It was a beautiful summer’s evening last night when I attended the premiere of the film of Soft Cell’s final show, which took place at the O2 arena on 30th September 2018. That night, last year, was a very special evening as not only did it mark their final show, but was also an anniversary of forty years since the synth pop duo was formed. You cannot under-estimate the impact that Soft Cell has had on pop music over that time. Without Soft Cell there would be no Erasure, or Pet Shop Boys and subsequently modern bands and singers which have in turn, been influenced by those electro duos of which there are far too many to mention.
The premiere was billed as being a somewhat glitzy affair with “Marc and Dave walking the red carpet” with Soft Cell themed cocktails being made available especially for the event, and a cinematic experience which would not be rivalled. I dressed accordingly in a hot pink sequinned top with lace jacket and now (my infamous) crying eye brooch, and a custom-made cocktail skirt, with two large pink sequinned flamingos adorning it in homage to the song, “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye”. My local friend Rachel joined me, and at Epping station we were asked where we were going to, looking so glammed up amongst the Monday night commuters. “Oh yes, Soft Cell. I remember them. Whatever happened to them?” I didn’t have time to answer as my train was about to leave, which was probably just as well…!
We arrived at the venue in Kings Cross and straight away it was lovely to see so many friends there. After milling around for a few minutes, I collected our complementary A3 glossy posters courtesy of Richard who runs the Erasure fan club and who I have been acquainted with for a number of years from when he ran remembertheeighties.com. He joked that Andy and Vince had pimped him out for the evening for a reasonable fee!
Soon after, I noticed Marc coming through the doors of the venue. I was expecting an announcement along the lines of “Welcome to the Everyman for the world premiere of Soft Cell’s final show, and here are the band themselves….” However, no such announcement was made. Marc wandered slightly awkwardly up the somewhat grubby red carpet, he stood around for a few photos, signed my friend Mary’s book and then walked off upstairs towards the bar area. It was all a bit disappointingly low key. We then heard that Dave was unable to attend the event as he was poorly; I hope he gets better soon.
Unperturbed, we also wandered upstairs to the bar to mingle with friends. It really did feel like a family occasion, as the same familiar faces tend to go to these London events. I’ve known a lot of Marc fans from all over the world, for the past 30-something years. We have grown up together, met up at gigs, seen each other’s children grow up, parents pass away and have shared the experiences of many, many landmark Marc Almond gigs and events. With the advent of social media this has further developed the bonds of friendship that we share, and it was fabulous to see so many friends there last night.
We finally took our place in Cinema 1 (it was being shown simultaneously in two of the cinema screens at the Everyman). Each of the comfortable plush seats offered a large bar of Green and Black chocolate to snack on during the screening, which was a nice touch. Marc was introduced and gave a spiel about how the concert came about, how the film was edited etc and took some questions from the floor. It emerged that there would probably no more Soft cell concerts, but possibly some more singles and an album to come. Also, as a parting shot Marc declared “look out for a Loveless gig at Christmastime!”
The last The Loveless gig was at the end of January at the 100 Club and was a brilliant evening. The Loveless, consists of Marc, Neal X plus Ben Ellis and Mat Hector from Iggy Pop’s band. It was a completely different presentation of Marc’s songs, drawing a more Rock ‘n’ Roll guitar fuelled feel, with influences by rock stalwarts Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and T-Rex to a riotous reception. So it’s extremely pleasing that we have that repeat treat to look forward to at Christmas this year.
The Say Hello Wave Goodbye film itself was spectacular to see on the large screen. The DVD is released on 26 July via Lexer, but of course nothing beats that large screen cinematic experience and the sound quality was amazing, even to my discerning ear! The film is somewhat of an epic in every sense of the word, and started later than billed, so it was a ‘quick off’ at the end of it.
A vast array of Soft Cell songs were covered from the show from all of Soft Cell’s albums, and it was fun spotting friends in the audience on the big screen! Yet again, the big ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’ finale song with glowing mobile phone lights, and a stupendous glitter bomb at the end, brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my black kohl-lined eye. Marc cited that particular moment as a highlight of his 40 years with Soft Cell. A moment in time that will not be surpassed.
Ange Chan
15 July 2019
Vodkaangel22 