Blancmange

Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh
December 2nd, 2022

If you can see past the daft clobber and mullets the early Eighties was a fertile period for UK music.

1981, Bucks Fizz win the Eurovision Song Contest and Joe Dolce’s ‘Shad uppa ya face’ reaches the top of the hit parade.

But coming up on the rails…

Number 2 in the then relevant charts is Ultravox classic ‘Vienna’

Bizarre Records release ‘Some Bizarre Album’ a compilation of proto electronica featuring Depeche Mode The The Soft Cell and tonights Chief Rockers ‘Blancmange’.

Seminal bit of plastic

Formed in Harrow in 1979 by Lancashire lad Neil Arthur with multi instrumentalist Stephen Luscombe ‘Blancmange’ hovered around the periphery of the New Romantic scene supporting Japan (Ghosts, what a tune) and troubling the charts on a few occasions notably with 1982 release ‘Living on the Ceiling’. (London Records)

Mr Arthur kept at it when the foppery of the era fell out of fashion. Touring recording releasing and evolving.

Here he rocks up in Edinburghs Liquid Rooms with a tight three piece to promote latest Album ‘Private View’

After 43 years in the biz you know how to boss a stage and the somewhat aged crowd agree.

The back catalogue is run out in good order and the new material kicks in nicely with this latest of the many of the bands incarnations. Pulsing synths, anthemic vocalising and a flat out Can style human drum machine turn by the drummer on a drum pad a kick drum and a pair of Forrest Hills.