2 Academy (10th May), Leeds Brudenell Social (11th May), Leamington Spa Assembly Rooms (18th May), Birmingham O2 Academy (19th May), Wolverhampton Slade Rooms (20th May), Milton Keynes Wavendon The Stables (21st May), Oxford O2 Academy (24th May), London Islington Academy (25th May)

http://www.blancmange.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/BlancmangeMusic

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos Courtesy of Deb Danahay and Neil Arthur
Live Photos by Richard Price
16th March 2012

DEB DANAHAY Interview

8 March 2012 /

Photo courtesy of Deb Danahay

This UK May Day Bank Holiday weekend sees a gathering of the masses taking place…

DEPECHE MODE fans from all over the world will gather in Basildon, Essex between Friday 4th to Saturday 5th May 2012 to celebrate the legacy of the town’s biggest musical export but also the region’s electronic music scene which had its own hub in the shape of Southend’s Croc’s club.

Together with other ‘Some Bizzare Album’ contributors SOFT CELL, THE THE and B-MOVIE, DEPECHE MODE became part of an emergent scene that was to have a long lasting impact on pop, electronica, alternative, industrial and beyond with artists as diverse as DAVID GRAY (who covered SOFT CELL’s ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’), MANIC STREET PREACHERS (who covered THE THE’s ‘This Is The Day’), RAMMSTEIN (who covered DM’s ‘Stripped’) and DIDO (whose song ‘Here With Me’ was co-written by B-MOVIE’s Paul Statham)!

But the biggest coup has been the announcement that BLANCMANGE will be headlining. Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe opened side two of the Some Bizarre Album with the instrumental ‘Sad Day’ and later supported DEPECHE MODE. Remaining friends in particular with Vince Clarke, the duo had their own success with the albums ‘Happy Families’ and ‘Mange Tout’ while they made their return last year with ‘Blanc Burn’ and a series of well received live dates.

The Saturday afternoon will host an exhibition of DEPECHE MODE memorabilia at The James Hornsby School in Laindon which Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Alison Moyet once attended. It also hosted one of DEPECHE MODE’s first gigs with the original line-up of Vince Clarke, Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan and Martin Gore; a plaque at the school proudly commemoratives that occasion.

Curator Deb Danahay is a well known member of the DEPECHE MODE family having founded the band’s fan club with Jo Gahan.

As Vince Clarke’s girlfriend, Deb experienced at first hand the trials and tribulations of a group of young men fusing the sound of the synthesizer to a new ultrapop template.

Photo by Deb Danahay

Signing to Mute Records, they released their debut album ‘Speak & Spell’ in Autumn 1981 but there was then the shock announcement that Vince Clarke would be leaving the band to form YAZOO with blues singer Alison Moyet!

With the transformation from synth boy band into something much darker and sinister, DEPECHE MODE were very much a product of their surroundings, a development provoked by the conservatism of their new town birthplace and the gifted opportunity to suddenly see the world.

Despite their inventiveness, DEPECHE MODE garnered a negative reaction from the British music press but found a more positive response abroad. Their stark industrialised experimentation and filmic qualities eventually conquered the arenas of Europe and then the stadiums of America with albums such as ‘Music For The Masses’, ‘Violator’ and ‘Songs Of Faith Of Devotion’.

Deb Danahay kindly spoke to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK and reminisced on her time within the DEPECHE MODE camp.

What was the original catalyst for holding a DM fan event in Basildon?

I joined Facebook and started having lots of European fans get in touch with me… they’d read the book ‘Stripped’ by Jonathan Miller and I’m the only Deb Danahay in the world as far as I know, so it was easy to get hold of me *laughs*

They started posting up photos and someone sent me a video of The Masses, a DM event in Hamburg… I thought it was a gig, but there were all these fans waving their hands to a DJ! It blew me away that people went to evenings that were purely DEPECHE MODE music all night long. I was invited to go over to Berlin with Robert Marlow which was really surreal that they wanted me to go over. That’s when I realised this was quite a big thing.

Photo by Deb Danahay

So how was the first event in 2011 received? Where were people making the journey from?

There were a lot of Germans, some Swiss, Swedes, Romanians, and Italians… they were so lovely and happy to be together to party and be in Basildon.

