Erasure was undoubtedly one of the most successful British pop acts of the 1980s. Their climb to the top of the charts in 1986 with the synthesizer pop hit Sometimes coinciding with the chart decline of many other groups of a similar ilk. Erasure’s steady chart run continued well into the 1990s with Andy Bell and Vince Clark continuing to perform regular sell-out tours.
The bands recently released album Tomorrows World has lent its name to their current tour, which reached Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on October 30th.
FrankMusik Open For Erasure At Cardiff Concert
This was Erasure’s fifth visit to St David’s Hall and the concert began with an opening set featuring the 80s synth-pop inspired band FrankMusik.
Delivering over half an hour of original material such as the catchy Do it in the AM and No I.D. there were also brief nods to Paul Simon’s You Can Call Me Al and Philip Bailey’s Easy Lover.
Erasure Perform On Magnificent Gothic Set
Just after 9pm, Erasure’s Andy Bell and Vince Clarke strode onto the gothic styled stage in magnificent red jackets with Andy Bell sporting a Roman Centurion’s helmet. Vince Clarke took his place at the gargoyle styled synthesizer and the pair, accompanied by two backing singers, launched into the upbeat Sono Luminous.
The audience immediately rose to their feet, as they danced and sang along with Andy Bell’s energetic performance. It soon became apparent that this would not be a concert for sitting down!
Following the close of Sono Luminous, Andy dispersed of his Centurion Helmet and red jacket to reveal he was wearing a Basque – much to the audience delight. He then said: "It’s lovely playing here on a Sunday, because all the Church Bells are ringing. Thank you Cardiff!"
Erasure Delight Audience With 1980s Pop Classics
The audience continued to immerse themselves in a selection of 80s pop classics that sounded even better now than it did when it was released some twenty odd years ago. Among the tracks performed was the pop purity of Always, the dreamy decadence of Blue Savannah, the techno brilliance of Victim Of Love and the subtle sensitivity of Ship Of Fools.
Andy Bell frequently chatted with the audience proving himself a consummate performer whilst Vince Clarke maintained a powerful omnipresence making his presence felt through the music that supported Andy’s fabulous vocal.
Erasure Perform Songs From Their Album Tomorrow’s World
Sprinkled amongst the greatest hits were a selection of impressive offerings from Erasure’s latest album Tomorrow’s World. An album so new, that Andy Bell joked that he still hadn’t learned all the words for Erasure’s latest single Be With You, although if that were the case he certainly didn't let it show in his performance.
Other delights from Tomorrow’s World included an acoustic performance of Alien and the wonderfully upbeat A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot, proving that Erasure still have the ability to produce great tunes.
Following renditions of Sometimes and A Little Respect, Erasure returned to the stage for an encore of Oh L’Amour and Stop, of which the chorus "We’ll be together again..." echoed through St David’s Hall as a promise for further good times to be had in the future.
For tour dates and further information on Erasure, visit their official website.
