The Human League (14/12/24, OVO Arena Wembley, London, England, UK)

Trudging all the way to Wembley is never fun for me in itself, so making the trip requires some pretty damn strong incentive; thankfully, Saturday night provided just that with the Human League concluding their Generations tour at the OVO Arena. The synthpop superstars had solid support from both ’80s contemporaries T’ Pau and the rather surprising choice of Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Beyond ‘China in Your Hand’, their 1987 hit, I’m not too familiar with T’Pau’s back catalogue, but Carol Decker and co. got the night off to a decent start ‘Secret Garden’, ‘Heart and Soul’, and, of course, the aforementioned 1987 hit being standouts. Carol, the filthy mare, made light of her position on the bill with a decidedly bawdy turn of phrase; “I’m your official fluffer!” she declared midway through the set, and, indeed, her oral action left me with little in the way of complaint.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor wins my Pleasant Surprise of the Night Award for a rather polished, top-notch performance with some notable numbers, namely her cover of Alcazar’s ‘Crying at the Discotheque’, a medley-rich rendition of her breakthrough summer 2000 hit ‘Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)’, her version of Freemason’s ‘Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)’ (on which she refreshingly pronounces “Dancer” like an Englishwoman instead of in the expected American cadence), and, last but not least, ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ recently given something of a signal boost via the movie Saltburn. If Carol T’Pau was the no-nonsense the fluffer, Sophie goes for a more refined, playful, flirty approach, teasing and coaxing desire and enthusiasm out of the audience. Shame the overpriced cider I’d unwisely ordered from the bar had my lids falling at certain points, but I was pretty impressed with what I saw (and heard) my eyes open at least, to the point that I’m playing with the thought of catching one of her upcoming headline shows.

As for the main act, they, as at Kew last year, effortlessly impressed both vocally and instrumentally. Phil Oakey, Sue Ann Sulley, and Joanne Catherall sound as sharp as they ever did, and their current band —percussionist Rob Barton, keyboardist/backing vocalist Ben Smith, and guitarist/keyboardist Nick Banks—do a stellar job of supplying that crisp, distinctive sound for which this band is well known. The stagecraft, too, as ever, was a sight to behold, the most striking element being the descending platform that brought the band to the stage during show opener ‘Hard Times’.

The setlist itself had more than a few surprises. Sure, they had expected favourites such as ‘Mirror Man’, ‘Tell Me When’, ‘The Lebanon’,’ Heart Like a Wheel’, and, inevitably, their breakthrough hit ‘Don’t You Want Me?’, but they also added the likes of ‘Life on Your Own’, ‘Louise’, and ‘Empire State Human’ into the mix, much to my liking. I also got treated to the dark, moody sythlines of ‘The Path of Least Resistance’, the earliest song recorded, according to Phil, the sole vox on this pre-’80s number, which left me wanting to dust off initial album Reproduction for a thorough relisten. Speaking of Phil vox solos, another track from his collab with Giorgio Moroder,’ Good-Bye, Bad Times’, got an airing in the encore, alongside the more familiar (and much loved) ‘Together in Electric Dreams’.

All in all, another sterling set from the League, and one that left me wondering what they have in store for their upcoming return to Kew in July. Special mention goes out to Phil for his flares, Sue for her speech celebrating 43 years of being part of the band, and Jo for knowing how to fill out a stage outfit.

~MRDA~

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