What have you included this time round to make it even more of an occasion?

There’s going to be a Bus Tour visiting all of the special places that the European fans who come over to Basildon on their own steam would visit… to them, it’s like Liverpool with THE BEATLES. So included are the band members’ childhood homes, schools etc.

We’re using the tour bus that YAZOO used for their ‘Reconnected’ Tour so that’s quite exciting in itself. There’s going to be a film that people can watch on the bus and then they visit the relevant places, take pictures and meet people who were important to DEPECHE MODE in the early years. These people will tell their stories and chat to fans.

For the bands have you chosen to play, what selection criteria have you used?

Mainly, they have a DEPECHE MODE / YAZOO / Basildon connection or they’re people that we know. Although in the case of one band MODOVAR, the singer Chris used to write to the YAZOO fan club – which I used to run back in the day! *laughs*

Photo by Deb Danahay

You have BLANCMANGE headlining. So you and them both go back a long way?

Yes, BLANCMANGE supported DEPECHE MODE in 1981. Vince, Neil and Stephen were good friends, we went on holiday together so there was a camaraderie. I did lose touch with them but when they started touring again last year, I met up with them again. Neil’s really up it…

For those who are thinking about whether to come along or not, what sort of people is it likely to appeal to and what can they expect if they come?

It’s for people who appreciate electronic music and also, it’s a party as opposed to a festival really. There’s a club at the end of each evening after the bands. It’s for like minded people to socialise, appreciate live music and party! The DM devotees just love getting together at gigs and events. A welcoming friendly atmosphere is guaranteed.

What will the DJs be playing?

Electronica from the late 70s to present day. There’s a specialist DJ Dan Martin from Barcelona who will be playing purely DEPECHE MODE for the Saturday night club party.

You’ve mentioned YAZOO but will the other offshoot acts such as ERASURE and RECOIL also figure?

Yes of course – if that’s what the DJs like yourself choose to play! *laughs*

You’ve have a close connection with the DEPECHE MODE family, what was your first memory of them in those fledgling days?

I knew Dave first, we used to go to the same pubs and clubs… we were slaves to fashion and whatever was the latest trend at that time! Me and Dave were into the soul scene first. I remember we were at a party and being a good friend, he walked me home. He mentioned Vince, who I didn’t know then, had asked him to be lead singer of this band… Dave didn’t know what to do! So I said “go for it, there’s nothing to lose!” *laughs*

Vince was very astute, he’d asked Dave because Dave was popular and had a lot of friends who were part of the In Crowd. Vince, Martin and Fletch were part of a Christian Fellowship; that was their musical background. I then met Robert Marlow who was Vince’s best friend and then I met Vince through Rob.

Photo by Deb Danahay

Can you remember your first DEPECHE MODE gig?

The first time I saw them was at a party that I held at The Paddocks in Basildon, but they were called COMPOSITION OF SOUND then. I still have a Fanzine gig review of that performance – it can be seen at the Memorabilia Event.

Had you been interested in electronic music much at that point?

I was a Soul Girl initially – but was drawn to Giorgio Moroder through Donna Summer *laughs*

This led onto KRAFTWERK and ULTRAVOX then THE HUMAN LEAGUE, GARY NUMAN and OMD. Then of course, there was THE NORMAL, SILICON TEENS and FAD GADGET. I couldn’t believe it when I first got to know Daniel Miller, it was such a shock to find out he was THE NORMAL and THE SILICON TEENS!! I’d bought these records ages before… I thought THE SILICON TEENS were a proper group! I’m sure everyone else did! *laughs*

Did anyone have an inkling that something was going to happen with DEPECHE MODE?

NO! No one did! Vince was very driven and striving but he was on the dole! No-one within the band thought they would become big stars. The scene they were in around Crocs, everyone was just having a party *laughs*

On the 20th Century Box documentary narrated by Danny Baker, the boys can be seen rehearsing a song that was never actually released. Judging by the evidence on film, there’s probably a reason why that one has never come out! But in your opinion, was there an unreleased DEPECHE MODE song that was either played live or rehearsed which is perhaps a hidden jewel and should have been recorded?

There is ‘Television Set’ but that wasn’t written by any of the band and that’s why it was never got recorded.

