The Trevor Horn Band Relax In Manchester

Before the Trevor Horn Band arrived at the Ritz ballroom in Manchester came the announcement, “Welcome to the stage the man who invented the 80s, Mr Trevor Horn.” Whilst the statement might have appeared somewhat boastful, there was an element of truth in the greeting.
 
After forming The Buggles, Horn went on to produce some of the most recognisable anthems that defined the Eighties, including ABC’s Lexicon of Love and Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s number one hits Relax, Two Tribes and The Power of Love, as well as being, periodically, a member of prog-rockers Yes before producing some of their more commercial work, then taking Russian duo t.A.T.u to number one in the charts with All the Things She Said – not bad from a former session musician from Durham.

If Horn had invented the eighties, then surely he must have taken up the baton that lay in the seventies from Lol Creme from 10cc, the art-rock group who brought a touch of sophistication, style and substance to the charts with songs such as Rubber Bullets, The Dean and I and the timeless I’m Not in Love. 

Creme is now a member of the Trevor Horn Band, which also includes some of the finest musicians in the country, including drummer par excellence Ash Soan, guitarist Jakko Jakszyk and vocalists Izzy Chase, Florence Rawlings and Roberto.

If anyone had wanted a first-class lesson in the best pop songs from 1973 to 2002, the Ritz was the best place to discover an excellent musical education. 

Opening with the pomp, thrust and elegance of Two Tribes, Roberto almost outperformed the vocal originally sung by Holly Johnson before Horn and the band took the audience back to where it all began, The Buggles' Number 1 from 1979, Video Killed the Radio Star. The track came from their debut album, Welcome to the Plastic Age. The infuriatingly catchy song has aged better than some of the other tracks on the album, such as Clean Clean, also performed tonight.

Hearing the stories behind the songs brought a personal touch as Horn chatted about working with Grace Jones, Rod Stewart and t.A.t.u. “They couldn’t speak a word of English,” he commented on producing their worldwide hit. “I just had to get them to repeat the words over and over until they got it.”

Crème, now aged 78, still impressed on Rubber Bullets, though the higher notes are now taken over by the other vocalists. Interestingly, many of the 10cc hits were formulated and recorded just down the road from tonight’s venue at what was Strawberry Studios North in Stockport.

Relax, probably the song that defined 1984 was in good hands vocally with Roberto maintaining the energy, excitement and enthralment of the original.  The Seal hit Kiss From A Rose was a fragrant reminder that not all of Horn’s work was up-tempo pop songs; the ballad, it appeared, did not almost make it to the studio. It was only when Horn reminded Seal of the song that had initially been put on the back burner.

Closing with the Tears for Fears hit Everybody Wants to Rule the World – the only track performed tonight that Horn didn’t have involvement in, sung tonight “because we like it” – the song was a fine sentiment to a man who actually did rule the pop world in a period when everything he touched turned to gold, much like tonight’s concert.