ABC And The Human League - Together In Electric Dreams In Leeds

They were two of the biggest pop acts of the early eighties; ABC and The Human League went from the nightclubs of Sheffield to conquer the world with their hit singles and albums.

ABC delivered one of the most iconic albums of that period in the shape of The Lexicon of Love. The band, now featuring the only original member Martin Fry, never equalled their early success with subsequent forays, which included the act becoming cartoon characters, discovering house music and later attempting to replicate their initial success with The Lexicon of Love II album, which met with a marginal impact.

Looking as graceful and debonair as ever, Fry and the band took to the stage at Leeds’ Millennium Square to remind the sold-out audience of the majesty and brilliance of that emblematic debut album. In the recent past an orchestra has toured with the band, bringing the full sound of the album to the fore.

Without the orchestra, the songs, though still melodic, lacked the sweeping and resounding sound that audiences have become accustomed to when a full orchestra is on stage with the band.

Fry wisely took the opportunity to cover the length of his career, which included the blissful Viva Love and the regal King Without A Crown. The Look of Love closed a proficient set that was nostalgic yet still sounded contemporary.

Fresh from a five-week American tour, The Human League arrived in Leeds from Sheffield, where the majority of the original lineup still lives, for a set that was nostalgic though never sounded dated, which is often the case with many of the acts from this period in popular music.

The band has been touring the same set more or less for the last few years, which is understandable when you have at your disposal one of the best back catalogues of modern pop songs.

Oakey still had the voice to perform these pop nuggets; his signature stentorian monotone is still a thing of beauty, which came to the fore on Mirror Man and The Lebanon. Wearing a succession of stage costumes, Oakey prowled the stage like a panther as his joy of being back in Yorkshire appeared genuine.

Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall always there to provide vocal assistance – the two were never strong singers in the first placetance, though they added a contrast to Oakey’s commanding presence and vocals.

Every band has a signature tune that is associated with them; in the case of The Human League, Don’t You Want Me will be forever linked to the Sheffield act. The band knows the worth of the track as they capitalise on this by turning the track into initially an instrumental version, letting the sold-out audience sing back the hit single before the band delivered an uplifting version of the worldwide Number One hit song.

With the band encoring with the Giorgio Moroder and Phil Oakey song, Together in Electric Dreams, tonight had been a dream come true for fans of early eighties pop music.