One of the exhibits you’re going to have on the Saturday afternoon at James Hornsby School is to give fans the opportunities to hear some rare tracks and demos?

I had demos of Vince and Alison recorded at an 8 track in Vince’s flat. We have a unit so people can listen on headphones. This year we have special DEPECHE MODE demos and as BLANCMANGE are performing, I have a demo that BLANCMANGE and YAZOO recorded but was never released…

So ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ becomes a huge hit, ‘Speak & Spell’ has just been released and then Vince Clarke announces he’s leaving! What honestly did you think at the time?

Well, I was very much in love with Vince at that time, it didn’t matter what he did. I wasn’t surprised when he left, but not because of anything anyone did. It was just Vince, he didn’t like being tied down, or he didn’t then…

Of course, your loyalties were with Vince and YAZOO but were you worried for Martin, Dave and Fletch? What were relations like between the two camps at the time?

Things were fine, but obviously I remember feeling bad because they didn’t understand why. It was just Vince in himself. Socially, I used to meet the guys down the pub – part of the gang as normal – which speaks volumes of their characters doesn’t it?

Mute’s Daniel Miller has to be applauded for being a great mentor at this time…

His personality and character held everything together, he was just so balanced and level. I never saw him lose his patience or temper with anyone. He was a big motivator. Also, Mute itself then was tiny, it was really laid back and friendly.

‘Upstairs At Eric’s’ and ‘A Broken Frame’ came out within a few weeks of each other in Autumn 1982. With their 30th anniversaries coming up, how do you think these two albums stand up to scrutiny now?

They’re just brilliant of course! I’m very biased aren’t I? *laughs*

Photo by Deb Danahay

How do you think the core of DEPECHE MODE have managed to stay together all these years?

I think it’s because they have a deep friendship and Basildon people, we have this self-deprecating humour…I remember in the most recent DM book, 1983 support act Matt Fretton said he couldn’t understand how Dave, Martin and Fletch used to take the mickey out of each other… but I could understand that.

It’s a joke, not a personal thing, it’s not about having a go at someone, but he couldn’t see that. That’s the sort of thing that has kept them together. When you listen to them being interviewed, they’re still so down to earth.

So why do you think DEPECHE MODE have been the most successful act of the Synth Britannia generation, particularly in America where other acts from the era such as THE HUMAN LEAGUE, OMD, SIMPLE MINDS have had a couple of big hits but have been unable to maintain the kind of momentum which still sees DM play huge venues?

The feeling I get from the European fans is that DEPECHE MODE songs portray their lives. The lyrics in tracks like ‘Walking In My Shoes’ mean something emotionally to them. That’s why a lot of people are drawn to DEPECHE MODE, it’s about their lives, whether it’s being heartbroken or lonely through the years.

What do you think of the stuff that Vince Clarke and Martin Gore have recorded as VCMG?

I think it’s wonderful that they have connected again, but personally I’m not really into trancey disco, it’s not my cup of tea…

Your favourite DEPECHE MODE songs and album?

Wow! Too many to mention Chi! The ‘Speak & Spell’ era has got a great personal thing for me. ‘Big Muff’, I just love ‘Big Muff!’ and I love ‘Personal Jesus’. Anything that Johnny Cash covers has just got to be incredible…

Photo by Deb Danahay

What about any of Vince Clarke’s various projects?

I love all the early ERASURE catalogue like ‘Sometimes’ and ‘A Little Respect’ – but again to many to mention. THE ASSEMBLY with Feargal Sharkey, that was just amazing.

Vince did some work with the guys from WIRE which has just come out in a box set… DOME they were called – totally originally pieces of work…

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Deb Danahay

BAS II takes place on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th May 2012

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
8th March 2012

2011 END OF YEAR REVIEW

30 December 2011 /

The Year Of Capacitors

It was a year which saw classic and new stand side-by-side as comrades in arms for the synthesizer. In possibly the event of the year, April’s ‘Back To The Phuture ­- Tomorrow Is Today’ at London’s Troxy saw godfathers Gary Numan and John Foxx supported by the best new UK synthpop act for many years, MIRRORS.

