The Human League, Alison Moyet, Soft Cell @ Red Butte Garden

In the early 1990s, I remember buying Memorabilia – The Singles, a compilation of Marc Almond solo tracks and recordings he released with Dave Ball as Soft Cell, at Pegasus Music. Photo: Angela H. Brown

Image: Angela H. Brown

Concert

In the early 1990s, I remember buying Memorabilia – The Singles, a compilation of Marc Almond solo tracks and recordings he released with Dave Ball as Soft Cell, at Pegasus Music. It felt like a quiet act of rebellion. Almond was openly gay in an era where such things weren’t mentioned among decent society. As the son of a gay man, I had picked up on the messaging in Almond’s “Tears Run Rings” and felt a connection with the hypocrisy and frustration contained in the song’s lyrics. I was, of course, also a fan of Soft Cell’s version of “Tainted Love.”

Buying the CD didn’t start a revolution. It was, however, one of many steps I would take in the coming years to turn my back on the rampant homophobia that surrounded me and embrace the love that I felt for my father.

My love for Almond’s music didn’t come fully into bloom until a handful of years later when I saw him perform in the summer of 1995, while studying contemporary British theater in London. By the time I returned to America, I had a nearly complete collection of Almond’s recordings.

Had you told me then that three decades later, I would be seeing Soft Cell perform 20 minutes from my home, I wouldn’t have believed you. When I missed seeing Soft Cell during their reunion in the early 2000s, I thought my chance had come and gone. I know Almond and Ball would have agreed with me.

Fate, often cruel, has been kind to me. Thursday’s appearance at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre marked the fifth time I would see Soft Cell (add in Almond solo shows, and that number is more than doubled). Ball’s passing last year is more than a footnote; health issues had kept him from touring America in both 2022 and 2025, but those of us who were lucky enough to see the band at full strength know that his presence is sorely missed. Philip Larsen, who co-produced Soft Cell’s 2022 album *Happiness Not Included, is once again positioned behind the keyboards. Nonetheless, any opportunity to see Almond perform is a rapturous experience. Even if it comes early evening in an outdoor venue where songs intended to be listened to after midnight in seedy clubs or lonely bedsits are performed in broad daylight.

The set is primarily singles released on and around Soft Cell’s debut album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, including “Memorabilia,” “Bedsitter,” “A Man Could Get Lost,” “Torch,” “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” and “Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go.” “Nostalgia Machine,” “Loving You, Hating Me” and “Soul Inside” rounded out the set.

Almond’s voice is as good as it ever was, and while I might push the set list toward lesser-known classics and newer songs, this performance is tailored for those seeing the band for the first time. Watching a particular SLUG staffer snap photos, dance and sing her way through the set was an incredibly joyous experience.

The audience had to warm up to the performance. By the end of the set, Almond had won over the audience. He could have added another ten songs, and no one would have complained.

Almond has suggested that Soft Cell will be returning to America in the fall. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend seeing them in a neon-lit environment. Their London Hammersmith Apollo show from 2021 is one of my favorite concerts of all time.

Despite owning all her albums, I had never seen Alison Moyet in concert before. I should have attended the Yazoo reunion tour in Reno or Las Vegas; we all have regrets we are forced to live with. Having listened to live recordings, I knew that Moyet was going to give a great performance. I didn’t expect the stage presence that came along with her incredible vocal talent. Moyet is fantastic live.

Her set list included numerous Yazoo hits and album cuts, including “Nobody’s Diary,” “Midnight,” “Only You,” “Winter Kills,” “Situation” and “Don’t Go.” Tracks from her solo releases include classics “Footsteps,” “Love Resurrection,” “It Won’t Be Long” and the more recent “Changeling.”

From the very first note, the crowd was completely invested. Considering Erasure’s popularity in Utah, the only person surprised by the response might have been Moyet. Again, no one would have complained if Moyet played a full set that touched on her solo triumphs. If my economics were different, I’d be booking a flight to catch one of her European dates later this year.

If you’re a fan of synthpop, there are certain bands that should be on your bucket list, and that absolutely includes The Human League. So, I saw The Human League with my sister in Las Vegas at the House of Blues in 2018. I genuinely didn’t expect the opportunity to see them again and was happy to be proved wrong.

Featuring the core trio of founding member Philip Oakey and long-time vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley, The Human League took to the stage with the trio of Rob Barton, Ben Smith and Nick Banks handling keyboards, guitar, bass and drums. The set leaned heavily into the Dare album with “Seconds,” “The Things That Dreams Are Made Of,” “Love Action (I Believe in Love),” “The Sound of the Crowd” and “Don’t You Want Me.”

The rest of their catalogue was represented with “(Keep Feeling) Fascination,” “Mirror Man,” “The Lebanon,” “Tell Me When,” “One Man in My Heart,” “Human” and the lesser-known single “Louise.” The encore included “Being Boiled” and Oakey’s collaboration with Giorgio Moroder, “Together in Electric Dreams.”

A chatty Oakey delighted the crowd with frequent costume changes. Sulley commented that this was the first time in her career that she played a venue where flowers were placed where the mosh pit traditionally would be. My only complaint is that “Heart Like a Wheel” wasn’t included.

No disrespect to Howard Jones, Modern English, A Flock of Seagulls or Thomas Dolby, but of the numerous 1980s shows coming through Salt Lake City this summer, I’m confident that this was by far the best of the lot.

Photos by Angela H. Brown | @therealangela