LIVE AND KICKING - The last Soft Cell date!

Synth-pop pioneers Soft Cell will reunite for one last time at The O2, on Sunday 30 September 2018, in their first UK show for 15 years.

Marc Almond and Dave Ball will perform together for a one-off show, ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’, as they celebrate their 40th anniversary as a duo with their first UK show since 2003. This will be the band’s ONLY and last EVER show.

One of the most influential groups to emerge from the electronic music scene in the UK in the 1980s, Soft Cell produced five albums of original material, book-ended by their debut; 1981’s ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’, and 2002’s ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’. The incredible string of hits Soft Cell produced during this time, including ten tracks that reached the UK Top 40 singles charts, need little introduction.

The unique combination of Ball’s musicianship and Almond’s tender yet assured delivery on songs such as ‘Memorabilia’, ‘Torch’, and of course their trademark ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’ inhabits a unique place in British music history.

‘Tainted Love’, Soft Cell’s boundless Number One hit, is perhaps the most emblematic and evocative song of the era. A cover of Gloria Jones’ Northern Soul staple that kept the original’s yearning tone, Soft Cell enveloped the track with a slowed down instantly recognisable synth riff – a nod to pop music’s past, yet wholly updated with the fresh, modern sound of the 80s that still holds up to this day.

Intervening years have seen both Marc Almond and Dave Ball’s talent recognised with successful solo careers in their own right, with Almond awarded an Ivor Novello Inspiration Award in 2013, as well as an OBE this year’s New Year’s Honours List.  Ball went on to form The Grid, peaking with million-selling international hit ‘Swamp Thing’, as well as working as a producer and writer for the likes of Kylie Minogue and remixer for David Bowie, Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, Yello & The B-52’s.

On performing their best-loved hits together again, Marc Almond commented “With Soft Cell I always felt something was unfinished. This last ever final show will be the best ever ending. It will be a real statement and send off, and thank you to every fan”

Dave Ball added "We live in very interesting times, and 2018 promises to be a very special year”.

Tickets go on general sale Friday 23 February at 9am.

OFF THE RECORDS/VIDEOKILLER - Nomi and cognomi...Jessica 6 new album is out and we are into it!

Jessica 6 'Prisoner Of Love' feat. Antony from Jessica 6 on Vimeo.

Talking about Jessica 6 and Nomi Ruiz (see the Post down under), here it is the article of "Interview" about their brand new album "See the light" (out now), the premiere of "Prisoner of Love" video and their astonishing video "White Horse"...It seems Soft Cell's "Non stop erotic cabaret" meets Andy Warhol...Enjoy!

Not everyone will admit to loving disco. But deep inside, everyone loves soul-searing, bass-thumping, sex-appeal-oozing disco à la Summer's "I Feel Love," which is what Jessica 6, and its frontwoman Nomi Ruiz, serve up in heaps. And smartly, the sensuality that pervades the band's debut album See The Light is as present in the band's visuals as it is in sound. Ruiz is simply a bombshell, and J6's gritty, red-drenched videos put her front and center. (Bandmates and production team Andrew Raposo and Morgan Wiley make their presence known in acid-house synths and basslines.) Her seductive performance and voice even caught the attention of the man behind one of the most captivating stage performers in the world: Gaga stylist Nicola Formichetti. For their new video "Prisoner of Love," Formichetti does put Ruiz in a baroque, high-necked, crystallized piece by The Blondes, but for the most part, he lets her captivate in simple outfits, like a black crop-top or a white tank. (Her two-toned nails, however, are pretty eye-catching.) Halfway through the Marco Ovando-directed video, Ruiz's friend and collaborator Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons appears, adding a warm timbre and throaty roundness to Ruiz's breathiness. But this isn't a repeat of Hercules and Love Affair's 2008 synthy rave tribute hit "You Belong" (in which Hegarty supplies Ruiz's backing vocals); "Prisoner of Love" is a more organic affair, with Hegarty crooning while Ruiz purrs, and the two engaging in a vocal tête-à-tête until crescendo. On top of vocal layers, there are Ruiz layers too, with the singer's silhouette providing a window to her bandmates, Hegarty, and Ruiz herself. Check out the exclusive here, and rest assured that underground dance music divas are just as sexy as their '70s predecessors.

JESSICA 6'S DEBUT, SEE THE LIGHT, IS OUT NOW. THEY'LL PLAY WITH HOLY GHOST! THIS SATURDAY AT BOWERY BALLROOM. FOR MORE ON THE BAND, VISIT THEIR MYSPACE.