The Brighton quartet reappeared in the summer over on the South Bank when the Vintage Festival Electronic Phuture Revue gave us a celebration of synthpop cool with performances by ONETWO, RECOIL, HEAVEN 17 and Thomas Dolby. Speaking of the latter, they premiered ‘The Luxury Gap’ at The Roundhouse in 3D sound no less while their production alter-ego BEF presented ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction Live’.

Meanwhile, Mute Records celebrated their influential legacy with a weekender also at London’s Roundhouse featuring ERASURE, YAZOO and THE ASSEMBLY in the same set, plus acts such as RECOIL, NITZER EBB and LAIBACH. With an electro documentary weekend before Easter on the Sky Arts TV channel featuring Gary Numan, DURAN DURAN, NEW ORDER, Jean-Michel Jarre and the late Rorbert Moog electronic music’s cultural legacy was being recognised the world over.

Indeed, Gary Numan’s Inspiration Award from Mojo magazine finally acknowledged those trailblazing Synth Britannia years. There were complaints by one well-known blog however about wrinkly electropop but without these pioneers who changed music, where would we be today? As KRAFTWERK’s Ralf Hütter said: “From all over the world comes inspiration. We have been very lucky, because the music we envisioned, the ideas we had of The Man Machine and electro music, have become reality and technology has developed in our direction and electro is everywhere”.

Shouldn’t the imperial phase of Synth Britannia and its earlier Germanic influence therefore be celebrated in the way that senior blues musicians have been revered within the world of rock ‘n’ roll? Missing from the Mute evening’s proceedings as a collective were DEPECHE MODE who gave the world a U2 cover and a second instalment of their remix collection as part of their year’s work.

One rework that provoked enormous debate was Alan Wilder’s improved rework of 2009’s ‘In Chains’ which added speculation as to whether he would be rejoining the band. Certainly, it would induce some much needed creative tension that has mostly been missing from DEPECHE MODE since the start of the noughties.

But one act truly excelling in the darker side of electronic based music was IAMX who continued to conquer Europe while remaining largely ignored in the UK. Martin Gore could seriously learn from Chris Corner about how to make melodic, accessible music that doesn’t compromise artistically and retains a gritty edge. Meanwhile, Gore rekindled a working relationship with Vince Clarke on a techno project under the banner of VCMG.

Monday 21st March was an interesting day as it saw the release of albums by DURAN DURAN, THE HUMAN LEAGUE and John Foxx. As concert celberity Mr Normall amusingly recalled in his Facebook status “this is 2011, not 1981”! At least two of those albums were the best and most immediate bodies of work from those artists for many years. The bar has certainly been raised for acts such as ULTRAVOX and VISAGE who both announced forthcoming new albums. BLANCMANGE made their welcome return with Neil Arthur’s sense of humour as sharp as ever but sadly, he was unable to be joined for the live shows by his bandmate Stephen Luscombe due to illness. One hopes Stephen is making a good recovery.

MIRRORS showed their promise and delivered the superbly seamless long player ‘Lights & Offerings’. While the band themselves admitted it may have been a touch derivative, it was enjoyed by a small but loyal fanbase who embraced their whole intelligent pop noir aesthetic. However, just as they were about to make a breakthrough, a second high profile tour supporting OMD in Germany was cancelled along with an appearance at Bestival.

Then founder member Ally Young announced he was leaving the group. The situation has been likened by some observers to when Vince Clarke left DEPECHE MODE. Of course, the end result of that was both parties mutated into highly successful acts and ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK is hopeful something similar may occur here. Certainly an excellent new darker tune called ‘Dust’ from the remaining trio indicates MIRRORS are not finished yet!

The similarly smartly attired HURTS continued their domination of Europe and while not as adored in the UK, they still did the business touring wise with sell-out shows at Somerset House and Brixton Academy with Kylie Minogue making a surprise guest appearance at the latter.

Of the ladies, Beth Ditto went superbly electronic with her debut solo EP while Claudia Brücken went jazz for the soundtrack of ‘LA Noire’, but not before celebrating the electronic part of her career with a fine retrospective Combined and a fantastic show at The Scala which saw a three quarters reunion of PROPAGANDA plus special guests ANDY BELL and HEAVEN 17.

Another acclaimed German chanteuse Billie Ray Martin returned with her new project THE OPIATES and an album ‘Hollywood Under The Knife’ while LADYTRON released a definitive Best Of ’00-10′ and a new album ‘Gravity The Seducer’. The latter was a glorious, lush masterpiece of aural subtlety which was not universally embraced by their fanbase but is likely to become a cult favourite in the future.

Meanwhile, the spectre of FEVER RAY’s Karin Drejer-Andersson lurked, both musically and politically, within several darker female fronted combos such as AUSTRA, THE HORN THE HUNT and GAZELLE TWIN. The brooding unsettlement of this Hauntronica (or witch house as it was sometimes referred) won favour with some while John Foxx named GAZELLE TWIN’s ‘The Entire City’ as his album of the year. However, this fairly uncompromising strain of electro wasn’t for everyone although it was definitely more preferable to dubstep, the trendy new dance form that even the usually club friendly Chris Lowe of PET SHOP BOYS was having trouble embracing!

But Nordic influences weren’t just about tonal gloom and witchery. Greek maidens MARSHEAUX adopted some FEVER RAY styled percussive moods on their only song of the year ‘Can You Stop Me?’ but remained synthpop while American duo NIGHTLIFE borrowed Sally Shapiro’s sweeter template.

Over at The Finland Station, producer Jori Hulkkonen’s PROCESSORY project delivered an 18 track electronic Sci-Fi concept album entitled ‘Change Is Gradual’. TIGER BABY from Denmark returned with the dreamy single ‘Landscapes’ while from Sweden, both THE GIRL & THE ROBOT and Emmon delivered enjoyable new material. There was also the mysteriously kooky IAMAMIWHOAMI but best of all from the region were THE SOUND OF ARROWS with the cinematic crystalline pop of their debut album ‘Voyage’.

At the pure pop end of the spectrum, Lady Gaga plotted her next move into world domination with new album ‘Born This Way’. With religious lyrical imagery were very much in evidence throughout, this was her ‘Like A Prayer’ with a Eurocentric sound being very much the dominant factor in the music. With her ear firmly on the inventive UK music scene, GOLDFRAPP, HURTS and MIRRORS were commissioned to deliver remixes of ‘Judas’.

LITTLE BOOTS returned with a bouncy house number called ‘Shake’ while SUNDAY GIRL had her album delayed again and didn’t appear to know whether she wanted to be a singer or a fashion designer. Her pop thunder has now potentially been stolen by the similar raspy timbres of Lana Del Rey whose pair of remixes by NIKONN became favourites with many electro enthusiasts. Embracing couture but with her head fully focussed on the music, QUEEN OF HEARTS brought some intelligent sparkle to electropop. With mentions in The Guardian and The Times, her superb EP ‘The Arrival’ realised the potential that was apparent in her earlier girl group days.

Several acts introduced by ELECTRICTYCLUB.CO.UK in 2010 gained prestigious supports slots as a sign of their steady progress. SHH were billed with former BLACK BOX RECORDER vocalist SARAH NIXEY, THE VANITY CLAUSE opened for a solo ANDY BELL performance while Electro Weimar songstress KATJA VON KASSEL did the same at two of ERASURE’s shows in Germany.

VILLA NAH were due to play the biggest gig of their career with DURAN DURAN but Simon Le Bon’s illness, which also caused the postponement of the entire UK tour in May, unfortunately put paid to that. So it could be said that “Synthpop’s Alive” and this was exemplified by Essen based American act MAISON VAGUE who gave the world probably the best wholly independent release of the year.

Clark Stiefel’s wonderful cross of Gary Numan and DEVO was the work of a man brought up in the avant-classical world with hands-on experience of vintage Moog and Buchla modulars. Using the concept of “living in a dream since 1983”, despite the vintage influences, it was electronic music as imagined by the eccentricity of Oscar Wilde crossed with the thoughtful demeanour of late classical composer Franz Liszt.

Over the year, American based electronic acts were starting to come to the fore with XENO & OAKLANDER, SOFT METALS, HIGH PLACES, THE MYSTIC UNDERGROUND and Tara Busch all gaining notable acclaim.

A question that has to be asked though is whether there is too much synth based music at the moment? Interestingly, Thomas Dolby and Sarah Nixey moved away from the electronic world and released new albums that had a more personal, organic quality. Some observers were complaining about “synthpop by numbers” and “Synth Britannia throwbacks”, but as OMD’s Andy McCluskey once said on that very programme, if there was a magic button for a hit single, he’d have pressed it more times than anyone else.

While improvements in technology have made it much easier for the public at large to make music and interesting noises, not everyone has the ability to write proper songs. Not only that but the iPod/notebook generation have been listening to compressed mp3s on tinny speakers for such a long time now that they have no grasp of dynamics. This has hampered many new acts who have taken to doing everything themselves and as a result, produced some average pieces of work.

There is nothing like a second opinion and creative tension to help a new piece of music along. And it is this willingness to understand the cores of songwriting, production and arrangement that ultimately separates the good from the bad, and ultimately the outstanding from the good.

ELECTRICTYCLUB.CO.UK Contributor Listings of 2011

MIKE COOPER

Best album: MUERAN HUMANOS Mueran Humanos
Best Song: VELVET CONDOM Rouge City
Best Gig: KRAFTWERK at Die Alte Kongresshalle, Munich
Best Video: LADYTRON Mirage
Most Promising New Act: MUERAN HUMANOS

STEVE GRAY

Best album: GARY NUMAN Dead Son Rising
Best Song: TENEK What Do You Want?
Best Gig: Back To The Phuture – Tomorrow Is Today at The Troxy, London
Best Video: DURAN DURAN Girl Panic!
Most Promising New Act: QUEEN OF HEARTS

CHI MING LAI

Best album: MIRRORS Lights & Offerings
Best Song: VILE ELECTRODES My Sanctuary
Best Gig: Back To The Phuture -Tomorrow Is Today at The Troxy, London
Best Video: TIGER BABY Landscapes
Most Promising New Act: QUEEN OF HEARTS

NIX LOWREY

Best Album: SANDWELL DISTRICT Feed Forward
Best Song: JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS Summerland
Best Gig: KRAFTWERK at Die Alte Kongresshalle, Munich
Best Video: LADYTRON Mirage
Most Promising New Act: MUERAN HUMANOS

RICHARD PRICE

Best album: MIRRORS Lights & Offerings
Best Song: JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS Shatterproof
Best Gig: HEAVEN17/BEF Weekender at The Roundhouse
Best Video: QUEEN OF HEARTS Shoot The Bullet
Most Promising New Act: QUEEN OF HEARTS

JOHAN WEJEDAL

Best album: AUSTRA Feel It Break
Best song: MIRRORS Into The Heart (Greek Girls Are Not Easy extended remix)
Best gig: AUSTRA at Stockholm Debaser Medis
Best video: EMMON Ghost Dance
Most promising new act: LOUISE (ex-THERMOSTATIC)

Text by Chi Ming Lai
31st December 2010

BLANCMANGE Live at Koko

27 March 2011 /

BLANCMANGE presented a sharp show at London’s Koko as part of their highly welcomed comeback.

The duo of Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe recently released their first album for 25 years in ‘Blanc Burn’, a dark collection of songs delivered in a modern technical setting but retaining all the hallmarks of their quirky and humourous sound. Unfortunately, Stephen Luscombe has been diagnosed with a spinal aneurysm and unable to take part in the tour; ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK wishes him all the best and a speedy recovery.

However tonight, he’s able to observe proceedings from the sidelines as his charismatic band mate Neil Arthur leads honorary mangers Pandit Dinesh and a deputising Graham Henderson through a spirited if short set to a crowd of eager onlookers who interestingly seem to have more hair than the average OMD or NEW ORDER audience!

Following a great warm up DJ set by the ubiquitous Mark Jones from Back To The Phuture who digs up the lost synthpop classic ‘Haven’t We Met Somewhere Before?’ by TELEX for all to hear, a taped intro of Vishnu acts as overture before BLANCMANGE begin with ‘I’m Having A Coffee’. An everyday tale of life how life can pass you by, of course one way to stop this from happening is to try something new… opening with an impressive new number is a fine statement of intent that this is not to be a complete night of nostalgia. It acts as a perfect starter before the main course which consists of half the tracks from their brilliant debut album ‘Happy Families’.

“Long time innit?” murmurs Mr Arthur by way of a greeting. Julian Cope will probably be skating on another copy of ‘Happy Families’ if he can hear the amazing response that is greeting tunes like ‘I Can’t Explain’, ‘God’s Kitchen’ and ‘I’ve Seen The Word’ tonight. On ‘I Can’t Explain’ in particular, Arthur almost turns into Ian Curtis as the blistering synths accentuate the overall intensity.

Meanwhile, ‘I’ve Seen The Word’ retains its melancholic beauty while the observational narrative on religion of ‘God’s Kitchen’ recalls a time when record companies were willing to take risks on unconventional musical subjects. And all this a couple of years before DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Blasphemous Rumours’ too.

Neo-referencing ROXY MUSIC’s ‘Do The Strand’, new single ‘Drive Me’ is part autobiographical as Arthur adds some theatrical surrealism when recalling his youth, particularly on meeting a DAVID BOWIE impersonator who refused to shave his moustache! Throughout the colourfully lit proceedings, Pandit Dinesh effortlessly taps his way through probably the largest array of ethnic percussion instruments ever to have been gathered to add a rich, spicy flavour to proceedings. He acts as the perfect sidekick in Luscombe’s absence to Arthur’s wonderful down-to-earth charm.

On ‘Don’t Tell Me’, the first hit single of the night, Neil Arthur is both dramatic and self deprecating. And the big belting voice of yore that has been more subdued on ‘Blanc Burn’ returns, bringing many smiles from the crowd.

Further amusement occurs when Arthur reaches for a megaphone for a rendition of ‘Probably Nothing’. He even treats onlookers to a spot of Tai Chi, no doubt the secret to his enormously fit, lean and healthy look.

Arthur’s joyful demeanour often disguised the edgier lyrical elements of BLANCMANGE’s catalogue in the past which have only become more obvious in retrospect.

A nice welcome surprise arrives in the shape of the brilliantly funky ‘Game Above My Head’, B-side of ‘Waves’ while the magnificent A-side itself really does sound like Scott Walker fronting OMD. With further roars of approval plus the passion which Arthur gives to this crescendo ballad, Julian Cope will probably now need to find two copies of ‘Happy Families’ to skate on!

‘The Western’ is an addition to the tradition of ‘Don’t Tell Me’ and ‘Living On The Ceiling’ and is probably the album’s most instantly accessible track. And when Koko gets ‘Living On The Ceiling’, this smash that still fills dancefloors and gets used in adverts acts as a symbol of BLANCMANGE’s musical and cultural legacy. An audience singalong is conducted superbly by Arthur’s animated arm actions coming over like a Lancastrian David Byrne.

During the bionic electronic disco of ‘Blind Vision’, the frantic rhythmical rattles and clouts are faithfully reproduced although occasionally, there is a strange aural cavern in the absence of the mighty female gospel vocals that appear on the original. Towards the final straight, a futuristic updating of ‘Feel Me’ gets the one of the biggest cheers of the evening as the audience “feel the pain”. Its dynamic adventure is a reminder than there are 101 things that can be done with a Linn Drum Computer.

Genuinely flattered by the response and attention, Arthur and co encore with ‘Starf*cker’, the sinister highlight from the ‘Blanc Burn’ album. It recalls the sound of BLACK GRAPE as it rightly attacks the UK’s shallow and vapid obsession with celebrity. It is unmistakeably BLANCMANGE but could never have come from ‘Happy Families’, ‘Mange Tout’ or ‘Believe You Me’. Now that’s progress! Then, unfortunately that was it!

At least one thing BLANCMANGE manage to do is leave everybody wanting more. While the brief set was a fine balance between the immediacy of their classic songs and the vitality of the new material from ‘Blanc Burn’, there was no room for the ABBA cover ‘The Day Before You Came’ or the engaging nearly single of ‘Kind’.

However, with the mixed emotions around Camp BLANCMANGE at the moment, it’s great just to hear these fantastically under-rated compositions within a concert setting again. The final word though has to go to the amazing Pandit Dinesh who shouted out “Jai Ho” as the band said their goodbyes. This is a Hindi victory shout… roughly translated into English, it means even “you rock”!

A pint of curry anyone?

Special thanks to Stuart Kirkham at 9PR

‘Blanc Burn’ is released on Proper Records

http://www.blancmange.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/BlancmangeMusic

https://twitter.com/_blancmange_

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Richard Price
27th March 2011

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